Ian
priscilla 1Could We Live On Mars?
February 8th 2010 01:05
Can Mars Be Terraformed?
The answer is yes it probaly could. All that is required is a large budget and 1000 years or so.
Mars was once a warm planet with water and greenhouse gases which are now frozen in the dirt. If these can be released the prcess of warming Mars back up can start.
The project could begin with a series of survey missions, each crew making the 6 month journey to Mars would add a small habitation module to the main Mars base.
After 100 years an atmosphere could be made by releasing Carbon Dioxide now frozen in dirt and polar ice caps. Factories spewing potent green gases and maybe space mirrors focusing sunlight on ice, could start the thaw.
After 200 years rain would fall and water would flow once enough CO2 had been released to traise the atmospheric pressure and warm the planet above freezing. Microbes, algae and lichens could start growing on the rock.
After 600 years flowering plants could be introduced after the microbes had created organic soil and added some oxygen to the atmosphere. Boreal and perhaps even temperate forests might ultimately take root.
After 1000 years energy for cities might come from nuclear power and wind turbines. Martians would be able to go outside only with breathing gear as the oxygen will be too low for a few more thousand years.
click to enlarge
*Image and information sourced from the National Geographic here.
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