On February 25, 2011, ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organization, released a paper detailing the discovery of a 1.72 kilometre long (5,733 ft.) intact lava tube section in the south western reaches of Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms. 

The data was compiled by Chandrayaan-1's Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC), one of the eleven science instruments on board India's first lunar orbiter, launched October 22, 2008. 

"The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated from the three look angles enables morphometric study of various lunar features, thus furnishing topographic relief and dimensions of various morphological entities.

"Identifying sites for permanent base stations for possible human settlement on the Moon is important for long-term perspective of lunar exploration."

More: http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/ISRO_Lavatube_Discovery.html

Robotics has come a long way in the past six years! And the promise is becoming real. Robotic assistants can relieve humans of tasks that are dangerous, boring, tiring, repetitious, etc. And they do not need life support, rest, entertainment, or socializing. They will not only pave the way for humans, but work side-by-side with humans after crews arrive, with future settlers also.   

More: http://www.moonsociety.org/reports/human_robot_spaceage.html

NASA has been in the news lately for reasons beyond the exciting discoveries of various and vast quantities of water on the Moon. Unfortunately, the long, drawn out repositioning of our national space program has brought the space community to loggerheads, leaving the future of the U.S. manned space program in jeopardy.  The upheaval caused by fights over rocket designs and suppliers, and the "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe" formula being used to select our new space direction, has placed the U.S. space program in peril.

For over two decades Paul Spudis has had a front row seat to the U.S. national space program and has written extensively about space policy and space science.  His opinions and insights recently found a home on the Air and Space Magazine blog.

The Once and Future Moon.

More: http://www.apogeeprime.com/prime/bookpages/9781926837178.html 

Available from Apogee Books