Ice oceans discovered on Mars!

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Seeker
Mars will never have an atmosphere like ours PH. Not unless we crashed its moons into it or something...

But this will allow 'tin cans, domes, and bunkers' type towns to built, since this means we can have wells, of a sort.

My plan for terraforming Mars involves knocking loads of dense iron asteroids into it. Bump up the G-force at the surface, get a a bit of atmosphere going and then start the process of seeding life.

Basically I can't see how terraformers can expect to maintain an atmosphere on Mars without having a impermeable canopy or stronger gravity.

[Az]

I think it would be better to create a greenhouse effect, that would heat up the surface and cause gas trapped in the ice to break out with the water and create some kind of atmosphere . Then try to fill the planet with earthly high altitude weeds. for starters. we could also use fusion power to break oxygen out of many minerals in the surface, thus making it breathable. The Nitrogene is an issue I haven't confronted yet. I recommend tryinf to replicate earth's biosphere after that.

[SpencerH]

I suppose if we had the technology to play pool with asteroids we'd be able to keep em from crashing into the earth when we missed mars.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Dalgetti
I think it would be better to create a greenhouse effect, that would heat up the surface and cause gas trapped in the ice to break out with the water and create some kind of atmosphere . Then try to fill the planet with earthly high altitude weeds. for starters. we could also use fusion power to break oxygen out of many minerals in the surface, thus making it breathable. The Nitrogene is an issue I haven't confronted yet. I recommend tryinf to replicate earth's biosphere after that.

How do plan to prevent the atmosphere seeping away again?

[KrazyHorse]

Atmosphere seepage happens very slowly. Tens of thousands of years for O2 (or similar weight atom) to drop significantly at room temperature.

[Dauphin]

So you're not planning on staying too long then? (as a species, not personnally). ~10 thousand years is not long in the scheme of things.

[KrazyHorse]

I figure that the effort's worth it every 10 000 years or so. Consider it upkeep costs.

[Dauphin]

Buying is cheaper than renting.

[KrazyHorse]

Not if you've got an idiot for a landlord...

[red_jon]

Saw this in the paper, apparently this will allow human colonies in the next 20 years or so.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Not if you've got an idiot for a landlord...

[KrazyHorse]

i.e. his rents are so low that it costs more to buy than to rent in perpetuity...

[Dauphin]

I knew what you meant, just disagree.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin


My plan for terraforming Mars involves knocking loads of dense iron asteroids into it. Bump up the G-force at the surface, get a a bit of atmosphere going and then start the process of seeding life.

Basically I can't see how terraformers can expect to maintain an atmosphere on Mars without having a impermeable canopy or stronger gravity.

Are there enough such asteroids in the solar system to do this? What mass is needed?

[KrazyHorse]

Umm...GP, I'd guess mass needed is on planetary scale. Not really realistic...