Can We Overcome Mars' Harsh Conditions for Human Habitation?

[AnthreX]

i have thought of this

can we actually live on Mars ??

well there is no water, no air, its too damn hot, and there are lots of dust storms and stuff..

but didnt anyone think of an idea to live in those conditions ?

i don't know about creating water but,
what if we send a probe with a bomb, say that the bomb creates moisture and gas, and you blow it up on the surface. it would surely create algae. and algae would produce air right ? and than it would create some kind of lifeform that can live there, if that lifeform can live there, isn't there a possiblity for us to live there ?

i don't really have any ideas for preventing radiation tho :/

 

[cookiemonster]

I'm not so sure that bombing Mars would create algae, but it would certainly make a nice little crater!

cookiemonster

 

[MaximumTaco]

Well, if you figure out where to get water from, you can set algae growing, and they will photosynthesise - remember there is heaps of CO2 in the atmosphere. The problem is the water

 

[neutroncount]

First off, Mars is cold not hot...Venus is hot.

Second, there is water on Mars...locked up as ice in the poles.

Third, there is an atmosphere but it is mostly carbon dioxide and the pressure is around <1% that of earth's.

And finally, even if we spread algae all over the surface, what keeps it alive? A thin atmosphere and an average of -70C temps? Plus even if it did survive...you'd need a LOT and I mean a LOT for it to have any effect on Mars as a whole.

You can't do anything about radiation other than shield what you want to protect in a number of ways: layer of rock, soil, water or plastic/metal "containers".

 

[pallidin]

The idea of "terraforming" an otherwise inhospital planet(oid) is of course by no means new, and indeed technically possible given enough time and resources.
However, terraforming drastically alters the natural environment, and would "mask" scientific endeavors to properly study the planet. Even still, it would certainly have its place after, say, a thorough examination is conducted, and a compelling need to terraforming is established.
With little doubt, I see Mars, for example, as being a likely candidate for this in the not-so-near future.

 

[Chi Meson]

Originally posted by neutroncount
Second, there is water on Mars...locked up as ice in the poles.

I believe it is well established that the Martian ice caps are "dry ice" (solid CO2). Or is this a new revelation (as in new this past week)that I missed ?

 

[neutroncount]

Originally posted by Chi Meson
I believe it is well established that the Martian ice caps are "dry ice" (solid CO2). Or is this a new revelation (as in new this past week)that I missed ?

There's much, much more dry ice than ice water but strong evidence points to it being there, given large hydrogen readings in the area taken from either Odyssey or Surveyor.

 

[Chi Meson]

I guess I missed that!

 

[TillEulenspiegel]

There is sketchy evidence of water having existed in the distant past. There MAY be water in the form of permafrost relatively close to the surface. The problem is taking advantage of these resources as efficiently as possible.

The question of planetscaping revolves around so many different disciplines, physics,chemistry,biology,Psychology,topology,medical science, meterology...

The task is not simple and perhaps our best efforts will fail, in the short run. The resources must be in place, we must be able to exploit them and we must plan long term and that's a best case scenario.

My personal belief is that the expertise and the science will exist one day , where this is accomplish-able.

 

[Dalerlyn]

A hope for mars

This is an idea, Dropping a nuclear bomb on the ice caps and then injecting the Atmosphere with Methane gas causing Mars to produce clouds.

 

[blackwing1]

i have thought of this

can we actually live on Mars ??

well there is no water, no air, its too damn hot, and there are lots of dust storms and stuff..

but didnt anyone think of an idea to live in those conditions ?

i don't know about creating water but,
what if we send a probe with a bomb, say that the bomb creates moisture and gas, and you blow it up on the surface. it would surely create algae. and algae would produce air right ? and than it would create some kind of lifeform that can live there, if that lifeform can live there, isn't there a possiblity for us to live there ?

i don't really have any ideas for preventing radiation tho :/

there might be a teensy weensy little problem. because of the low pressure on mars, any water would immediately boil and evaporate, even if the temperature is below zero. if we do grow algea, it would have to be in a pressurized environment or else if it was exposed to outside it would immediately explode. however, do noticed that the water boils not because of heat, but because of pressure. the water would still be very cold. =)

 

[Danger]

I think that Mars would be a great place to live... in a buried or domed biosphere. There's even less need to terraform it than there is for the Moon, since the gravity and atmospheric pressure are closer to our home standards. I'd sure sign up to move there, if I could justify my presence.

 

[blackwing1]

yeah but still, wouldn't the atmos. pressure be enough of a diff. to boil the water if left in an unpressurised environment.?

 

[vanesch]

I'd sure sign up to move there, if I could justify my presence.

I'd prefer 99% of humanity to sign up. I stay here, more room for me