Chandrayaan-1 Finds Site For Human Base On Moon Using 3D TMC Data.

One of the sensors, the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) which has high spatial resolution and
multi viewing capability, enabling 3 dimensional view of the Lunar surface has found a suitable site for building a human settlement on the Moon. Since there is very little atmosphere on the Moon, there is a constant danger of meteorite impacts as well as radiation and cosmic particles.

However, a rille, which is a remnant of a volcanic tube having a hollow interior, is the best bet for establishing a base as it has natural protection from impacting bodies, protects from direct exposure to extreme temperature conditions, ‘dust storms’, energetic particles and radiations of solar and galactic origin and also surface radioactivity. Radiation is not expected to penetrate beyond 6m of the roof thickness/regolith. While the day and night temperatures on the moon swing from +120°C to -180 °C, temperatures inside the lava tube are expected to be near-constant -20°C.

And this is what Chandrayaan-1 has found – a readymade outer shell for establishing a base, saving time, money and effort in building one from scratch!



Courtesy: ISRO

A volcanic tube has been identified in the Oceanus Procellarum area of the Moon (Central Longitude: 58.3170 W / Latitude: 14.1110 N ) using Chandrayaan-I Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) data. This rille runs for about 3.65 km in NE-SW direction. A close observation suggests another small rille of 1.73 km length , situated 2 km SW of the existing main rille, which appears to be an extension of this tube while the intermittent strech between the two rilles seems to be the roof of the lava tube which did not collapse for some reason.

The authors have tried to analyse the TMC stereo data to find the length, depth, slopes within and outside the rille, in order to establish continuity between the main rille and the shorter rille 1.73 km south-west of the former.

Color-coded contour map showing the rille
and un-collapsed portion of the lava tube.
ISRO

Now that we know a readymade shell is available for constructing a huge base on the Moon, NASA can commence establishing one there in 2020 - but with due permission from ISRO!! After all, they’re the first to have found it! So what have they named the rille? Probably, Moon Base Chandrayaan-1! Now that’s a start, anyway! This could even be the future Supreme HQ of the ‘United Moon Settlements’!






Source:
www.telegraphindia.com...
www.ias.ac.in...

reply to post by OrionHunterX


Someone else mentioned this before so let me just say it again.
Lava Tube!
There was lava on the moon, really????

That reminds me of starwars where land inside an astriod worm , always good to check for teeth around the openings of said lava tubes

Originally posted by Sherlock2009
reply to post by OrionHunterX

 

There was lava on the moon, really????

Yep! That's what's intriguing! Lava on the Moon means volcanic eruptions! But as is presumed, there WAS volcanic activity on the Moon during its formative stages although recent evidence suggests it may still possess a partially molten core.

However, the SMART-1 data is helping scientists understand when the Moon was volcanically active, and how and when the lava flowed into ancient impact craters.

reply to post by OrionHunterX

Lava does not require volcanic activity as it is commonly thought of. Large impacts melt material quite effectively.

This is very cool. Looks like a townhouse 2 klicks long.

reply to post by Phage

Agreed! But have a peek here...


Image: NASA

There are many volcanic features on the lunar surface. In fact, the dark lunar maria that you can see when there is a full Moon are massive, generally level deposits of basalt, a volcanic rock. The lunar maria cover about 17% of the Moon's surface. However, Earth-like volcanoes are rare on the Moon. The Gruithuisen Domes (shown by the black arrows in this Apollo 15 picture, above) are some of the few dome-like volcanic features on the lunar surface, made up of lavas which erupted shortly after the surrounding mare basalts were emplaced.

Ah! Now Zorgon and the gang are gonna contend that the rille shown in the opening post is probably man made! Yep! There's mining going on out there since the 40s!! And the Nazis may already have established a base there! Didn't you know??



lroc.sese.asu.edu...

I just wish that if someone's going to build a base on the moon, they go ahead and get it done!

Meanwhile the speculation pot boils over, with even some insiders believing that the moon already contains bases built by someone. I would hope the erection of a real lunar base might result in this issue being settled. But maybe it wouldn't.

The use of a naturally made underground tube for such a base is a great idea. I was in such a tube once and the only problem I had with it was that it was very dark in there.

reply to post by OrionHunterX

But what was it that formed the mare in the first place?

reply to post by l_e_cox

Were there any snakes?
I hate snakes?

reply to post by OrionHunterX

‘dust storms’,

I didn't think the moon had dust storms...

reply to post by backinblack

A learning opportunity.
science.nasa.gov...

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by backinblack

 

A learning opportunity.
science.nasa.gov...

Interesting, dust jumping, but not exactly dust storms..
Must be in a few random places only, not the whole moon..

reply to post by backinblack

The theory is that it occurs along the terminator. So pretty much the whole moon.

Originally posted by backinblack
reply to post by OrionHunterX

 

‘dust storms’,

I didn't think the moon had dust storms...

Dust storm on the Moon.
Surveyor-1
Source Image: NASA