Let the Terraforming Begin
April 22nd, 2011 - 9:23 am
Whoa:
Using radar data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have now found a potential resting place for some material that was once in the Martian atmosphere: a huge deposit at the south pole that holds nearly as much CO2 as the planet’s current atmosphere.
I imagine somebody will eventually put all that to good use.
Global Warmening.
It’s almost like someone knew we’d have to get off this rock eventually.
Paging John Carter.
Sounds like the plot for a Futurama episode: The Planet Express crew must bring dry ice to Omicron Persei 8, or Lur will destroy the earth when they run out of soda.
Who knew Total Recall was a true story???
But isn’t the lack of a magnetic field an even bigger problem than the lack of an atmosphere?
Indeed, the lack of a magnetic field is part of the reason for a lack of atmosphere. Earth’s field helps blunt the force of the solar wind, which over the course of several billion years could very easily have stripped away most of our air.
Gravity matters too, but a magnetic field makes a difference. If you really want to terraform Mars the most effective way is to address both by landing a moon-sized iron-nickel asteroid on it — but you’d have to invent time travel and go back millions of years to do it, if the idea is for it to be habitable within our lifetimes.
I believe Mars has too little mass to sustain a molten core which is needed for a magnetic field. Once the rock cools it is effectively dead.
That’s why I suggested adding mass. Maybe I should have used a capital “M” on “moon-sized” — since Mars’ own moons are basically oversized rocks.
Gravity is the biggest issue to terraforming Mars up to Earth 2 standard. Mars cannot hold onto an Earth pressure atmosphere for any length of time (maybe a handful of years max) Although the solar radiance is above the photosynthesis minimum needed for earth plant life to grow.
Diamond walled “super greenhouses” like the Bio dome but 50 times larger would allow enough space for a small, self sustaining earth ecosystem to take hold and establish itself. Mars already has the water, carbon dioxide and mineral resources we need, provided long term 0.38G is not damaging to earth based life, humanity could wall in a substantial amount of Mars surface area, use the resources already there to recreate Earth weather, rainfall and sunlight and vola New Earth.
I am sure the Chinese will put it to good use. We have lost the political will to really continue Space Exploration. I am hoping that private business will step up but with all the red tape this government can throw in the way it is more likely that we will get into space simply by stacking up all the forms.