NASA claims that the red planet can not be terraformed anytime soon



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For years, scientists hoping to colonize Mars have suggested the idea of ​​terraforming, where extensive work on the red planet would release carbon dioxide trapped in its surface and heat the planet enough to accommodate the planet. liquid water and make the conditions appropriate.

The idea also pushed SpaceX to send BFRs and make the red planet hospitable, but recently, a new study found that the conditions on Mars and our current technical knowledge how not to make the situation ideal for to terraform, not for the moment at least.

 Sources of CO2 on Mars This infographic shows the various sources of carbon dioxide on Mars and their estimated contribution to Martian atmospheric pressure. Photo: NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center

Scientists have long known about the presence of carbon dioxide on Mars. It is present in the atmosphere of the red planet, but the pressure of this atmosphere is not even 1% of the Earth – something that could never maintain the water in a liquid state .

It is there that the idea of ​​terraforming that CO2 and other volatile substances from the planet's surface could sufficiently thicken its atmosphere to produce a greenhouse effect and warm the planet

"Carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O) are the only greenhouse gases Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado said in a statement from NASA [19659002] However, using data from 20 years of spacecraft observation, Jakosky and his colleagues analyzed the history as well as the current situation of carbon dioxide and water vapor on the Red Planet This, along with the history of the Martian atmosphere being lost in space, causes them to postulate that there is not enough CO2 to warm Mars

Mars is farther away from the sun, which means that scientists have to lobby. to Earth, if not more. There is significant ice on the planet to form steam, but this can not work without the initial warming of greenhouse gases

while other chlorofluorocarbons or other Fluoride-based heat-trapping compounds do not work. scale making, CO2 is not easily accessible. According to the researchers, the best source of gas is the polar ice cap.

However, according to the study, even if we manage to use thermonuclear explosions or any other technique to extract CO2 from ice caps, the planet's atmospheric pressure only went up to 1.2% of the Earth.

The best Mars could offer, according to their analysis, nearly 7% of what is needed to make hospital conditions. This could be achieved by employing energy-consuming techniques and resources to extract carbon from sources such as dust particles in Martian soil and underground mineral deposits. "Our results suggest that there is not enough CO2 on Mars to provide significant warming, were the gas to put in the atmosphere," added Jakosky. "In addition, most of the CO2 gas is not accessible and can not be easily mobilized.Therefore, terraforming Mars is not possible using current technology."

While the Study has major implications for the colonization of the red planet, the team involved in the work notes the possibility that atmospheric pressure could reach required level if the CO2 is extracted from the mineral deposits buried deep in the Martian crust . Unfortunately, to date, there is no detailed information on the extent of these deposits or how such work could be done without using too much energy, such as in the case of current technologies.

The study, entitled "Inventory of available CO2 for terraforming Mars", was published on July 30 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

 Not available ] Studies show that Mars lacks CO2 for terraforming. In the photo, a computer-generated view represents a part of Mars at the limit between darkness and daylight, with an area including the Gale crater that begins to capture morning light. Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech

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