“…The accelerated search for additional cave features on the Moon and Mars (refer to Cushing, 2017; Wagner & Robinson, 2021) ultimately expanded into the identification of nearly 3,000 potential subsurface access points (SAPs; this term is applied in lieu of “cave entrance” as we lack any additional evidence to suggest a cave exists) on eight planetary bodies (Titus, Wynne, Malaska, et al., 2021; Wynne, Titus, et al., 2022) and cave‐bearing landscapes across the solar system. The prospect of extraterrestrial caves has steadily fueled research efforts to: - examine microbial life of tellurian caves as Mars analogs (e.g., Boston, 2004; Boston et al., 2006; Léveillé & Datta, 2010; Röling et al., 2015; Selensky et al., 2021; Westall et al., 2015);
- model environments of terrestrial and potential martian cave systems (e.g., Schörghofer et al., 2018; Titus et al., 2010; Williams & McKay, 2015; Williams et al., 2010);
- improve cave detection capabilities (e.g., Cushing et al., 2015; Hong et al., 2015; Pisani & De Waele, 2021; Wynne et al., 2008, 2021);
- develop and expand upon life detection instrumentation and techniques (e.g., Patrick et al., 2012; Preston et al., 2014; Storrie‐Lombardi et al., 2011; Uckert et al., 2020);
- expand the number of cave explorer robotic platforms under development (Green & Oh, 2005; Kesner et al., 2007; Morad et al., 2019; Nesnas et al., 2012; Parness et al., 2017; Titus, Wynne, Boston, et al., 2021; Titus, Wynne, Malaska, et al., 2021);
- advance robotic sensing and navigational capabilities (e.g., Agha‐Mohammadi et al., 2021; Kalita et al., 2017; Kim et al., 2021; Thakker et al., 2021); and,
- propose mission concepts (e.g., Kerber et al., 2019; Phillips‐Lander et al., 2020; Whittaker et al., 2021; Ximenes et al., 2012) and strategies to optimize future planetary cave exploration efforts (e.g., Rummel et al., 2014; Titus, Wynne, Boston, et al., ...
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