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Francesco Sauro announced the publication of a new study in the journal Icarussigned with Francesco Axel Pio Romio and also dedicated to the late Riccardo Pozzobon. At the center of the work is Pyroducta software that allows you to reconstruct lava tunnels (so-called “lava tubes“) in three dimensionsstarting from real surveys.
The touching dedication to Riccardo Pozzobon, who contributed to the idea with his contagious enthusiasm, recalls his recent death.
Tunnels, formed by lava flowing underground during a volcanic eruption, also exist on Mars and the Moonand may in the future offer shelter to astronautsbecause they protect from radiation and extreme temperatures.
Pyroduct, simply put
Pyroduct is a program that draws realistic 3D models of lava tubes on the computerbased on:
- surveys carried out in the field (therefore on real data);
- an archive of more 1,200 sections of volcanic tunnelscollected by researchers over years of exploration.
Once the data is entered, Pyroduct builds the tunnel in 3D, very precisely: this is useful for study the Earth’s volcanoesbut also for imagine what those on other planets might be like.
Satellites have shown that even on the Moon and Mars there are openings in the ground that look like the entrance to volcanic tunnels. Scientists think that these tubes may still exist beneath the surfaceand that they could be used as natural shelters for future space missions.
Pyroduct allows you to simulate what these tunnels might look likeeven taking into account the different gravity, size and conditions of the planets.
A free software open to all
An important aspect is that Pyroduct will be available for freeso that other scientists, architects or students can use it for study, plan missions or learn.
It’s a concrete example of how Italian research can contribute to space explorationstarting from Earth and looking to the Moon and Mars.
For those who want to know more
I’m not really a scientist, and certainly many things are missed in the synthesis.
If you are curious about the topic, you can read the full article here:
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2025.116904
Happy reading!
Cover photo: Interior of Thurston Lava Tubea tunnel formed by the passage of lava, which can now be visited in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Tunnels like this also exist on the Moon and Mars, according to images obtained from satellite orbits – Wikimedia Commons – Thurston Lava Tube
License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) – free use with attribution
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