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Author
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Topic: Terra-forming Mars
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Graysith
Chosen Daughter
Member # 27
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posted 10-29-2002 11:59 AM
     
Ok, there has been much interest lately in the planet Mars. We have sent Pathfinder there and there is talk about the possibility of a manned mission in the future. A big dream that has been bandied about by some is the possibility of terra-forming the Red Planet: that is to say, with technology giving it back its atmosphere, which would raise the air pressure there (which is currently something like 0.006 times that of earth's sea level pressure. In other words, at the moment, there isn't sufficient air pressure on Mars for us to walk around without a spacesuit -- we would literally explode. Ever see "Total Recall?") The primary means I have heard of terraforming would be to plant algae about the planet, as the atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide. Over years the algae would provide oxygen back into the atmosphere.OK, that would give oxygen. But air pressure would still be a matter of concern: I dont' know how they could raise that. The oxygen molecule we breath is a diatomic one (O^2) and carbon dioxide is CO^2, which is heavier. The air pressure would thus actually lessen, which would not be good. So somehow the atmosphere would have to be made way thicker. Now, there is another lil physical fact about Mars which would just throw a big ol monkey wrench into the works: it's tectonically dead. There was once a time that it was active; there are old volcanoes on Mars which prove this. Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system. But the planet has turned off its tectonic activity. Also it is very probable that it has a solid core, unlike the earth which has a solid inner and a molten outer core. Which is something we know due to one more thing earth has that Mars doesn't: a magnetic field. This magnetic field we have protects us from the solar wind. Mars has no such protection. The solar wind probably eroded what atmosphere it had long ago, and would do so again. So in order to truly make Mars into a living planet (like it may have briefly been at some time in the past) we would have to increase not merely the oxygen in its atmosphere, but the thickness of that atmosphere. We would have to then generate a magnetic field around it so it would not lose that atmosphere but would protect the surface from the sun's wicked solar wind. And the only way to feasibly induce a planet-wide magnetic field would be to turn on the tectonic activity again. I just can't see how it can be done. -------------------- I ride the Stormcloud and the Night!
Posts: 3904 | From: Indianola, Iowa | Registered: Jul 2000 | Logged: 205.188.209.6
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Entaris
Dark Priest
Member # 224
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posted 10-30-2002 08:36 PM
Ok, now, most likely graysith has already read what im about to say, but for the rest of you, heres more on the thoughts of how they actauly CAN fix the red planet up...
While yes, there is not a sufficiat atmosphere to hold the oxegyn we would need to create, and all that, there are a few scientist out there sporting thereos(and very good thereos at that)
that say that the reason the earth has the atmosphere it does, and the reason it is so ideal for life to live on, is because of the fact that life DOES live on it.
its believed that just the pressence of life provides the needed structures. Basicly, a long time ago, before anything lived, the earth was a molten rock, it had no atmosphere, and was covered completly in CO^2... Now, somewhere along the lines, it started to cool down on the surfice, but not by much. Then for some odd reason, it rained, and it rained A LOT, and no, im not referign to the noahs arc thing, this is actauly a belief among scientists... Anyway, the molten planet called earth cooled down on the surfice, and was flooded with water... Soon little underwater plant life thingies were popping up due to excess materials that were being combined over time. Plants were formed first, all by there lonesomes, and as there was tons and tons of CO^2, they didnt need life forms to rebreath the oxegen they were puting out... So slowly, the CO^2 was being changed to oxygen, and then somewhere alogn the lines, tid pools formed(cant remember if this is before, or after the plants were forming in the oceans) Anyway, in the tid pools, lipids dried out during low tide, and after a time, formed into cells, providing us with a bit more life on the planet... and after A LONG LONG LONG TIME, an atmosphere started to grow, do to the combinations of gases being mixed and such, before finaly, animal organisms could pop up to conterpart the plants... and with those animal organisms, came more fuel for the pot, adding more stability to the planet... Ok, anyway, now that youve heard that theory(and im not saying its necessarily correct, but some do believe this, and are working to figure it out, it does make sense though) So, with that, You might see, that somehow, if we can find a way to "reignite" mars core, and flood the planet, life could begin forming on the planet once more. yes, it would take time, but with advances in technology, we'd be able to do this eventauly, and maybe speed up the process by adding underwater planetlife to the planet(did you all know most of our oxygen comes from the ocean? i just learned that recently)
anyway, ya, it is Possible... Perhaps not overtly possible, but it can happen...*smiles* and people say i dont pay attention in Marin bio 
I donno, i was bored, not neccesarily saying i agree with any of these idea's, but i felt it was my duty to put another spin into the fray...
hehehe, if you all didnt figure it out, i watched a 45 minut long documentary about this today... some dude proved that dried out lipids can form into DNA, and then into cells, pretty cool stuff Im gonna go take me some fat, and make me a girlfriend LOL HAHAHAHAHA <-----Humor, is not really gonna try and do that, and does not honestly believe he could, even if he wanted to.
Any way, peace... And as a heads up, im sure i have flawed somewhere, so graysith, make sure and correct me where im wrong 
Heck, all this might have been disproven by now, WHO KNOWS how old that tape was... But then again, my teacher DID SAY that this year she had BRAND NEW videos for us to watch... *thinks she was probably lieing* -------------------- "Insert Snappy quote here"
Posts: 796 | From: Victorville | Registered: May 2002 | Logged: 67.219.51.45
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Graysith
Chosen Daughter
Member # 27
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posted 10-31-2002 12:37 AM
Yeah, what Entaris is outlining is pretty much accepted fact. The earth's early atmosphere was far different than it is today; more carbon dioxide and methane and way less oxygen (if any, in fact). Anyway, it is now thought that comets or meteorites seeded the early oceans with amino acids (hey, we've found these things free-floating in space, now is that kewl or what?) -- anyway, the oceans were then electrified by lightning strikes (the early earth was very stormy as well) and the amino acids altered into dna, which started the early unicellular life, which was basically blue-green algae. These dudes formed colonies called stromatolites (which live along shorelines and in tidepool areas), which generated the most of the oxygen put into the atmosphere. That and the plankton which developed later... the latter which currently keeps our atmosphere refreshed as far as oxygen goes.Anyway, yes, that's how we got our oxygen, took millions of years... and the water they think came from volcanic outgassing and maybe was carried here by comets. But this still does not account for air pressure. We'd have to actively add molecules until bearable pressures were reached. And still the atmosphere would just keep eroding away, as Mars is tectonically dead. I don't know how to reignite the heat engine of a planet that has basically died. We would have to somehow generate a planetary magnetic field, and that is technology of the FAR future, folks. -------------------- I ride the Stormcloud and the Night!
Posts: 3904 | From: Indianola, Iowa | Registered: Jul 2000 | Logged: 205.188.209.6
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Graysith
Chosen Daughter
Member # 27
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posted 03-31-2003 10:38 PM
Ok, I might have gotten a tad wee melodramatic in a post concerning Mars. While the incredibly low air pressure on Mars wouldn't actually cause us to explode (heh, whoops!) we would probably bleed from every orifice as our veins would certainly rupture, being as thin-walled as they are. Our muscle mass is strong enough to keep the internal pressure from blowing us up like a balloon, but our viscera would probably distend painfully, and rupture internally.The big problem, though, as I said is not merely the low air pressure on Mars but it's lack of a magnetic field. Well... it does have a very weak one, but not enough to protect life from the solar wind bombardment. Granted, Mars is farther from the Sun, but would still be subjected to solar wind and the extremely dangerous solar flares which the Sun erupts during times of high activity. These things are killers, guys; in fact, they pose extreme danger to our astronauts. It is radiation poisoning, after all. On this note, the astronauts in the shuttle and ISS and so on are deep enough within our magnetic field to be protected from "normal" solar wind velocities. But when those flares erupt which makes me so happy down here on earth -- means aurora watch!!! -- they have to skedaddle to the most shielded portion of the shuttle or ISS and lay low until the storm passes. Yuppers...! Those ol' "ion storms" of Star Trek fame are a very real threat! I could go into more detail.... -------------------- I ride the Stormcloud and the Night!
Posts: 3904 | From: Indianola, Iowa | Registered: Jul 2000 | Logged: 205.188.209.6
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