Article Posted on : - Feb 25, 2011

A file photo.

NEW DELHI (BNS): The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently unraveled a giant underground chamber on the Moon, which they believe could become a shelter for human expeditions.

An analysis by an instrument on Chandrayaan-1 revealed a gigantic lava tube in the Oceanus Procellarum area of the moon that could be a suitable "base station" for future human missions.

In an article titled "Detection of potential site for future human habitability on the moon using Chandrayaan-1 data" in the latest issue of Current Science, lead author A S Arya and four other scientists from the Space Applications Centre said that "a buried, uncollapsed and near horizontal lava tube was detected in Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) stereo images of the Oceanus Procellarum area on the Moon".

"The lava tube also provides a natural environmental control with a nearly constant temperature of -20°C, unlike that of the lunar surface that experiences extreme variation swinging from a maximum of 130°C to a minimum of –180°C in its diurnal cycle," the scientists added.

Scientists said identifying sites for permanent for human settlements on the moon is important for further exploration. They also said that lava tubes offer a dust-free environment and adapting them for human use requires minimal construction.