Technical Question

[Bkeela]

The pressure of Planet is obviously not the same as Earth, thus the early colonists of Planet would have to wear pressure suits outside of human friendly shelter. My question is would the colonists eventually be able to condition their bodies to cope with the different pressures, so that once adjusted, they could walk outside with no other protection than that of a breathing mask?

Bkeela.

[Vultur]

I've had the chance to read "Power of the mind worms" a comic based on AC game.
It spoke about Gaians'inhabitation's problems
mind worms, Morgans...
In early years nitrogen filter is the only way to breath on the planet, but I think that terraforming can make the atmosphere breathable, and it take less time than create a Pholus Mutagen... I think that planetary council had been create to resolve all mankind's problem, without the interference of politic relationship.
I think that Deidre can't stand to terraforming too much the Planet, because it could be the extcintion of native life-form, with great pleasure of Morganites...

[Googlie]

See planets.txt, and also refer to the game manual, appendix 5.

Sea level atmospheric pressure is 1.74 x that of earth, and the manual states:

"...the high overall pressure combined with such a large quantity of Nitrogen produces deadly Nitrogen narcosis in unprotected humans. Human colonists would have to wear pressure helmets, at the very least."

Gravity is also problematic, at 1.31 x that of Earth's, so the early colonists would feel heavier and would need, over time, to develop stronger musclature to cope with it.

Obvioiusly they would adapt over the generations to the heavier gravity, and with terraforming the oxygen content in the atmosphere could be raised, but the pressure couldn't be changed.

Could humans adapt to that?

Ah, but that was your original question.

Any takers on this?

Googlie

[Hydro]

My opinion is that humans could adapt within the normal 'bell curve' of human genetics to be better able to deal with the higher gravity (and even then there would probably be higher morality rates due to systemic stress - imagine a 'buff' Deirdre), but not the atmosphere. Here technology, such as scrubber masks and eventually nano-scrubbers in the bloodstream, would fill in.

Terraforming the atmosphere would require removing nitrogen, not adding oxygen. There is already enough oxygen to make humans happy, although just barely. Approximately 71% of the existing nitrogen in Planet's atmosphere would have to be removed (someone check my math if there is interest) to bring the atmospheric pressure and the O2/NO2 ratio near to what Earth has (had?). Nitrogen permeates the entire ecosystem, and exists in 'sinks', much like carbon exists in 'sinks' in Earth's ecosystem in the form of fossil fuel. Some of this would also need to be removed, since it is likely to be released from the sinks as the atmospheric equilibrium is upset during terraforming. This is no small task. And what do you do with all this nitrogen? Only so much can be used as fertilizer, and that releases back into the ecosystem…

The permanent solution is to genetically engineer humans to live on Planet, since terraforming Planet would be extraordinarily difficult and will probably destroy its ecosystem. Even if you terraform Planet to be more Earthlike, you had better know what you are doing because it is a one-way trip. Humans mucked up Earth, so we don't have a good track record.

Hydro

[This message has been edited by Hydro (edited July 23, 2000).]