Life Support Closure and Logistics Mass per Person-Year
How much mass must be shipped each year to keep one person alive on the Moon, and how much can recycling save?
Chapter summary
A person uses about 0.84 kg of oxygen, 2.5–3.5 kg of water and about 1.8 kg of food a day before recycling, plus spares and supplies.
Key takeaways
- 1
Without recycling that is over 2 tonnes a year for consumables alone.
- 2
The ISS recovers about 98% of its water (reached in 2023) and generates oxygen from water, so in practice the shipped mass falls to food, spares and losses.
- 3
Setcoin's reference case assumes 90% closure for water and oxygen, all food from Earth and 2 kg a day of spares and other supplies: about 4.2 kg a day, or about 1.5 tonnes per person-year.
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