Article Posted on : - Apr 08, 2010

Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) on Chandrayaan-I is developed by ISRO. ISRO photo

BANGALORE (PTI): India's Chandrayaan-1 mission has identified tunnels below the surface of the moon; a top space scientist has said and maintained that human habitation could be possible in those "tubes" in the future.

Director of Indian Space Research Organisation's Space Applications Centre based in Ahmedabad, Dr Ranganath R Navalgund said on Wednesday the terrain mapping camera, an Indian instrument on the lunar mission, has found "new types of rocks" and hollow tunnels.

These tubes were formed after the flow of lava from volcanoes, he contended.

"Tubes which are hollow have been found below the surface of the moon. Such things have also been identified from the Chandrayaan mission ... from terrain mapping camera ... which was our own instrument".

"Now those tunnels which have not collapsed ... which are below the surface of the moon and which have been identified ... are somewhat interesting features," Navalgund told reporters here.

"Not today, not tomorrow but in years to come, they (those tunnels) could be possible areas where one could have certain habitation....” he said, adding that scientists were currently investigating this finding.