New Life on Mars
Lets say that no life is found with this current Mars mission and subsequent unmanned Mars missions.
Nasa may decide to create a semi permanent settlement on Mars. This would involve creating our own air, water and food supplies. This would not be a simple task. Transporting the necessary equipment at this stage with the astronauts is not feasable due to cost and craft size limitations.
We would have to send ships in advance. One to handle the creation of drinkable water from the frozen ice if H2O is discovered. Then the creation of oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for fuel, again from this water. Food will be another problem and if plants are to be send in the form of seeds, or plants, a greenhouse with the proper atmosphere will have to be created prior to mans arrival to ensure sufficient supplies.
What if Nasa or some other organization decides to make Mars more permanent? Who's to say that this decision of who goes and what the long term purpose will be is all up to Nasa?
What if another corporation has a more grandiose purpose like terraforming Mars?
Just like we would physically create a greenhouse to protect the plants from the harsh Martian atmosphere and temperature, we would need some protective layer to encapsulate the atmosphere that would be created to support life. I am not a physicist, biologist, or an expert in any field relating to terraforming but I think my imagination can come up with some plausible scenario's.
First what is missing on Mars to support life?
1: No breathable atmosphere for humans. Therefore we need carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen for starters.
2: Planet is too cold to support plant life.
3: No water in liquid form.
4: No plant life to generate oxygen naturally.
How do we resolve all or some of these issues without transporting huge quantities from Earth?
First I would heat Mars to allow any quantity of frozen ice naturally occuring to melt and flow as water.
Heating Mars may seem very difficult but we could probably achieve this by introducing non toxic GREENHOUSE gases to Mars in large enough quantities. Eventually the Martian atmosphere will collect the GREENHOUSE gases and form a barrier that will allow the atmosphere to retain any solar energy from the sun. This in turn will eventually increase the temperature of Mars.
6 GREENHOUSE gas creating ships can be launched from earth and situated strategically around the Martian surface. A chemical reation can generate the GREENHOUSE gas and emit this 24/7 for 2 - 3 years.
As the GREENHOUSE gas accumulates, the temperature of Mars will increase. This in turn will cause the polar ice caps to start melting creating rivers and lakes. Eventually weather conditions like rain clouds should start forming. Once sufficient GREENHOUSE gases have been created to sustain a permanent atmosphere consisting of GREENHOUSE gas and gaseous water, the generation of these gases can be terminated. With the melting of the polar caps, other gases may also be present within the ice and surface of Mars that will become part of the Martian atmosphere.
Nasa may decide to create a semi permanent settlement on Mars. This would involve creating our own air, water and food supplies. This would not be a simple task. Transporting the necessary equipment at this stage with the astronauts is not feasable due to cost and craft size limitations.
We would have to send ships in advance. One to handle the creation of drinkable water from the frozen ice if H2O is discovered. Then the creation of oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for fuel, again from this water. Food will be another problem and if plants are to be send in the form of seeds, or plants, a greenhouse with the proper atmosphere will have to be created prior to mans arrival to ensure sufficient supplies.
What if Nasa or some other organization decides to make Mars more permanent? Who's to say that this decision of who goes and what the long term purpose will be is all up to Nasa?
What if another corporation has a more grandiose purpose like terraforming Mars?
Just like we would physically create a greenhouse to protect the plants from the harsh Martian atmosphere and temperature, we would need some protective layer to encapsulate the atmosphere that would be created to support life. I am not a physicist, biologist, or an expert in any field relating to terraforming but I think my imagination can come up with some plausible scenario's.
First what is missing on Mars to support life?
1: No breathable atmosphere for humans. Therefore we need carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen for starters.
2: Planet is too cold to support plant life.
3: No water in liquid form.
4: No plant life to generate oxygen naturally.
How do we resolve all or some of these issues without transporting huge quantities from Earth?
First I would heat Mars to allow any quantity of frozen ice naturally occuring to melt and flow as water.
Heating Mars may seem very difficult but we could probably achieve this by introducing non toxic GREENHOUSE gases to Mars in large enough quantities. Eventually the Martian atmosphere will collect the GREENHOUSE gases and form a barrier that will allow the atmosphere to retain any solar energy from the sun. This in turn will eventually increase the temperature of Mars.
6 GREENHOUSE gas creating ships can be launched from earth and situated strategically around the Martian surface. A chemical reation can generate the GREENHOUSE gas and emit this 24/7 for 2 - 3 years.
As the GREENHOUSE gas accumulates, the temperature of Mars will increase. This in turn will cause the polar ice caps to start melting creating rivers and lakes. Eventually weather conditions like rain clouds should start forming. Once sufficient GREENHOUSE gases have been created to sustain a permanent atmosphere consisting of GREENHOUSE gas and gaseous water, the generation of these gases can be terminated. With the melting of the polar caps, other gases may also be present within the ice and surface of Mars that will become part of the Martian atmosphere.