Cave discovered on the Moon

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the discovery of a giant cave on the Moon. The near underground lava tube is about 1.2 kilometers long and was discovered by space probe Chandrayaan-I's Terrain Mapping Camera and Hyper Spectral Imager (HySI).

Underground structures like this cave could be used as a lunar base by future astronauts, they offer protection from the Moon's violent temperature variations and shield occupants from deadly cosmic radiation.

"Lava tubes provide a natural environmental control with a nearly constant temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, unlike that of the lunar surface showing extreme variation, maximum of 130 degrees Celsius to a minimum of minus 180 degrees Celsius in its diurnal (day-night) cycle," they said.

The scientists said the lava tubes offer a dust-free environment and adapting them for human use requires minimal construction.
The structures also shields its occupants as after 6 meters depth, no effects of radiation due to or induced by galactic cosmic rays were observed in simulation, they said.