How long could a astronaut survive on the Moon?
How long a stranded astronaut could survive on the Moon would depend very much on the supplies they had with them, particularly oxygen.
While the average human can survive for a few weeks without food and about three days without water, just 16 minutes of oxygen deprivation typically leads to irreparable damage to the brain and ultimately death within 30 minutes.
The longest Moon mission to date was Apollo 17, during which astronauts spent 75 hours on the lunar surface. Had their lander been unable to return into orbit, they would only have had enough oxygen to last them a few days.
If we return to the Moon for a longer mission, astronauts may extract water and oxygen by melting ice hidden deep inside the Moon’s craters, allowing them to survive for much longer.
How long a stranded astronaut could survive on the Moon would depend very much on the supplies they had with them, particularly oxygen.
While the average human can survive for a few weeks without food and about three days without water, just 16 minutes of oxygen deprivation typically leads to irreparable damage to the brain and ultimately death within 30 minutes.
The longest Moon mission to date was Apollo 17, during which astronauts spent 75 hours on the lunar surface. Had their lander been unable to return into orbit, they would only have had enough oxygen to last them a few days.
If we return to the Moon for a longer mission, astronauts may extract water and oxygen by melting ice hidden deep inside the Moon’s craters, allowing them to survive for much longer.
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