Tech085 Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 The best way to make Mars habitable would be to inject synthetic greenhouse gases into its atmosphere, researchers said Thursday. The stuff could be shipped to Mars or manufactured there. Scientists and science-fiction authors have long pondered terraforming Mars, melting the vast stores of ice in its polar caps to create an environment suitable for humans. Some think earthlings have no right to mess with the climate of another planet. Others see Mars as a refuge for people who might need to flee this world as conditions deteriorate. Another argument holds that Mars was likely warmer and wetter in its distant past, and it might have harbored life, so bringing it back to a previous state makes sense. Among the ideas for how to warm Mars: sprinkling stuff near the poles that would absorb more sunlight, or placing large mirrors in orbit around the planet to reflect more sunlight onto it. Jump-start the warming The new research suggests that forcing global warming by injecting greenhouse gases may be the best way to terraform, should governments decide to do so. The conditions warming Earth could be harnessed to transform Mars, the scientists determined. Jump-starting global warming in a planet-sized laboratory would be a boon to science in some respects. "Bringing life to Mars and studying its growth would contribute to our understanding of evolution, and the ability of life to adapt and proliferate on other worlds," says Margarita Marinova at NASA's Ames Research Center, where the study was done. "Since warming Mars effectively reverts it to its past, more habitable state, this would give any possibly dormant life on Mars the chance to be revived and develop further." The research is presented in the February issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets, published by the American Geophysical Union. With a very thin atmosphere and being farther from the sun, Mars is much colder than Earth. There is no evidence for any liquid water presently on the surface. Liquid water is considered essential to life as we know it. The polar regions contain vast stores of water ice and carbon dioxide, or dry ice. Theorists have said in the past that melting the poles might thicken the atmosphere, which like a blanket would insulate the surface and eventually create a more Earthlike climate. Studies suggest Mars had surface water and bouts of rain in its early history. Gas of choice The new research modeled how artificially produced greenhouse gases would affect Martian temperature and melt water ice and carbon dioxide ice at the poles. Artificially created gases could be 10,000 times more effective than carbon dioxide in warming up the Red Planet, the study determined. The gases that would work the best contain fluorine and carbon, and could be made from elements readily available on Mars, Marinova and her colleagues found. (They said the best gas for the job would be octafluoropropane, which is used on Earth for refrigeration and semiconductor fabrication.) Adding 300 parts per million of the gas mixture into the Martian air would trigger a runaway greenhouse effect, according to the models. The polar ice sheets that would slowly evaporate. The newly released carbon dioxide would cause further warming and melting. Atmospheric pressure would rise. The process would take hundreds or thousands of years to complete, the scientists report. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Site for topic Video http://guide.real.com/media/news?contentid...P&pageregion=C2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strekship Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 I wouldn't mind liveing on mars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech085 Posted August 14, 2005 Author Share Posted August 14, 2005 me either if they start building it and have computers and my friends i won't mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesleyT Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 i wonna go with my friends and make my own country with my rules, everyone is welcome :ninja: :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 The process would take hundreds or thousands of years to complete, the scientists report.586375303[/snapback] I hate punch lines :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 I hate punch lines :pinch: 586377691[/snapback] I don't believe them. It's only taken us 150 years to change our climate and we didn't even mean to! :D I say we move all manufacturing plants to Mars. We'd pay more for shipping but get a 100% clean Earth and a brand new Mars. Now, honestly, I don't think a better plan has ever been devised in the history of man. I can't see how it would fail!!!!11ONE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novaoblivion Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 Lol I have been thinking you could do that for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesleyT Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 it would also be possible for venus, the clouds need to be reduced, and some anti greenhouse gasses thing should be invented :ninja: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Dick Montage Subscriber² Posted August 15, 2005 Subscriber² Share Posted August 15, 2005 Would we get those mutants with 3 boobs like in Total Recall? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 (edited) it would also be possible for venus, the clouds need to be reduced, and some anti greenhouse gasses thing should be invented :ninja: 586378941[/snapback] the atmospheric pressure alone would make landing a device(s) difficult, and even once on the surface it would be crushed. If human were ever to land on the surface of venus it is said that we'd be crushed in the first 5 minutes. Mars would need to be heated up, an atmosphere made there would have to be highly maintained because of that planet's low gravity. the atmosphere that was in previous existence before the current one. Is believed to have slowly floated off into space. One theory suggests that we can introduce greenhouse gases to Mars and heat up that planet as to start a melting of the polar ice caps. Which in turn would help fertilize the soil. But Mars is further from the Sun so it's temperatures are lower than that of Earth. Terraforming Mars would need a huge international cooperation from the governements here on Earth, the budget for it would be massive. I don't see this happening anytime soon. Seeing as we have more urgent needs, And i use that term loosely. Edited August 15, 2005 by ripgut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolslacker Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 I wouldn't mind moving to mars. Oh hell, I don't even mind to be the first one there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkishdelight Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 It depends on the context. If sending people to Mars is considered shameful in the future... :no: If it's considered cool, bring it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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