Atmosphere

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There are several different types of atmospheres to consider.

• Lunar atmosphere[1]
• Earth's atmosphere[2]
• Atmospheric pressure on Earth[3]
• Cabin Pressurization[4][5][6]

The most important for Lunar development is the pressure inside your space suit or habitat. Here is a listing of the relative pressures of other environments and the percentage oxygen in each.

Location	Oxygen Percentage	Pressure
Earth at Sea Level	(21%)	101.3 kPa
Leadville Colorado, 10196 ft, or 3107 meters	(21%)	69.6 kPa
Denver Colorado, 5295 ft, 1613 m	(21%)	83.4 kPa
LaPaz, 3700 m	(21%)	62.0 kPa
Mercury Program	(100%)	34.5 kPa
Geminii Program	(100%)	34.5 kPa
Apollo Program	(100%)	34.5 kPa
Skylab	(70%)	34.5kPa
Space Shuttle	(28.5%)	70.0 kPa

Hazards: Lack of Breathable Atmosphere and Improper Pressure

Under most circumstances, if you don't get enough oxygen pressure you will get altitude sickness[7], aka Hypoxia.

In the extreme case of a severe leak in space, you have to consider what the Death Zone does to climbers on Everest [8].

Most desirable for long term habitats in space is somewhere around 40kPa total with about 60% oxygen. In the event of an sudden depressurization this ratio means you do not have a hard transition to switch to your backup breathing systems. The rest is Nitrogen, water vapor and trace amounts of CO2 which can be isolated quite easily.

Hazards
Physiological/Psychological/Human Factors  Zero or Low Gravity  Physical Environments  Medical Treatment  Fire/Explosion  Toxins  Corrosives  Temperature Extremes  Non-Ionizing Radiation  Ionizing Radiation  Lack of Breathable Atmosphere  Inadequate Food/Water  Improper Pressure