Plan B

[huajiro]

This may sound very bad, but it would actually be better that we learn from our mistakes and fix our planet, or just die off. If we found a species that destroys like we do, we would kill it off and consider it a great deed to the universe.

 

[Lightkeeper]

Actually, I heard recently the scientists believe that they CAN terraform Mars. Essentially, they would pollute the crap out of it to release greenhouse gases, and within 100 years it is supposed to be livable. However, we'd still need to wear oxygen tanks to breathe, but we'd be able to walk on the surface in t'shirt and stuff.

However, there is an estimate that if we continue polluting space at the rate we are, we will not be able to get any shuttle or anything out of orbit because there will be so much junk out there that we cannot get a window long enough to escape.

I actually am supposed to be leaving now, but I'll try to find some articles on this later today.

This is a great concern.

 

[Valjean]

1.-- Where would these greenhouse gasses on mars come from? You can't create something from nothing -- it violates fundamental laws of physics.

2.-- Mars has a solid core. No magma and molten iron that on Earth generate a magnetic field to deflect solar radiation. Even if we did manage to magically conjure up a water ocean and atmosphere, the solar wind and radiation would scatter them to the stars just like it did a few billion years ago. Mars only has a third the gravity to hold an atmosphere that Earth has. Even without the solar wind it could only maintain a pressure comparable to the summit of Everest

3. -- Mars is a little far from the sun to sustain liquid water, much less agriculture. How would terraformers tackle this problem?

Some problems are much more technically feasable than they first appear. Others are a great deal more daunting. Terraforming Mars strikes me as firmly in the latter camp.

I'd be interested in seeing some links to these terraforming dreams, if anyone can find them.