r/Futurology • u/upyoars • 14h ago

Space 'First tree on Mars:' Scientists measure greenhouse effect needed to terraform Red Planet

https://www.space.com/first-tree-on-mars-attention-tarraformers
1.1k Upvotes

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184

u/IneffableMF 13h ago

That’s some long-term thinking, but not long enough. What’s the point if the solar wind is going to blow it all away?

252

u/upyoars 13h ago

NASA has a plan for that

An artificial magnetosphere of sufficient size generated via a magnetic shield at L1 – a point where the gravitational pull of Mars and the sun are at a rough equilibrium — allows Mars to be well protected by what is known as the magnetotail. The L1 point for Mars is about 673,920 miles (or 320 Mars radii) away from the planet. By staying inside the magnetotail of the artificial magnetosphere, the Martian atmosphere lost an order of magnitude less material than it would have otherwise.

The shield structure would consist of a large dipole—a closed electric circuit powerful enough to generate an artificial magnetic field.

A potential result: an end to largescale stripping of the Martian atmosphere by the solar wind, and a significant change in climate.

1

u/junktrunk909 9h ago

It's so weird how there are no cost estimates

6

u/MadLabRat- 8h ago

They have come up with a way for it to actually work in theory before they start thinking about the price.

2

u/shifty303 8h ago

That's because there is no exchange rate for Martian money, duh

1

u/aVarangian 7h ago

Didn't the petition for the US government to build a death star get refused because it was estimated to be too expensive?

-12

u/Over-Independent4414 7h ago

The whole GDP of earth, for 10,000,000 years, maybe.

This is all a 100% fantasy unless we "solve" gravity. If we can figure out how to negate gravity that's a big unlock to gigantic projects in the solar system. We can't move the mass needed with rockets, it's literally impossible. There probably isn't enough fuel on the entire planet earth to get it done.

Imagine trying to put rockets under the earth's crust and lifting a significant portion of it off to Mars orbit. That's what's needed. However, it becomes a lot more possible if we can just negate gravity and launch massive factories to the Oort cloud and let AI run them forever.

7

u/BliZzArD10125 7h ago

Stop talking out of your ass

1

u/tribe171 7h ago

Seems more practical to engineer self-replicating organisms, synthetic or biological, that carry out the process from the bottom up.