Forget the Moon's south pole: 4 other lunar sites could help humans build a base and prepare for Mars, new report suggests

The southernmost region of the Moon has emerged as a crucial focus for contemporary lunar exploration, particularly in the quest for water ice. Other notable sites, such as Bhabha Crater and Orientale Basin, are also under consideration for study. These areas promise to offer vital information about the Moon's past and feasible locations for human settlement.

The southernmost point on the Moon, known as the infamous "south pole," is the destination of all modern lunar missions mainly because of the location's frozen water ice, which scientists believe is the closest place we know for humanity's second home. As the two most tech-savvy nations on earth, the US and China, are in a race to establish crewed outposts on the lunar surface, a new report identifies four other destinations for landings.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report identifies 4 places on the Moon, Bhabha Crater, Mons Hadley, the Orientale Basin, and the Aristarchus Plateau as "high-value science destinations for short-duration human missions beyond the lunar poles."

NASA's Artemis IV mission, which is only the second mission since the Apollo era to send astronauts to the lunar south pole by early 2028, while China is targeting human landings by 2030. But scientists believe that exploring these 4 non polar destinations of the Moon could unravel "how humans could live and thrive on the moon," the non-profit organization says.

"Returning to the moon will be a great achievement for humanity - and setting foot where we never have before will be a major moment for science," James Day, co-chair of the committee behind the report, said in a statement.

Four places that could change lunar exploration

1. Bhabha Crater: A window into the Moon's past

Located on the Moon's far side, it would be the 'farthest and most isolated' location humans have ever explored. In this zone, astronauts can analyze material from the moon's 'oldest preserved impact basin,' study the lunar crust, and conduct radio and optical astronomy experiments.

2. Mons Hadley: A potential radiation research hub

Mons Hadley is located on the near side of the moon. Part of this region was explored by Apollo 15 astronauts. "Revisiting the site would provide new information for future crewed missions by allowing the study of hardware and biological materials left exposed to the lunar environment for more than 50 years," the National Academies explains in the media release.

The report expects that explorers can actually collect samples from the Apollo 15 site to "inform the Artemis program and moon-to-Mars planning."

3. Orientale Basin: Exploring the Moon's deep structure

One of the solar system's largest and best-preserved multiringed impact craters, Orientale Basin, could help scientists understand how exactly the Moon formed and evolved. As per the report, visiting this site would offer an 'unmatched variety of geological materials' to a seismically quiet environment.

4. Aristarchus Plateau: Volcanic terrain and useful resources

Aristarchus Plateau is a geologically geologically diverse region which could unravel how lunar volcanism started. This site could also "support future exploration" and be suitable for establishing a space weather observatory, which could eventually improve space weather forecasting.

The report suggested NASA should "develop the capability for astronauts to travel farther than the current maximum of 2 kilometers for extravehicular exploration," so that instruments deployed by them can operate over many day-to-night cycles on the moon.

"The moon is our history book. With Apollo, we just thumbed through the first few pages," astrophysicist Jack Burns told Scientific American.