Terraforming

[illi]

I had to take a compulsory foundation unit (You had a choice of a bunch) and chose a sci-fi-ish one which covered terraforming and what it would take.

From what I remember, Venus is outside of the livable band (Where it's not too hot or cold, this is getting pushed back as the sun expands, earth will have no life before the sun explodes :3). Mars is on the outer edges and is a bit small and does not have the tectonic activity that earth does, volcanoes and the like are extremely important in the carbon cycle which is important to earth having it's relatively stable temperatures, atmospher etc. There's millions of other factors but regardless, it's possible(and I think the word there is used at a MASSIVE stretch) to terraform mars but it would be extremely expensive as far as resources and such to set up, not to mention maintain.

Due to the earth's atmosphere/gravity you'd also need to have at the very least a moonstation, the moon has a bunch of useful minerals, but what exactly I forget, I think aluminium was one of them maybe.

But yeah, not likely in our lifetime. You never know though.

And I love that song haha, had never seen the video, just makes it a million times better o:

 

[Ecton]

I agree with Illi. It would take alot of work.

Mars is only 0.1 the mass of earth. It would need significantly more mass to 1) have plate tectonics
2) have a molten core generating a magnetic field
3) have sufficient gravity to maintain long enough escape rates of ionized light elements in the atmosphere.

You would also need to
1) Find an alternative to a moon for tidal forces or find an alternative model able to support aquatic earth ecosystems
2) Radically change the elemental composition of mars in order to sustain a silicate/calcium distribution for arable land
3) Do all of the bioengineering described in earlier posts to create the correct chemical environment for modern earth flora and fauna and then
4) Layer an ecosystem with
1) protoviri, viri, protozoa, arcae, eukaria, multicellulars
2) Guarantee oceans filled with algae and diatoms on top of that
3) fungi, molds, lychen, algae
4) plants and animals
5) lifeform types on earth we have yet to identify
AND MAKE THEM ALL INTERACT SUCCESSFULLY
5) Then observe and regulate the system for 1 million years to guarantee stability and then
6) Do many GIGANTIC and UNKNOWN things to solve unforseen problems we can't even think of yet.

So no problem.

And that's assuming that Mars isn't already a habitation for exotic microscopic lifeforms that are of unique value to our understanding of the universe.

But we can dream.

Larry Niven recently wrote a Harlequin romance novel with an author named Brenda Cooper: "Building Harlequin's Moon". Its mostly a squee book, but it does address the issue of how transforming effectively would take longer than most humans can comprehend (and this is in a fictional future with a supercomputer ai of immeasurable power helping out.)

 

[Kavalan]

I agree with Illi. It would take alot of work.

Mars is only 0.1 the mass of earth. It would need significantly more mass to 1) have plate tectonics
2) have a molten core generating a magnetic field
3) have sufficient gravity to maintain long enough escape rates of ionized light elements in the atmosphere.

You would also need to
1) Find an alternative to a moon for tidal forces or find an alternative model able to support aquatic earth ecosystems
2) Radically change the elemental composition of mars in order to sustain a silicate/calcium distribution for arable land
3) Do all of the bioengineering described in earlier posts to create the correct chemical environment for modern earth flora and fauna and then
4) Layer an ecosystem with
1) protoviri, viri, protozoa, arcae, eukaria, multicellulars
2) Guarantee oceans filled with algae and diatoms on top of that
3) fungi, molds, lychen, algae
4) plants and animals
5) lifeform types on earth we have yet to identify
AND MAKE THEM ALL INTERACT SUCCESSFULLY
5) Then observe and regulate the system for 1 million years to guarantee stability and then
6) Do many GIGANTIC and UNKNOWN things to solve unforseen problems we can't even think of yet.

So no problem.

And that's assuming that Mars isn't already a habitation for exotic microscopic lifeforms that are of unique value to our understanding of the universe.

But we can dream.

Larry Niven recently wrote a Harlequin romance novel with an author named Brenda Cooper: "Building Harlequin's Moon". Its mostly a squee book, but it does address the issue of how transforming effectively would take longer than most humans can comprehend (and this is in a fictional future with a supercomputer ai of immeasurable power helping out.)

Hey we were able to look at the crystal structure of Sodium Chloride without a complete understanding of the modern atomic model... anything can happen.

 

[Ecton]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd love for it to happen. But I think we would need a new science of complex systems before we could tackle it. Maybe advances in quantum computing could help.

 

[Rakawi]

I think many would agree that eventually, we can. It's debatable whether or not we should. Is there any ethical detraction in doing so?

 

[muir]

I think a more feasible plan might be to find suitable planets elsewhere that are in the 'goldilocks zone' and try and travel to them

....or we could try and sort earth out.....or is that just fantasy?

 

[Rakawi]

I think a more feasible plan might be to find suitable planets elsewhere that are in the 'goldilocks zone' and try and travel to them

....or we could try and sort earth out.....or is that just fantasy?

Cause no one likes cleaning up their own room.

We're a hoarding species and we prefer a new home to a responsible clean-up.

 

[Ecton]

I understand your point Rakawi. When I was younger I wrote some (bad) sci-fi stories about what you are talking about. I do believe that we feel most pure and correct in a frontier state, and without that state we tend to have to face ourselves and fail.

But I still think we should do it. Not because I think we will do anything but regress, but because it may be the only way we get enough time to grow up.

 

[Jack]

Mars would be interesting, and probably the easiest. The atmosphere is already 95% carbondioxide, and the soil is full of nitrogen, sounds good for plants provided they had enough water, and with the ice caps found recently, that's very possible. The difficulty I suppose would be the atmosphere. It might be too thin. Granted, there are still other important factors, but largely, the important elements are present.

 

[Rakawi]

But I still think we should do it.

I agree.

Step 1) Defeat apathy.
Step 2) Motivate.
Step 3) Reach consensus.
Step 4) Execute.

It looks deceptively simple without the magic goggles.

Step 1) Build an ark.
Step 2) Preach from the mount.
Step 3) Walk on water.
Step 4) Part the sea.