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Valentine Cave

Valentine Cave is a 1,635 foot (498 m) cave found in Lava Beds National Monument, California. It is considered one of the least challenging caves in the park.

Discovery and name
The cave is one of the few in the park not named by J. D. Howard. It was discovered by Ross R. Musselman on Valentine's Day in 1933. He was led to the entrance after he noticed steam rising up from afar. As the discoverer, he was awarded naming rights. He named it after the day of discovery. Musselman later regretted his naming decision, wishing the cave bore his eponym instead. ==Description==
Description
s in Valentine Cave Valentine Cave is approximately 11,000 years old with a roof thick. It is considered a "warm cave", as interior temperatures remain around . On very cold days, such as on the day of its discovery, steam may rise from the entrance. ==Human use==
Human use
Valentine Cave is one of the more popular lava tubes to visit in the park. It is easily accessible, and the passages are relatively tall and wide. In 2019, NASA used the cave as a test for the CaveR rover deployed by the Biologic and Resource Analog Investigations in Low Light Environments project. The goal of the project was to develop the capability to detect life on the walls of volcanic caves from afar. The team's first descent occurred at Valentine Cave. Smooth walls around high and walkways up to wide made it a practical place to drive a rover, and its well preserved lava flow features are similar to what are expected inside a Martian lava cave. ==References==
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