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Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago.
科学家们已经确认了月球上的一个洞穴，距离尼尔·阿姆斯特朗和巴兹·奥尔德林55年前登陆的地方不远。
They suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts.
他们怀疑还有数百个可以容纳未来宇航员的地方。
An Italian-led team reported recently that there is evidence of a large cave that can be entered from the deepest known pit on the moon.
一个由意大利人领导的研究小组最近报告说，有证据表明有一个大型洞穴可以从月球上已知最深的坑洞进入。
It is located at the Sea of Tranquility, just 400 kilometers from Apollo 11’s landing site.
它位于宁静海，距离阿波罗11号的着陆点仅400公里。
The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube.
这个坑，就像在那里发现的200多个其他坑一样，是因熔岩管的坍塌形成的。
Researchers examined radar measurements by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and compared the results with lava tubes on Earth.
研究人员检查了美国宇航局月球勘测轨道飞行器的雷达测量结果，并将其与地球上的熔岩管进行了比较。
Their findings appeared in the scientific publication Nature Astronomy.
他们的研究结果发表在科学出版物《自然天文学》上。
The radar data shows only the beginning part of the underground area, the scientists say.
科学家们表示，雷达数据仅显示了地下区域的开始部分。
They estimate it is at least 40 meters wide and tens of meters long, probably more.
他们估计它至少有40米宽，几十米长，可能更长。
Lunar caves have remained a mystery for over 50 years.
月球洞穴50多年来一直是个谜。
So it was exciting to be able to finally prove the existence” of one, Leonardo Carrer and Lorenzo Bruzzone of Italy’s University of Trento, wrote in an email.
意大利特伦托大学的莱昂纳多-卡雷尔和洛伦佐-布鲁佐内在一封电子邮件中写道：“因此，能够最终证明它的存在令人兴奋”。
Most of the pits seem to be in the moon’s ancient lava plains, scientists say.
科学家们说，大多数的陨石坑似乎都在月球古老的熔岩平原上。
There also could be some at the moon’s south pole, the planned location of NASA’s astronaut landings in the years to come.
在月球的南极也可能有一些，这是美国国家航空航天局计划在未来几年让宇航员登陆的地点。
Permanently shadowed craters there are believed to hold frozen water that could provide drinking water and rocket fuel.
那里的永久阴影陨石坑被认为含有可以提供饮用水和火箭燃料的冷冻水。
During NASA’s Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
在美国国家航空航天局的阿波罗计划中，从 1969 年 7 月 20 日阿姆斯特朗和奥尔德林开始，共有 12 名宇航员登上了月球。
The findings suggest there could be hundreds of pits on the moon and thousands of lava tubes.
这些发现表明，月球上可能有数百个坑和数千个熔岩管。
Such places could serve as a natural shelter for astronauts, protecting them from cosmic rays and solar radiation as well as from very small meteorite strikes.
这样的地方可以作为宇航员的天然庇护所，保护他们免受宇宙射线和太阳辐射以及非常小的陨石撞击。
The act of building living areas from nothing would be more difficult and take more time, even when including the possible need of strengthening the cave walls to prevent a collapse, the team said.
该团队表示，从零开始建造生活区将更加困难，并且需要更多时间，包括可能需要加强洞穴墙壁以防止坍塌。
Rocks and other material inside these caves — unchanged by the difficult surface conditions over the ages — also can help scientists better understand how the moon evolved, especially in terms of its volcanic activity.
这些洞穴内的岩石和其他物质——历经岁月艰难的表面条件而未发生变化——也可以帮助科学家更好地了解月球的演化过程，特别是在其火山活动方面。
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
