What would it take to terraform Pluto and Charon?

Ryan_m_b

I believe the genesis device is a star trek reference, it was a joke.
I often hear that the rate of technological development is increasing but apart from a few examples from some fields I don't know where people think this is happening. In the vast majority of fields progress is incremental and steady.

Regardless this site exists to discuss established science. Not to play science fiction.

AnTiFreeze3

I don't think he doubts what we can accomplish in the future, just that we clearly don't have the ability to do it right now, with "early to middle 21st century technologies" when we're struggling to control our own atmosphere.

AnTiFreeze3

I think people confuse Moore's Law for the actual rate of technological progress achieved by the exponentially growing power of computers.

Ryan_m_b

Not sure if you were referring to me, Bob or both but personally whilst I don't doubt that it is possible in principle I currently see no path that would lead us to having the technological and industrial capacity to do so.

That's not to say that it wont be possible but I'm wary of hubris that takes the form of "X is possible in principle therefore given a long enough time scale X will be done"
That and some crackpots take Moore's law and assume that it's A) some sort of natural law and B) applicable to all areas.

ilhan8

I think we can make mars habitable in the 23rd century! :)