The Moon is shrinking.
The Moon is shrinking in size
Scientists have estimated that the circumference of the satellite has decreased by around 45m over the past few hundred million years, putting attempts to construct a lunar base at risk.
Researchers are convinced that the moon's shrinkage causes severe "moonquakes" around the lunar South Pole - the exact spot where NASA is hoping to land a crew in the future.
The space agency's Artemis 3 mission is currently planned for 2026 and is set to mark humanity's first return to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Thomas Watters, a senior scientist emeritus at the National Air and Space Museum's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, has warned that the danger of moon shrinkage causing instability "should be considered when planning the location and stability of permanent outposts on the Moon".