Terraforming Mars... what the..?

Question

Okay I just was looking @ cosmosfrontier.com and they say that eventually we would be able to turn mars into a second "earth"... I know this is a bunch of crock but what do you guys think about it?

Answer 1

it is possible but it would take hundreds maybe thousands of years

Answer 2

Terraforming Mars is a pipe dream. Let me count the ways. ...

1. First, you need a viable atmosphere. Mars has a very thin atmosphere, only 1 millibar at the surface. The atmospheric density of Earth is 1,000 millibars. On Mars you might as well say you're exposed to the vacuum of outer space. If you were introduced to the atmosphere of Mars your blood would boil away, all the soft tissues in your body would explode and you'd be dead in seconds.

To build up the atmospheric density of Mars you'd need a constantly replenishing source of volatiles - in this case water. Mars does have water. But the question becomes: How do you heat it so that it sublimates into a gas?

The current Martian atmosphere consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide. To make Mars liveable you'd need a dense atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Oxygen is the prostitute of the periodic table - it hooks up with almost anything. How do you keep oxygen in the atmosphere? You must constantly replenish it. On Earth that works through biological activity, primarily plants.You'd have to establish a fully functioning biosphere on Mars in order to keep the atmosphere viable.

You'd also need oxygen in the atmosphere to produce ozone, which shields the surface from radiation. Right now Mars receives about the same dose of radiation that astronauts outside of the Earth's orbit would receive - which often times can be lethal. How do you build up an atmosphere with a 1,000 mb density with oxygen produced by living things on a planet with no ozone layer?

2. Soil toxicity: Martian soil is not exactly conducive to growing terrestrial-based plants. Sure, results from the Phoenix probe indicated Martian soil is probably no more toxic than the soil in your back yard, but with a pH of 8 or 9 what can you grow in it? Asparagus? Such soil is not conducive to the rich biota necessary to establish a working ecosystem.

3. Mass: Mars has about half the mass of the Earth. That means it has to work twice as hard to hold on to its atmosphere. Assuming you could build a 1,000mb atmosphere, how would the planet hold on to it? Mars doesn't have the cache of volatiles of an Earth, or a Titan. Within a few thousand years the supply would be exhausted.

4. Plate tectonics: In order to establish a working carbon cycle you'd need a pretty energetic system of plate tectonics. What the heck does that mean? Plate tectonics is how the Earth keeps the carbon content of its atmosphere under control (that is until fossil-fuel burning mankind showed up on the scene). Here's how it happens. Carbon is introduced to the atmosphere through oxydization (fires, volcanoes, decay, etc.). This carbon dissolves in the oceans and is metabolized by plankton. When the plankton dies it falls to the ocean floor. There, it's sucked down into the Earth's mantel through gaps in the "plates" that float on a giant ocean of molten rock several miles below the surface. Some of this carbon may be re-introduced to the surface through vulcanism. At any rate, you need this process to be working to keep the atmosphere in balance, i.e., you don't want the atmosphere becoming too CO2-dense.

OK, so on Mars, (a) where are the oceans? The blue-sky thinkers believe that if we heat up the planet (how, they're not sure), oceans will appear. (b) Mars doesn't appear to be tectonically active. Maybe in certain spots activity is thought to exist, but overall the planet is thought to be dead.

The folks who believe Mars can be transformed into a second Earth are dreaming with their eyes open. The resources and capital it would take to change Mars would bankrupt the planet several times over.

Answer 3

sounds great

lets start today =)

Answer 4

Yeah i read it too,,well on another site. It's kinda like idk wierd lol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MarsT...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Terra...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Terra...