The Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere or air for humans to breathe. But its surface – which is covered by a substance called lunar regolith (Moon dust!) – is almost 50% oxygen. Most living things need oxygen to survive. Oxygen helps organisms grow, reproduce, and turn food into energy.
The Moon’s top layer alone has enough oxygen to sustain 8 billion people for 100,000 years
Humans get the oxygen they need by breathing through their nose and mouth into their lungs. Oxygen gives our cells the ability to break down food in order to get the energy we need to survive.
