Recently-Discovered Volcanic Tunnels Could Provide Natural Shelter

It might sound more like science fiction than science, but Russian scientists and space officials are looking at the feasibility of putting a permanent inhabited colony on the moon sheltered by recently-discovered volcanic tunnels under the lunar surface.

The revelation came at a recent forum on the future of manned spaceflight. Reuters reports that veteran cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov made a presentation complete with slides supporting the idea.

In the presentation, images of inflatable lunar shelters were shown dotting the lunar landscape. Krikalyov said that the recent finding that there are volcanic tunnels on the moon "could significantly alter our approach to founding lunar bases." He said that the tunnels could provide a natural shelter against radiation and meteor showers without the need to dig in the lunar soil or build walls and ceilings. The inflatable structures with hard outer shells could, in effect "seal the caves," he said.

Russian scientist Boris Kryuchkov said such a colony could be built by 2030. Martin Zell, the head of the European Space Agency's human spaceflight programs, said the moon is still a very viable destination. "It could be a natural first to go there," he said.

FMI: www.federalspace.ru/?lang=en, www.esa.int