00:04There's still a whole lot we don't know about Mars, humanity's next big off-world
00:08destination. And this hole on the Martian surface has raised even more questions about
00:12the inner workings of the red planet, as scientists have no idea what it is.
00:16The image was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter while soaring over the Arcea Mons region.
00:21The hole is only a few meters in diameter, but it is particularly important to planetary
00:25researchers, as Arcea Mons was once a region with active volcanoes. Scientists have long said that
00:31if humans were to go to Mars, we would need sturdy shelters from the extreme weather and intense
00:35radiation from the sun. One avenue of engineering research points to lava tubes as a possible
00:40location for human shelters to be built, natural caverns that block wind, dust, and solar radiation.
00:46That's why this image is exciting for NASA. However, they still need more info.
00:50That's because rather than a lava tube, this could be what's called a pit crater,
00:54where a collapse of material deeper underground has left a giant chasm rather than a tube,
00:59meaning it would likely not make for good shelter on Mars. Experts say the next step is to get a
01:03robotic mission to one of these sites ahead of a human mission to set up a base there.
