Giant Underground Chamber Found on Moon

[n2doc]

The Indian Space Research Organization has discovered a "giant underground chamber" near the Moon's equator, in the Oceanus Procellarum area discovered by the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft—more than one mile long (1.7 kilometers) and 393 feet wide (120 meters)-big enough to contain a small lunar city.

The Indian researchers have published a paper detailing their findings and talking about the possibility of making this giant underground vault as a future human base. The settlement would be protected from radiation, micro-meteor impacts, dust and extreme temperature changes by the lava structure that provides a natural environmental control with a nearly constant temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit), unlike that of the lunar surface showing extreme variation, maximum of 130 degrees Celsius (266 degrees Fahrenheit) to a minimum of minus 180 degrees Celsius (-292 degrees Fahrenheit) in its diurnal (day-night) cycle.
In addition, lunar explorers would only need minimal construction, without the added cost of having to use expensive shields against the hazardous lunar environment.

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/03/giant-underground-chamber-found-on-moon-by-indias-chandrayaan-1-spacecraft.html

So that's where the Nazi's are! (Iron Sky reference)

[closeupready]

1. If you've read James Rollins' Subterranean, you may not

be so enthusiastic about the idea. :D

[sharp_stick]

3. Is it good?

I've almost picked it up a couple of times but haven't actually bought it yet.

[closeupready]

4. You have to deliberately suspend your disbelief a couple times, but it's a fun story.

Doesn't pretend to be serious literature, but yes, I would say it's a good time. :)

[sharp_stick]

8. Thanks

I have no problem turning off my brain for a fun thriller every now and then.

[Larkspur]

2. Is it a chamber or the shell of a giant space snail?

I was thinking of the asteroid that Han Solo took shelter in during the "Empire Strikes Back."

[Billy Burnett]

5. All we need is another tax cut for the rich to pay for the moon base. n/t

[Tigress DEM]

6. Or a "take back tax" where we recind the recinded retroactively.

Should just about cover it.

[Myrina]

7. Can we send all the Republicans & TeaBaggers there?

If so, please let me know where to send my donation.

[Kennah]

16. Too late. They are already there.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Underground moon caverns go back to at least H.G. Wells

Since before recorded history, through the rise and fall of empires, there has been one shining constant in the night sky: The Moon. Larger than any star, yet not so far away, visionaries imagined conquering this alluring world centuries before we actually made the voyage. Classic science-fiction legend H.G. Wells' masterpiece The First Men in the Moon captures the majesty of man's first expedition to the Grand Luna.

Originally published in 1901, the novel has been re-released 100 years later in Gollancz's SF Masterworks series (number 38 of an impressive collection of tales which include The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds). The publishers understand that presentation is just as important as the overall story and the book greets the reader with a stunning cover illustration by Chris Moore, an artist trained at the Royal College of Art, who proves more than capable of capturing the essence of this adventure. Then the book features an engaging introduction from Arthur C. Clarke, giving a brief history of Wells' writing career. After that it's on to the adventure.

Set in England at the beginning of the 20th century, average industrialist Bedford finds himself entwined in the machinations of Cavor, an eccentric genius who has developed Cavorite, a substance that negates the pull of gravity. The two men construct a vessel called the Sphere which hurls them to the moon. But the adventurers have very different agendas. Cavor hopes to discover a utopian society he imagines living on the planet, while Bedford is purely interested in the monetary gain the trip represents (after all, everyone knows there's gold on the moon). Once they arrive, they stumble upon the world of the Selenites, insect-like, biologically engineered aliens living beneath the surface of the moon in dark, cavernous, technologically-astounding cities. Then things go drastically wrong...

http://www.sfsite.com/06a/fm105.htm

[rbixby]

10. I for one welcome our new lunar overlords NT

[struggle4progress]

11. I'd probably prefer primitive camping to living in an underground hole in the moon

[thereismore]

12. We'll need it to dump our trash into. nt

[Ichingcarpenter]

13. The US tried to take out the other Nazi Moon base last fall

I expect NASA to do another 'experiment' soon on this base too. Don't forget the Mission in the Fall on the Polar Region was called LaCross which was


PROOF OF THE NAZI-ALIEN CONNECTION!!!!
LACROSS....it stands for Lunar Crater Removal of S.S.

Anyway ..... cool lunar news but tell me?
Why can't any earth bound telescopes or Hubble see this
hole ?

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. I don't know - it's fairly large. They actually announced this over a year ago

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article103245.ece

[FiveGoodMen]

15. Eric and his pals are sitting around in a circle there, smoking pot.