Could We Colonize Mercury Using Sunshades and Heat Shields?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of colonizing Mercury using sunshades and heat shields, with a focus on the potential for microbial life in the planet's polar regions. Participants explore various aspects of colonization, including the environmental challenges posed by Mercury's extreme conditions and the implications of introducing Earth-based microbes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that sunshades and heat shields could protect equipment on Mercury, but question whether these methods would be effective given the planet's extreme heat.
  • There is a proposal to introduce anaerobic extremophile microbes to Mercury's poles, which are thought to have water ice and more moderate temperatures.
  • One participant requests references for claims about microbial life on Mercury, highlighting the need for scientific backing.
  • Another participant mentions specific hardy microorganisms, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus, as candidates for survival in Mercury's environment, citing their robustness in harsh conditions.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of peer-reviewed studies confirming the viability of Earth microbes in Mercury's conditions, with calls for caution in making unverified claims.
  • Some argue that while extremophiles may survive radiation, the overall potential for life on Mercury is very low, especially for Earth-based organisms not adapted to its conditions.
  • Discussions include references to literature suggesting that while the potential for life is low, certain conditions on Mercury could allow for microbial survival.
  • Participants engage in a debate over the interpretation of scientific texts regarding the potential for life on Mercury, with differing views on whether the potential is limited to organisms evolved on the planet.
  • There are discussions about the implications of introducing Earth life to Mercury, including legal and ethical considerations related to planetary protection treaties.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the potential for microbial life on Mercury, with no consensus reached. Some believe that certain Earth microbes could survive, while others argue that the conditions are too extreme for any Earth-based life to thrive. The discussion also highlights differing interpretations of scientific literature regarding the viability of life on Mercury.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the absence of direct evidence or peer-reviewed studies specifically addressing microbial life on Mercury, as well as the complexity of defining survivability and reproduction in extreme environments. The discussion also touches on the implications of planetary protection policies that may restrict actions taken on other celestial bodies.

  • #31
Anaerobic bacteria don't require oxygen. They can obtain all their energy from the hydrogen in Mercury's atmosphere.
 
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  • #32
Alltimegreat1 said:
Anaerobic bacteria don't require oxygen.
Very very wrong. Anaerobic means it does not require free oxygen. All Earth life requires oxygen, it's one of the atoms that make up our DNA. Same as nitrogen. How can a create a creature made of nitrogen and oxygen atoms reproduce in an environment with only traces of one stored in rocks and none of the other?

Alltimegreat1 said:
They can obtain all their energy from the hydrogen in Mercury's atmosphere.
How? There are no extremophiles that do this. It doesn't even make any sense from a chemistry standpoint. Mercury's atmosphere is made of atomic hydrogen, not molecular hydrogen. Life metabolizes by breaking chemical bonds which releases energy into the life-form, which then gets used for something else. The hydrogen in the atmosphere of Mercury has literally zero chemical energy in it.
 
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  • #33
Molecular[/PLAIN] Hydrogen on Mercury

Have a look at the list on the right-hand side of the page.

"Mercury's exospheric hydrogen and helium are believed to come from the Solar wind, while the oxygen is likely to be of crustal origin."
 
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  • #34
Uh... how do we know for certain that there is no life on Mercury and we would be doing the solar system a favor by dropping in our own version(s) of life?
 
  • #35
Correct, we don't know if there is currently life on Mercury, but we will certainly never invest the vast resources necessary to scour every inch of the planet in search of endemic life. Yes, releasing terrestrial bacteria could indeed interfere with any life that may already be there. It's also possible that Mercury is a barren rock waiting to be seeded with life. Either way, we could ensure the existence of sustainable life on a planet other than Earth, which would mark an incredible achievement on the part of mankind. It is the ethically correct thing to do.
 
  • #36
Alltimegreat1 said:
Molecular[/PLAIN] Hydrogen on Mercury

Have a look at the list on the right-hand side of the page.

"Mercury's exospheric hydrogen and helium are believed to come from the Solar wind, while the oxygen is likely to be of crustal origin."
Read the actual wiki you posted. It stated very clearly that the hydrogen in the atmosphere came from the sun. That's atomic hydrogen, it even specifies that it's atomic later in the article. We know what kind of atoms come off of the sun, they are not molecules.

You also haven't responded to the following problems:
When will life get the nitrogen it requires?
How will life pull atoms into it with an atmosphere of 10^−14 bar of pressure?
Where would the oxygen come from (the amount in the air is not enough for a colony to exist)
How would it replace nutrients that it's already metabolized?
Where will it have liquid water to perform it's chemistry? Mercury has ice, not water, and at that pressure, it'll sublimate, not melt.
 
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  • #37
Thread locked for moderation.
 
  • #38
There have been too many personal assertions of fact without peer-reviewed journal articles offered as supporting references. The Mentor consensus is that this thread will remain closed.
 

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