Looks like the Space Race isn't over after all. The United States may have put the first man on the moon by Russian scientists and cosmonauts are now looking to start the first lunar base.

The Russians' new goal was inspired by the discovery of volcanic tunnels on the moon that can adequately protect any man-made structures from the harsh lunar environment.

"This new discovery that the moon may be a rather porous body could significantly alter our approach to founding lunar bases," said veteran spaceman Sergei Krikalyov, who heads Russia's Star City cosmonaut training center outside Moscow, a Reuters article reports.

"If it turns out that the moon has a number of caves that can provide some protection from radiation and meteor showers, it could be an even more interesting destination than previously thought," he said.

Researchers have discovered the underground network of lave tubes after studying the images captured by Japan's Kaguya spacecraft which showed a way down to the tunnels. The lava tubes could speed up the process of setting up a lunar base and offer a natural barrier to the moon's atmosphere.

"There wouldn't be any need to dig the lunar soil and build walls and ceilings," said Krikalyov.

"It would be enough to use an inflatable module with a hard outer shell to -- roughly speaking -- seal the caves."

Boris Kryuchkov, the deputy science head at the training center estimated that the first lunar colonies can be built by 2030. The European Space Agency agreed that the moon is still an attractive destination for space agencies around world.

"In ESA, there is still a very strong focus on the moon. It could be a natural first to go there," Martin Zell said.