Terraforming Mars

[Ags]

NASA did a study of how thick we could make Mars' atmosphere using present or near future tech:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180730120307.htm

They calculate that we could get to 7% atmospheres (pure CO2) and conclude that that means terraforming is beyond us.

Actually I think 7% (and an accompanying 10°C temperature rise) is really good. That would mean liquid water on some parts of Mars for example. The pressure would be double in Hellas for example.

 

[Sunshine]

Terraforming is about 150 years off if you ask me.

[mikeDnight]

It will never happen! Mars doesn't have enough mass to hold onto any meaningful atmosphere for any length of time, and life giving oxygen would simply leach out into space. Also, the planet doesn't have a magnetosphere, as the earth has, to protect the surface from lethal bombardment from high energy solar particles. So, unless some genius works out how to increase planetary mass and create a magnetosphere as powerful as the earths, I'm afraid we're all going to have to rough it living on the most beautiful planet in the known universe. It's tough I know!

 

[paulastro]

I don't recognise your new refractor that you are using in the picture Mike?

[Peter Drew]

Looks like a Don Jobson.    ?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Send Matt Damon up. He'll take care of it.

[Ags]

4 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Terraforming is about 150 years off if you ask me.

That sounds about right to me. Assuming we start soon!

Yes Mars is a bit leaky, but it takes about 10 million years to leak 0.6 mbar. That leakage is significant on the geological scale but insignificant and manageable on the human and technological scale.

[Alien 13]

I am sure a small asteroid or one of the Martian moons will be persuaded to impact the planet in the future, that would heat it up nicely... It must be remembered that Mars held its atmosphere for millions of years  before the core cooled, now if we could only heat it up again.

Alan

[LukeSkywatcher]

6 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

I am sure a small asteroid or one of the Martian moons will be persuaded to impact the planet in the future, that would heat it up nicely... It must be remembered that Mars held its atmosphere for millions of years  before the core cooled, now if we could only heat it up again.

Alan

180C for 45 mins?.

Kidding. 

I agree thats it pointless trying to terraform Mars by "greenhouse" alone. If we ever want to live there, we need to kick start its core. If thats ever even possible, the planet should regenerate on its own.

See you all on Mars in about 100 million yrs.

 

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, Ags said:

That sounds about right to me. Assuming we start soon!

 

What I meant was that it will be about (rough estimate) 150yrs before we begin any effective effort at terraforming.

There are so many variables involved, any estimate depends on so much, political state of nations and so on, it won’t be any single nation embarking on such an effort. Once we get a foot on mars, how many years of research would be needed before a terraforming schematic can even be determined. Materials will surely have to be manufactured on Mars from scratch, gee I think an estimate of 150 years to begin a proper, global terraforming campaign is way short.

[Ags]

On 04/08/2018 at 21:42, Alien 13 said:

I am sure a small asteroid or one of the Martian moons will be persuaded to impact the planet in the future, that would heat it up nicely... It must be remembered that Mars held its atmosphere for millions of years  before the core cooled, now if we could only heat it up again.

Alan

I think heating up planetary cores is beyond even the capabilities of the Starship Enterprise, but I don't think it is necessary. There are even already some crazy Japanese plans for an artificial magnetic field for Earth (which may be needed if the Earth depolarises*, which it may do in the next 1000 years as a prelude to pole reversal), so given a million or two years I'm pretty sure one could be built on Mars. A NASA engineer has also put out an idea for an orbital magnetic umbrella for Mars.

We don't know anything about the core of Mars yet, but InSight lands in a few months and if all goes well will give us a view into the interior of the planet.

* I've been looking for a sentence to use the classic Star Trek "depolarise" technobabble in ?