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So, if the Moon had an atmosphere composed of oxygen and nitrogen, how long might it last before it all boiled off into space due to the low gravity of the Moon?

Or better yet, a krypton or xenon atmosphere?

Could we put it in one of those permanently shadowed craters to create a small area of breathable air, without requiring a dome or other sealed habitat?

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    $\begingroup$ Does this answer your question? Could the Moon keep an atmosphere? $\endgroup$
    – Cornelis
    Jul 17, 2020 at 8:54
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    $\begingroup$ NO it does not! The answer here answers the question "How long..." much better than any answer there. We con't close questions because they are similar-sounding, we read them carefully and decide if they are answered there or not. In this case it's not. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Jul 17, 2020 at 12:09
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    $\begingroup$ @uhoh I've just asked on Meta this question: space.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1581/… $\endgroup$
    – Cornelis
    Jul 17, 2020 at 15:44
  • $\begingroup$ @uhoh I think the validity of a question should not depend on any answer posted. But, for me, the extra questions might make it valid. $\endgroup$
    – Cornelis
    Jul 20, 2020 at 9:39
  • $\begingroup$ @Cornelisinspace There's no issue of "validity" here. I'm referring to "Does that answer your question" which it does not $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Jul 20, 2020 at 9:40

1 Answer 1

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According to an article by Geoffrey Landis (http://www.geoffreylandis.com/moonair.html), oxygen and nitrogen are removed from the Moon within about 100 days, due to the combined effects of sunlight and the solar wind. However, if the atmosphere is thick enough, then this effect would no longer occur.* In this case, the gases would last for thousands of years.

A krypton or xenon atmosphere should last longer, but I can't find any numbers for that. Of course, this wouldn't be breathable, and those gases are also much rarer than oxygen or nitrogen.

Air wouldn't stay in a crater without a dome, it would diffuse out. Also, those permanently shadowed craters are extremely cold, precisely because of the lack of sunlight, so air in them would be unbreathable for this reason.

*: While not mentioned in the article, an artificial magnetosphere, like the one that has been proposed for terraforming Mars (https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/245369-nasa-proposes-building-artificial-magnetic-field-restore-mars-atmosphere), would presumably also work for this purpose.

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  • $\begingroup$ Why would oxygen and nitrogen not be removed by the solar wind if the atmosphere is thick enough ? $\endgroup$
    – Cornelis
    Aug 29, 2020 at 8:23

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