Research Of To What Extent Humans Can Terraform Mars To Support Human Life
In the recent decade, many scientists, engineers, and dreamers have set their goal to colonize the red planet; Mars. As the fourth planet from the sun, Mars is almost 34 million miles away from the Earth, making any travel whether its communication or spacecraft travel. Scientists believe that they can terraform Mars to support human life with some scientific changes and technological advancements. Terraforming is defined by Dictionary as “to alter the environment of (a celestial body) in order to make capable of supporting terrestrial life forms”. Mars was seen in the sky thousands of years ago by ancient Greek philosophers and maped in the sky ever since. Scientists estimate that the Earth will not be able to sustain the human population on Earth in terms of natural resources and pollution the next few decades. The expiration of planet Earth is driving scientists to develop a way to extend time on Earth and a way to develop human life on other planets. Although Mars’ environment is currently uninhabitable to humans, scientists believe that the planet shows signs of becoming habitable.
Supporting Life
Many scientists believe that Mars can be terraformed through different methods such as chemical changes and increased temperature. According to a lob study, “adding synthetic, fluorine-based gases (such as octafluoropropane) to Mars' atmosphere would cause a runaway greenhouse warming” to the planet's atmosphere, which would make the planet more habitable. Warming the atmosphere can lead to increased surface temperatures on the planet. This has a similar effect to Earth's greenhouse gas warming effect. According to Robert Zubrin, the president of the nonprofit Mars Society, a group devoted to Martian exploration, scientists can fill the atmosphere with fluorocarbons to increase the surface temperature. When the soil temperature reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit, carbon dioxide will be released which would speed up the greenhouse effect of increasing the temperature of the planet. Once the temperature gets warm enough, the frozen water in the ground will melt into the soil, accelerating the re-nutrization of the soil and plants can begin to take root. Once the plants take root, oxygen will take time to accumulate. At this point, Mars colonizers, who Zubrin imagines would work out of a research base camp and wear something similar to scuba gear to aid their oxygen intake, would also grow algae and seaweed in ponds, which could anchor a growing food chain. 'You could have fish farms on Mars,' he says. 'Water would become the first environment that would be habitable by higher animals without any kind of artificial assistance'. The heat output from PFCs helps release carbon dioxide frozen in the soil and ice caps, increasing the temperature. With the increased tempurature, ice melts and water collects in lakes and rivers; snowstorms and rain sweep across the Martian plains. Microbes and small plants accustomed to polar environments might survive outdoors. By starting the environmental chain reaction, new forms of life will begin to grow until there is an entire ecosystem on Mars. Even though heating up the planet is the easiest way to colonize Mars, many scientists do not believe it can be done.
Protect Our Planet
The issues involved in planetary protection are similar to those associated with environmental and health policies. Just as there are rules and laws about moving certain types of organisms from one place to another on Earth, so it is with space exploration. However, there is a difference. On Earth, those regulations are intended to prevent the spread of serious disease-causing microbes or limit the movement of invasive pests. In space exploration, the existence of extraterrestrial organisms is unknown. Nonetheless, in space exploration there are domestic and international policies to regulate spacecraft and mission activities before launch and upon return to Earth. Worldwide, planetary protection policies are recommended by the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), which reviews the latest scientific information. In the United States, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issues guidelines and requirements for solar system exploration missions. According to John F McCoy, a leading scientist on interspace travel, “Planning planetary protection measures requires synthesis information about biological systems and extraterrestrial environments while acknowledging uncertainties about the conditions that exist in the locations that spacecraft may visit or where samples might be collected” (Planetary Protection). Planetary protection policies must take into account these uncertainties, even while exploration tries to determine whether life exists elsewhere. It is necessary to be conservative to prevent the act of exploration from disrupting or interfering with extraterrestrial life. Although the likelihood of releasing and spreading a contained living organism is low, special equipment, personnel, and handling are warranted to minimize harmful effects if a life form is discovered.
Conclusion
Many people dream of one day walking on Mars and building a human colony there. Some people think Mars is the next phase of human civilization and colonization must happen to save our species. While Mars could potentially be altered to support human life, current science and technology is not at a developmental stage that it needs to be at in order to sustain life on the red planet. People who dream of going to Mars have strong opposition to their thoughts. Some people believe that Mars should not be touched, as to preserve the planet and not contaminate it with microbes from Earth. Mars may be habitable in the next few decades, but currently there is no sign of humans terraforming Mars soon.
Works Cited
- Burke, Jason, and Mark Townsend. “Earth 'Will Expire by 2050'. ” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 July 2002, www. theguardian. com/uk/2002/jul/07/research. waste.
- Griggs, Mary Beth. 'So you want to terraform Mars. ' Popular Science, July-Aug. 2017, p. 14.
- Science In Context, http://link. galegroup. com/apps/doc/A496344951/SCIC?u=ccpl_main&sid=SCICxid=89121757. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.
- Kearney, Caitlin. 'Q Can we make Mars habitable by pumping the atmosphere full of oxygen?' Popular Science, May 2011, p. 88+.
- Science In Context, http://link. galegroup. com/apps/doc/A254186981/SCIC?u=ccpl_main&sid=SCIC&xid=a440bfd9. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.
- 'Planetary Protection. ' Space Sciences, edited by John F. McCoy, 2nd ed. , Macmillan Reference USA, 2012.
- Science In Context, http://link. galegroup. com/apps/doc/CV2643750256/SCIC?u=ccpl_main&sid=SCIC&xid=626c9c0c. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.
- “Terraform. ” Dictionary. com, Dictionary. com, www. dictionary. com/browse/terraform. 'Terraform Mars?' Astronomy, May 2005, p. 26.
- Science In Context, http://link. galegroup. com/apps/doc/A137011214/SCIC?u=ccpl_main&sid=SCIC&xid=c6e8dff3. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.
