Terraforming Mars Explained

[Vespasiano Jilg]

Terraformingis the (so far only suggested) process of changing a planet, usually to make it more habitable for humans or other Earth life. A very common example is Mars, which is known to harbour water ice and believed to have previously been warm enough to have liquid water. Normally, plans for terraforming try to adjust temperatures to be compatible with liquid water, and an atmosphere containing significant amounts of oxygen but little carbon dioxide. The word Terra is the Latin name for Earth, so terraforming would be "Earth Forming".

In this comic Cueball is suggesting doing the opposite: change Earth to be more like Mars, i.e. extremely dry, cold, and with a very thin atmosphere, approximately 1/160 of Earth's surface pressure. In addition, Mars has no magnetic core, so it is possible that Cueball wants to remove the magnetic field from Earth. The comic title combines Mars with Forming (with a linking "i") to create the new word Marsiforming. He is having trouble getting the enthusiastic response to his proposal that he expects.

The title text provides examples of how this could improve things: preserving Martian life (a proposed reason to terraform Mars would be to provide a second planet to preserve Earth life at the cost of destroying any potential [undiscovered] Martian organisms, so by marsiforming Earth, we would provide a second planet to preserve Martian life, if there is any life on Mars), needing fewer interplanetary launches (no need to leave this planet's atmosphere in order to visit itself, and Martians who might otherwise need to return to their home planet could instead settle on Earth), and making it easier to field-test Mars rovers (field-test means to test in the environment of actual use, which would readily be available on Earth). While the second and third items would indeed be advantages, and the first would be as well if Mars has developed life, they are severely outweighed by the fact that most life on Earth, including humans, would die.

Unstated in the comic are the extreme costs such a proposal would incur, which would surely be grounds for rejection. Between the thin atmosphere, harsh solar radiation, and other changes, Earth would become uninhabitable for most life currently on Earth, most notably humans. Almost all humans value the continued existence of the human race far more than Martian exploration[citation needed] (if nothing else, it is for the benefit of humans that Mars is being explored, so exterminating the human race would render the benefits moot).

There are known extremophile species that would survive underground on Mars. If similar life is hiding on Mars, marsiforming the Earth would benefit their possible eventual interplanetary efforts. There is an existing project to begin experimental terraforming on Mars by nurturing some of our extremophile species on it.

Honestly, if we find absolute proof that there is no life on Mars, can we make life on Mars? I propose crashing a probe full of extremophile bacteria into polar water ice regions, then burying the probe and opening it underground. Wait for a few years, then check the site. If you have thriving bacteria there then BAM life on Mars.

To really change Earth to be either like Venus or Mars we need to get rid of the magnetic field that stops the solar wind stripping the atmosphere away. Once that is depleted the oceans will evaporate so that the solar wind can strip that away as well. Whether Earth then freezes or boils would depend on surface rocks and volcanic activity levels. One option to stop the magnetosphere would be to de-orbit the Moon, thus re-amalgamating it with the Earth and getting lots of vulcanism going. RIIW - Ponder it (talk) 20:12, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

There are three different levels: Para-terraforming, partial terraforming, and full terraforming. The latter would involve extreme modification that would make it possible for humans, plants, and animals to survive without special equipment, the NSS explained.

Green confirmed this concept and said that it really was possible. The first step of terraforming would make it so a spacesuit is no longer needed, as this would allow for better mobility, he said. Higher pressure and increased temperatures would also make it possible to start growing plants on Mars.

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Mars is a planet commonly brought up when talking about terraforming. Even if we were to manage to get past all economic barriers, and somehow form a thick atmosphere, would the lack of a magnetic field on Mars stop any attempt to terraform it? Would the atmosphere be destroyed by solar wind?

First Edberg and his colleagues identified 41 doubled solar particle waves and solar powerful particle waves from what are called coronal mass ejections from 2007 to 2008 detected by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft that monitors the space weather near Earth. Then they identified 36 of the same events hitting Mars in Mars Express data.

Firstly it meant the large volcanoes became extinct, with no liquid core there was nothing left for them to eject. The volcanoes were responsible for the production of a large amount of the gasses released into the atmosphere, much like they were on Earth millions of years ago. Without these, there was nothing replenishing the atmosphere.

Secondly it meant that the magnetic field slowly died off at all places but the poles, which still retain a small magnetic field. This meant that these double solar waves we mentioned before are now ripping whats left of the atmosphere off of mars.

For the sake of Venus, Venus no longer has a magnetic field, despite popular belief, though the solar winds have torn away all of the lighter hydrogen and oxygen layers. It is unknown to me at this time why the solar winds are unable to tear away the remaining gasses though I think this might be due to them being larger and heavier, such as the carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid layers that make up Venus atmosphere today.

So you could theoretically terra-form Mars by producing atmosphere quicker than its torn away, like the volcanoes tried to do, but that will be expensive and highly resource intensive and not really worth it compared to just sticking a dome there and filling that with air.

If one could get the core moving again, presuming it has stopped and solidified, then the magnetic field should replenish itself, and an atmosphere would stay put when generated, but the risks and costs are insanely high compared to finding a planet that already has a magnetic field.

So yes, terra-forming Mars is theoretically possible, but practically improbable. You are more likely to find bio domes on atmosphere-less planets until we find a simple way to regenerate the magnetic fields.

Bottom line, some level of terraforming on Mars is entirely possible. We would likely have to replenish the atmosphere periodically, perhaps once every thousand or tens of thousands of years. MAVEN will answer many of the unanswered questions (Specifically, what is the rate of loss of atmosphere on Mars)

A global terraforming would cost incredible amount of energy, work and money, but I think it's possible by starting with some giant domes that acts like green houses for the vegetation and then connecting them with additional green house tunnels and then, slowly expanding them. It terraforms the surface, but without the defense of domes, it would be useless, though.

Adding enormous amount of oxygen, nitrogen, ozone, carbon-dioxide and other components would help making pressure and composition of air to non-lethal - vegetation would help making this method easier by releasing oxygen they create. Then, the domes may be removed.

Mars has now a thin atmosphere because of the magnetic field, and because of its mass (1/10 the Earth one). The gravity of the planet depends on its mass, and it is the gravity which keeps the atmosphere there.

Therefore, if you want to have an earth-like atmosphere, you should have the magnetic field of the Earth, and its gravity. Otherwise you will progressively lose atmosphere. This means that the atmosphere needs to be artificially maintained, which is again a matter of costs (assuming that we have the technology to generate it...).

Terraformars were a race of humanoid insectoid creatures whose origins were traced to Earth during the events of the Mars Terraforming Project around 500 years ago. During this time, mankind on Earth began an attempt to terraform Mars where they succeeded it with moss with cockroaches being sent as well to the red planet. Over the span of centuries, the cockroaches through unknown means began to evolve into a much larger and more humanoid form. It was believed that the Terraformars period of evolution was artificially accelerated by the inhabitants of Rahab that once existed in the system but became the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Part of their evolution was shaped to survive the endless downpour of space radiation and -80C temperatures. At this point in 2577 AD, the first human manned ship known as BUGS1 was sent to Mars with a crew of six with all of them being attacked and killed by the giant mutated cockroaches but not before they managed to send a warning back to Earth. Since that time, Earth began to research them and their immunological responses became the basis of BUGS surgery. Several decades later in 2599 AD, a multinational expedition was assembled known as BUGS2 that consisted of humans that had their DNA altered to allow them access to superhuman abilities based on insects. Unknown to anyone, a secret mission was given to elements of the crew by unknown parties who tasked them with bringing back a Terrraformar egg. After landing on the red planet, the crew of BUGS 2 were themselves all eliminated except for Komachi Shokichi and Hiruma Ichiro. By 2620, Earth had begun to suffer from a mysterious illness known as the Alien Engine (A.E.) Virus that had no known cure to modern science on Earth. It was believed that the means of curing the rapidly infected human population was through the Terraformars on Mars leading to the creation of the Annex I expedition. Crew members of this multinational expedition were all outfitted with similar procedure as those of BUGS2 namely the Bugs Procedure though this was a new improved process known as the Mosaic Organ Operation. The mission of this crew was to go to Mars and capture Terraformar specimens alive to bring back to Earth in the hope of finding a cure to the virus afflicted human population.

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