Reaching the Moon- No more a pipe dream!

Almost all of us in our childhood, in one way or the other were made to conceive the idea of Chanda Mama and no berceuse was ever complete without the honorable mention of Chanda Mama- our beloved Moon. Every mother called for Chanda Mama to lull her child asleep and every child longed for him to play with. Knowingly or unknowingly, all of us grew with a longing in heart. Still as grownups, we fantasise of being with the constellation. Mothers were no wrong in calling for Moon and we did not make any fools out of ourselves. Though our Moon is reluctant to come near, we have possibility to reach him. Yes, it is true. Lunar journey is no more a fantasy. All the credit to SELENE, a Japanese moon orbiter.

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In a major uncovering, geophysicists keyed out an upright hole in the volcanic Marius Hills region on the moon's nigh side. From the findings published in Geophysical Research Letters, the benighted fossa is more than 26-feet deep and 213-feet wide. The scientists of late discovered a thin sheet of lava defending the hole from the moon’s disagreeable temperatures and meteorite raps and called it as the “lava tube”. The presence of this lava tube on the new hole makes it a well-disposed ground for further exploration and desirable for gearing up human settlements.

A squad moderated by Junichi Haruyama, a senior researcher with the Japanese space agency Jaxa states “Lunar lava tubes are a potentially important location for a future lunar base, whether for local exploration and development or as an outpost to serve exploration beyond the Moon”.

Not only just a dwelling house, Chanda Mama, with its intact lava tube offers few add ons- shelter from harsh lunar environment and meteorite wallops, high-energy UV radiation and energetic particles, and extreme periodical temperature fluctuations.

What’s more! As part of the Constellation Programme, NASA has plans to set up a temporary lunar colony by 2025.