Scientist Calls Mars a Terraforming Target

Raver32 writes "Mars will be transformed into a shirt-sleeve, habitable world for humanity before century's end, made livable by thawing out the coldish climes of the red planet and altering its now carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. How best to carry out a fast-paced, decade by decade planetary face lift of Mars — a technique called "terraforming" — has been outlined by Lowell Wood, a noted physicist and recent retiree of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a long-time Visiting Fellow of the Hoover Institution. Lowell presented his eye-opening Mars manifesto at Flight School, held here June 20-22 at the Aspen Institute, laying out a scientific plan to "experiment on a planet we're not living on.""

Go to Mars Quaid...

[teknopurge (199509)]

These guys obviously haven't seen Total Recall.

Re:Go to Mars Quaid...

[jollyreaper (513215)]

These guys obviously haven't seen Total Recall.

Would that I could say the same.

Re:Go to Mars Quaid...

[Doc Ruby (173196)]

Yeah, why wait until we've actually surveyed it for an existing ecosystem or other signs of life, when we can ensure there is life on Mars, if that's all we care about?

I mean, what value could learning about extraterrestrial life have, when it's at the closest planet for several light years likely to have some similar to ours? We'll study the next one, even though that means interstellar travel.

We've proven how carefully we protect environments when we don't understand them, right here on Earth, right?

Gee, Wally

[brian0918 (638904)]

Jeepers, what is this foreign concept called "terraforming [wikipedia.org]" [that's been discussed for at least 50 years] - I'll try looking for information on this new resource called the Inter-Net and report my findings as soon as possible.

Wish me luck.

Re:Gee, Wally

[jollyreaper (513215)]

Jeepers, what is this foreign concept called "terraforming [wikipedia.org]" [that's been discussed for at least 50 years] - I'll try looking for information on this new resource called the Inter-Net and report my findings as soon as possible.

Wish me luck.

Step away from the computer, Mr. President. Here, I have a nice shiny thing for you.

Terraforming...

[Notquitecajun (1073646)]

I always wondered if terraforming could just be done my massive planting of hardy fauna. A ton of trees (like a rainforest), should drastically change even weather patterns...I always thought that it would be an interesting experiment for a lander to plant - and tend - some cacti or something and see what would happen over time.

I do think that the time span is a bit idealistic, and doesn't account for the Law of Unintended Consequences, but the idea is sound.

Re:Terraforming...

[badasscat (563442)]

I always wondered if terraforming could just be done my massive planting of hardy fauna. A ton of trees (like a rainforest), should drastically change even weather patterns...I always thought that it would be an interesting experiment for a lander to plant - and tend - some cacti or something and see what would happen over time.

The problem is you need to raise the temperature of the atmosphere in order for most anything to grow, because there's no precipitation. The cycle can't begin until you've done that first step.

I haven't RTFA, but there was a show on Discovery Channel a while back where one of the guys who had designed a series of Mars missions for Lockheed/NASA back in the 80's (and he's still fighting for them) had proposed actually building a bunch of factories on Mars whose sole output would be greenhouse gases. Their entire purpose would be to just pump billions of tons of what we'd call pollutants on Earth into the Martian atmosphere. Supposedly you could raise the planet's temperature by 10 degrees over 100 years using this method, which would be enough to start releasing the water trapped in the ground as ice into the atmosphere, creating clouds and precipitation for plants. Then you could start planting forests, which would thrive in the CO2-rich Martian atmosphere and would begin to create the oxygen we need to breathe.

Humans could live on Mars as the terraforming process was ongoing, but they would need to be in enclosed colonies until the process was complete. Eventually, though, they'd be able to venture out into an Earth-like world.

I'm curious to see how the author of this article thinks the process could be sped up - the Discovery show said it would take thousands of years given current technology before the air would be both warm enough to live in and breathable for humans.

Re:Terraforming...

[nanosquid (1074949)]

You really just don't get how hostile Mars actually is. On average, at the summit of Mt. Everest, air pressure is several hundred times what it is on Mars, and it's 60F warmer than on Mars, and nothing grows there. Antarctica is even balmier than Mt. Everest, and still nothing significant grows there. And those places at least have plenty of clean water.

"Will"?

[Phanatic1a (413374)]

Seems a bit too declarative, doesn't it?

Mars will be transformed into a shirt-sleeve, habitable world for humanity before century's end, made livable by thawing out the coldish climes of the red planet and altering its now carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere.

Mars doesn't have a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere. Mars doesn't have an anything-rich atmosphere. Yes, what atmosphere Mars has is mostly CO2, but what atmosphere Mars has is actually a pretty decent approximation of vacuum; the thickest parts of it are barely 1% of typical atmospheric pressure on earth.

The whole article doesn't actually include any specifics, it's just handwaving of the "and then a miracle occurs" sort:

Overall, Wood said that a workable plan can be scripted to raise the average temperature of Mars, rid the world of excess carbon dioxide, as well as generate soil to support agriculture.

Right. We'll get right on that. We only have 93 years to go, according to this article.

Re:"Will"?

[SetupWeasel (54062)]

"The specifics are out there"

What does that mean? Mars doesn't have enough gravity to hold enough gas at its current temperature. If we warm it up, that problem increases. You can't just wish that problem away. Mars doesn't need heat or oxygen to be Earth-like. Mars needs mass.

Then who owns Mars?

[UbuntuDupe (970646)]

This is an interesting question for property rights theorists. Many people adhere to some sort of Lockean view that by modifying this untouched land, the terraforming organization then owns all of Mars. But then some would say it's a sort of "common heritage" that can't be so privatized. It's also extremely difficult to just terraform "one part" of Mars. (Imagine keeping one part at 1 atm and the rest at Mars's regular atmospheric pressure.)

Regardless, anyone who goes through the expense of terraforming Mars, even a government, is going to want some assurance that the rest of humanity won't leech off their work.

really not so complicated

[circletimessquare (444983)]

trace the evolution of the hudson bay company [wikipedia.org] into modern canada: i don't see the mass of canadian citizens as serfs of a corporation. the colonizaiton of mars under corporate provenance would probably have a similar uncontroversial and mundane development arc. in fact, any such corporate colonization of mars under government oversight would probably consult a historical study of the hudson bay company directly as a model for potential pitfalls to avoid

i'm sorry, but in reailty, the balance between individual rights and corporate provenance isn't so difficult or immobile. there is no massive conflicts, and the hudson bay company still exists today: what was once the corporate master of much of north america is now simply a department store [hbc.com]. but of course, you read most science fiction, or talk to a paranoid schizophrenic, or even consult certain lowest common denominator youth subcultures, and you get the impression that corporations are these unstoppable sociopathic vampires out to turn you into an unthinking slave. hardly. reality is just not that interesting, sorry

Two problems I'm not seeing addressed here

[jollyreaper (513215)]

First, Mars does not have a magnetosphere. This helps fend off the worst of the cosmic radiation here on Earth. What does he propose to replace it? The article is light on the details. Second, isn't the understanding still that Mars has insufficient gravity to preserve its atmosphere and so the solar wind strips the atoms and molecules right off the top, thus explaining the low pressure we see today? How do you counter that?

Re:Two problems I'm not seeing addressed here

[ekasteng (683332)]

If I had mod points I'd give you one. If my memory is correct, Earth's spinning liquid metal core is what gives us our magnetosphere, and protects our upper atmosphere from getting "sandblasted" away by the solar wind. Mars doesn't have a magnetoshpere, which is the reason why some astronomers think its core has cooled and is solid. Without that magnetosphere, the solar wind will just blast whatever atmosphere we put on it away.

Re:Two problems I'm not seeing addressed here

[R2.0 (532027)]

You are thinking way to small. We need to move Mars and Venus to the trailing Lagrange points in Earth's orbit. That will put them both in the water zone. Then, send a stream of comets from the Oort cloud to crash into Mars - just need to be careful not to miss. Venus just gets the good old fashioned algae/plants method of atmospheric reduction.

By the time we use up Earth, Mars will be ready for wholesale migration, and by the time Mars is used up, Venus will be done simmering. By that time we will be assembling new planets from scratch with asteroids, Mercury, Pluto, Sedna, and whatever other junk we can find.

Altering its now carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere

[Malc (1751)]

If that's so easy, then I expect they'll be applying the same principles on Earth. No need to worry about global warming at home then?

Erm...

[rumith (983060)]

Why Mars? Why not Antarctic glaciers, Gobi desert, Kazakh wastelands, Belarus swamps and Alaskan tundra? Hey, the good old Earth has places that model the conditions of pretty much every planet you can imagine [hazardous included], except perhaps gas giants. Now, where do I go to have the illusion of being on the ancient Foth of Avalars...

Getting off the rock

[the_kanzure (1100087)]

Copied from my notes [heybryan.org]:

• The Artemis Project [asi.org] - The project is a private venture to establish a permanent, self-supporting community on the Moon. Brief overview of the Artemis project [asi.org].
• The Mars Society [marssociety.org] - To further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet.
• The Moon Society [moonsociety.org] - An international nonprofit educational and scientific foundation formed to further the creation of communities on the Moon involving large-scale industrialization and private enterprise.
• National Space Society [nss.org] - grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Magazine [space.com].
• Stanford on the Moon [spaceagepub.com] (by 2015?) And yes, Stanford as in the university.
• Space Frontier Foundation [space-frontier.org] - seems to have projects for space colonization, missions to the Earth's moon, and so on. Looks like a large scale organization.
• The Space Settlement Initiative [spacesettlement.org]
• Space Access Society [space-access.org] - activism for getting out of the NASA-only paradigm/reality.
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space [seds.org] - `... is dedicated to expanding the role of human exploration and development of space. We also seek to educate the public in such a way as to attain this goal. `
• Space Studies Institute [ssi.org] - `SSI's stated mission is: Opening the energy and material resources of space for human benefit by completing the missing technological links to make possible the productive use of the abundant resources in space.`
• International Space University [isunet.edu] - `The International Space University provides graduate-level training to the future leaders of the emerging global space community at its Central Campus in Strasbourg, France, and at locations around the world. ` (mentions 'systems engineering' on the About page)
• Space Settlement Institute [space-sett...titute.org] - `The Space Settlement Institute is a non-profit association founded to help promote the human colonization and settlement of outer space. `
• Cygo's Space Initiative [cygo.com] - plan and conduct exploration missions to minor planets, build and mass produce (while in space) a multi-purpose interconnectable module, and to offer products and services using space and the materials therefrom.
• Freeluna [freeluna.com] - `Freeluna.com is dedicated to the proposition that the colonization of outer space is critical for the long term survival of the human species, and that colonization of the moon and the exploitation of the moon's natural resources is one of the very best first steps in that incredible journey off planet.` ... and when I first visited this page, I was visitor #3371. Yikes. Contact: Bill Clawson, [e-mail]
• Island One Society [islandone.org] - associated with the Artemis society, seems to be mostly a resource-help site.
• The Living Universe Foundation [luf.org] - `The Living Universe Foundation seeks to bring the galaxy alive with life from Earth, while healing the damage that humanity has already inflicted upon the Earth. We believe that expansion into space in the immediate future is a step towards accomplishing this aim.` [e-mail] --- This organization was inspired by the publication of a certain book. This is heavily related to Project Atlantis or Oceania [oceania.org] (artifical floatin

here's an idea

[nanosquid (1074949)]

Why don't we "terraform" the Sahara desert, the Gobi desert, Antarctica, and the various dust bowls around the world before trying to tackle Mars.

Right now, we can't even keep existing, fertile land from turning into desert right here on earth, with plenty of water and air around.

I hate to be negative, but

[Progman3K (515744)]

Mars will NEVER be habitable.
We'd have to find a way to get its dead core molten and spinning again. Otherwise solar radiation will just flay off any atmosphere we try to put there.

Maybe we could live on Mars in domes or sealed caves but I doubt we'll ever be walking about in the open on its surface.

Robots Will Colonize Mars

[Zobeid (314469)]

Terraforming Mars is neither necessary nor desirable. Within perhaps 50 years we could easily have human-level AI and advanced robotics. Such robots could be designed for the Martian environment as it exists now. It will prove much easier to adapt our descendants -- our mind children -- to Mars (and many other environments that are hostile to humans) than it would ever be to adapt Mars to us.

In fact, the more optimistic transhumanists would tend to assume that people alive today may see a time when they can upload or upgrade into an advanced robotic form themselves -- so it wouldn't even necessarily be our remote sort-of-descendants who colonize Mars, it could be us, suitably transformed.

Conventional wisdom is that Mars will be explored by robots, then colonized by humans. I turn that idea on it's head. Humans will explore Mars -- today's robotic probes are too crude and limited, so that a single manned expedition could do scientific work that would take decades, maybe centuries, with robots. The other side of that coin is that 50-100 years from now humans will become obsolete for space travel and colonization. The people who actually live on Mars and build a society there will be synthetic people, not homo sapiens.

Re:Planting?

[jimstapleton (999106)]

actually, it'd probably start out with photosynthetic bacteria, or plants that not need to be "planted", so much as just allow their seeds sit on the soil for a while.

Still, the article is written by a physicist, I'd rather see a biologists perspective on this one, involving life and all.

Re:Planting?

[aldousd666 (640240)]

Are you guys kidding me? You talk about terraforming as if it's just another trick we have in our arsenal, which it isn't. But, the technology aside, there are other issues that will trump that. For example, what about the militant lobby of folks who will undoubtedly make this into 'the evil humans rushing out to screw up another planet after they can't even keep a grip on their own?' You think Eco Terrorism is bad now, wait until someone starts moralizing on the idea of just commandeering a whole planet for experimental purposes. I personally think that it's as good of a laboratory as any, but I really think this would make the alarmist triply so. Think about it, what about property rights, mineral rights, and political philosophy, the interaction of religious idiots, and the mass media distortion... It's all just a huge cluster fsck waiting to happen, which is why I think it will never happen. I'd hope it does, but I don't see anything able to surmount those socio-political issues any time in the next couple of centuries, let alone the next 93 years.

Re:A warning to early terraformers...

[jollyreaper (513215)]

If you see any egg shaped pods, run away.

Yeah, not sure if I could stomach any more seasons of Mork and Mindy either.

Re:MARS!

[doti (966971)]

where monkeys can spell