[Cspace]

So... Mars. Good or bad?

Wait, that won't do.



...




Aha. Mars: Should we go there? Should we terraform it? In terms of space exploration, do you think there are better places to study?

Just another one of my unusual and potentially entertaining debates.

[Aaron]

It's worth studying. I think it's our best bet for a new habitable world.

[Bobette]

So far, I agree with Aaron. I think we should explore Mars, even if we don't intend on making it habitable. We can learn a lot about our galaxy bu studying it's planets.

[Neraphym]

Mars isn't massive enough to hold an atmosphere that we can survive on. We do need to develop warp drive so we can get to distant planets that we could terraform. Mars will be a nice proving ground of the technology, though.

[Bigfoot]

i think we're all doing fine here on earth, so why waste our money?

[Jarik C-Bol]

terraforming won't hold there, there is no magnetic feild on the planet, which as it turns out is a vital part of our atmosphere not being stripped off by solar radiation and the like.

we should go and see it though.

[hasonish]

I agree that we should continue to study Mars. We could develop some interesting advancements in our technology as we gain more experience with space travel, and working on living on another world. Its not that we should try to go farther past our solarsystem, but we should focus on refining our abilities in space before-hand. I think that the study of Mars would be a beneficial... "experiment" if you will.

[©allum]

i think we're all doing fine here on earth, so why waste our money?

Seriously?

[Atilla]

Terraforming is a more logical option for Venus; many of the gases required to create the earth-like atmosphere wouldn't have to be transported there.

[Aaron]

Terraforming is a more logical option for Venus; many of the gases required to create the earth-like atmosphere wouldn't have to be transported there.

We'll need some major air conditioning even if the carbon dioxide is less concentrated.

[hasonish]

Terraforming is a more logical option for Venus; many of the gases required to create the earth-like atmosphere wouldn't have to be transported there.

We'll need some major air conditioning even if the carbon dioxide is less concentrated.

Very true, but I think we have a better chance of turning Mars into a habitable planet that Venus. All we really need is to start greenhouses on Mars. All we need is: good amount of sunlight, water, nutritious soil, carbon dioxide (I think theres plenty there, I'm not sure), and some hardy trees/plants. If we can begin restoring plant life on Mars, we can have a source of oxygen. I also remember reading somewhere that Mar's gravitational pull is close to the same as Earth's. (Again, I'm not really sure, I would like it if anyone could clarify.)

[Zziggywolf5]

In order to terraform Mars, we'd probably have to add more mass to it, which is possible by using asteroids.

As far as exploration, I think it should be done. Mars may not be a useless hunk of rock. We really don't know. Plus, when humanity starts experimenting with unstable, possibly planet-annihilating technology, it'd be better to use a different planet than we one we live on.

[Neraphym]

Mars would be very difficult. It's gravity is too weak to keep Oxygen and I think Nitrogen (both diatomic). They'll float off into space. Also, Mars is not undergoing stratification, so there is no geothermal energy, and no magnetic field. The radiation would be too harsh for life to exist on the surface.

Venus is far too hot. To terraform her, you'd have to somehow get the temperature down a lot. I'd suggest putting a satellite in orbit around Venus such that it is always locked in a partial eclipse with the sun. This will block a lot of the heat, and will allow Venus to cool down... over a few millenia.

[Zziggywolf5]

Mars would be very difficult. It's gravity is too weak to keep Oxygen and I think Nitrogen (both diatomic). They'll float off into space. Also, Mars is not undergoing stratification, so there is no geothermal energy, and no magnetic field. The radiation would be too harsh for life to exist on the surface.

Venus is far too hot. To terraform her, you'd have to somehow get the temperature down a lot. I'd suggest putting a satellite in orbit around Venus such that it is always locked in a partial eclipse with the sun. This will block a lot of the heat, and will allow Venus to cool down... over a few millenia.

Let's physically move Venus! :O

[Cspace]

We could terraform Mars if we maintain it. It's true that the atmosphere would leak away, but if we can get it to a decent level, it would be hundreds of years before it becomes a problem again. When we have the technology to terraform a planet, it probably won't be difficult to build machines to maintain an atmosphere. It could also be possible to spark local volcanism even in a dead planet, which could throw a lot of CO2 into the air to keep the climate more stable. There's also the potential for domes to hold a local atmosphere, but whether that's considered "terraforming" is another matter, even if it's self-sustaining.

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It's also true that Venus is most likely a better candidate for terraforming. Just blow away most of the atmosphere, or as Ziggy suggested, we could alter the planet's orbit. All ethical factors aside, we could steal... say... Europa, and crash it into Venus. That'll blow most of the atmosphere away, and will bring a lot of water which is severely lacking on Venus (even in vapor form). You could also pull Venus away from the sun into what would be its habitable zone. One problem with these methods is that a life-destroying object would need to cross the Earth's orbit. That's somewhat risky. Another problem is that we aren't capable of altering the orbit of even a big asteroid right now. It'll be a long time before we can do anything to the orbit of a moon or planet.

A more realistic option is just to nuke Venus into oblivion. If you blow away most of the atmosphere, and if you pull the toxic stuff out, all you need to add is oxygen and water and Venus will probably be a fun place to live.

Well, at least as fun as it can be without a significant magnetic field. I'm not sure what can be done about that.