Real Life: Terra-forming of Mars/Moon

[Hogz (OP)]

Okay, this post may bore you and other shit but I find it quite an interesting topic to talk about (because of the nature of the human race this has to be an option).

Okay for those who are new to this "Terraforming" is the process of making another planet (or just an uninhabitable area) able to hold life specifically Plant & Human life (obvious reasons). There are 3 main ways of doing this (that I have researched)

1) Nuke the shit outta Mars

Nuking the Poles of Mars (like our North and South pole) This would release CO2 and Water into the "atmosphere" (Doesn't have one) which is a green house gas a.k.a warming up mars so that we wouldn't freeze to death quickly. and it also releases the Nitrogen and O2 in the soil which helps to create an atmosphere.

2) Just burrow into Mars

This is the most well known method, just go under the surface much less "Martian Dust" (aka Calcium Percolate which burns the eyes and lungs) and water has been found underneath.

3) Use bacteria

Okay this needs a decent atmosphere so not stand alone, like Cyanobacteria which will release O2 from the soil to help with making an atmosphere of Mars.

The reason why we havnt done this yet, Mars needs a magnetic field (like earth does) which we are pretty sure is created from the liquid core that sloshes around (sort of like a HUGE balloon being rubbed on your head to create static), Mar's core is Solid. It is VERY hard to melt a metal with that much Pressure on it.

Moon

The moon (in my opinion the better option) is closer so much easier to get to therefore much easier, but the way we can terraform the Moon is by smashing small comets into the moon, by making the moon spinning faster so creating an atmosphere.

So what do you think? Should we Terraform Moon or Mars?

[Akomine]

To be clear: Mars does have a magnetic field (weaker and less complex than Earth's), and it does have an atmosphere (thinner than Earth's).

1.
This sounds nuts. Nuclear warheads distribute radiation. It's sad how many have been detonated on Earth. If we're going to warm up the poles, hopefully we can do it with something else that doesn't produce radiation.

2.
I don't think burrowing is a method of terraforming, but just a method of inhabitation. It has the advantage that there would be less UV radiation from the Sun underground.

3.
There are small animals that can survive in space (such as tardigrades), it's possible that some could survive on Mars with some atmosphere too. This seems like the most interesting option. The obvious problem is that if there is life on Mars, this might ruin our chances of finding it.

Another thing worth noting: The reason we haven't done these things yet is because we are still learning about Mars, and it would be really expensive. I could see the earliest stages of this happening in the 2020's with SpaceX or 2030's with NASA.



The Moon is pretty interesting because it has a partially molten core, it is made out of almost the exact same things that the Earth is made of, and it's really close to us compared to everything else. It's low gravity makes it easy to land and take off, but with essentially zero atmosphere, terraforming it is a huge task. It also doesn't spin - the same side is always facing the Earth - which makes for a unique set of challenges. Just some thoughts.

Europa or Titan might also be worth looking at.

[ShadowNotice]

To be clear: Mars does have a magnetic field (weaker and less complex than Earth's), and it does have an atmosphere (thinner than Earth's).

1.
This sounds nuts. Nuclear warheads distribute radiation. It's sad how many have been detonated on Earth. If we're going to warm up the poles, hopefully we can do it with something else that doesn't produce radiation.

2.
I don't think burrowing is a method of terraforming, but just a method of inhabitation. It has the advantage that there would be less UV radiation from the Sun underground.

3.
There are small animals that can survive in space (such as tardigrades), it's possible that some could survive on Mars with some atmosphere too. This seems like the most interesting option. The obvious problem is that if there is life on Mars, this might ruin our chances of finding it.

Another thing worth noting: The reason we haven't done these things yet is because we are still learning about Mars, and it would be really expensive. I could see the earliest stages of this happening in the 2020's with SpaceX or 2030's with NASA.



The Moon is pretty interesting because it has a partially molten core, it is made out of almost the exact same things that the Earth is made of, and it's really close to us compared to everything else. It's low gravity makes it easy to land and take off, but with essentially zero atmosphere, terraforming it is a huge task. It also doesn't spin - the same side is always facing the Earth - which makes for a unique set of challenges. Just some thoughts.

Europa or Titan might also be worth looking at.

Nukes would also violate the United Nations, Treaty of 1967.

[Akomine]

Nukes would also violate the United Nations, Treaty of 1967.

Good note.

You MIGHT be able to get around it by arguing that the nukes would not be used as weapons, but simply as charges for terraforming. I still think it's a bad idea lol.