There is enough oxygen on the moon to breathe for 100,000 years

In science fiction, heroes are often depicted who can breathe easily on all the planets they explore. A cinematographic utopia that is the exact opposite of what science currently knows about the atmospheres of the various celestial bodies that surround us. But breathing on a planet other than Earth is not an impossible challenge. In its goal of conquering the Moon by 2025 with the Artemis mission, NASA in collaboration with ESA and the Australian Space Agency has found the best way to find resources on the Moon.

And finally, the solution could be before our eyes from the very beginning. Indeed, various space agencies confirm that regolith, the fine substance that covers the Moon’s surface and which is widely found on the Moon’s surface, is actually the main source of oxygen from our satellite. Through iron oxide, oxygen atoms are trapped in hundreds of these substances and it is possible to use them for respiration.

Good news for the space agency who plans to colonize the Moon in the next few years. The latter could not do without a large amount of oxygen, and if it could be extracted directly from the lunar soil, the resource problem could be much simpler than it is now. Indeed, the currently preferred hypothesis is to transport the amount of oxygen needed for such a journey from Earth. This will cause the rocket to become very heavy at take-off and thus make the rocket more difficult and expensive.

How much oxygen is on the moon?

But according to a recent study on this topic, there is no need to bring oxygen to the moon. The last floor was already full of them. The lunar regolith consists of 45% of the precious gas, here in solid form, on the atomic scale. Regolith, however, is present in excessive quantities on the Moon, enough to allow astronauts to breathe for very long periods of time without the slightest problem. The researchers estimate that one cubic meter of regolith should contain no less than 630 kilograms of pure oxygen. What to breathe for two years without worrying for a second about recycling the last one.

Therefore, the presence of oxygen in lunar soil could be a keystone of colonization of our satellites. Indeed, the most sophisticated calculations confirm that the lunar resources will be able to accommodate the 8 billion people living on Earth today for about 100,000 years. In addition to the newly discovered oxygen in lunar soil, the latter can also be full of liquid water, a cocktail that looks perfect for hiding life.

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