Can we sustain life on Mars? Is it possible to create an earth like atmosphere on Mars? What is required?

Question

Mars has polar ice caps, could these be used to create an atmosphere? Or is it more to it than that?

Answer 1

Mars doesn't have enough gravity to hold an atmosphere. It will leak out into space, just like ours does, only ours still has a long time to go before it gets too thin to be breathable. We can't melt the ice caps of Mars, because they are not made of water ice but of dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide. That goes directly from being a solid to a gas.

Now, having said that, we must admit that global warming is happening on Mars! NASA photos have shown that Mars' polar icecaps are shrinking over time, and this can only be caused because the Sun is warming Mars (and Earth!) a little more.

[So, it is good to know that global warming is not caused by Earth pollution, but by the Sun!]

There is not enough air on Mars for us to breathe (even if it was oxygen, which it isn't) but much much less than that. There is not even enough to protect us from decompression (the bends) if we went outside on Mars with just an air mask and no full-body space suit!

There IS enough gas on the surface of Mars to keep the dust particles from 'cementing' into rock. That is what causes so much trouble for the rovers and other space probes we put there: the tiny dust particles get into everything and the gears eventually grind to a halt. Plus, some of the dust particles may be conductive and cause electrical shorts in the circuits.

My favorite idea is to move Venus into a position opposite Earth in its orbit, and to put Mars in orbit around Venus as a satelite. Mars' gravity would strip away much of the atmosphere of Venus, and Venus would be much cooler (further from the Sun) and perhaps more habitable. Mars would be warmer (closer to the Sun than before.) Between the atmosphere it stripped from Venus and the carbon dioxide which would result from the polar icecaps totally vaporizing, Mars might be marignally habitable, too.

There could be long-term trade between Venus/Mars and Earth/Moon. As long as you're not in any hurry, just boost cargos of goods into orbit and wait six months. They'll get there, in time.

But we are far away from being able to move planets, yet. We will probably start off with temporary bases on Mars. We will have to stay on Mars for at least a couple years at a time. (It would take at least a year to get there; no sense going that far and only staying a few days!) We did not do that with the Moon, because it is so close.

I don't count on living to see it, though. No biggie. There are plenty of other important things to do on Earth, first.

Answer 2

It is possible to terraform Mars to a certain degree. An earthlike atmosphere could be created, but it would be thinner than on earth because the gravity of Mars is only 1/3 that of earth. To make up for that you would need a higher oxygen percentage.

A magnetic would also have to be generated somehow. The magnetic field would protect the atmosphere from the solar wind and would also protect people there from solar radiation. Without it, the solar wind would slowly strip the atmosphere away. Scientists believe Mars had a denser atmosphere at one time and this is what happened to it.

Until then, everybody would have to live in domes or underground.

Everything would probably have to be imported. I don't think there are enough resources on Mars to do the job. The ice caps on mars are believed to be carbon dioxide, not water.

Answer 3

Resoundingly yes! I highly reccomend anyone interested in the subject read "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin. We have the technology -today- to put men on Mars and bring them back safely after a three month excursion on the planet.

The martian soil and atmosphere is just right to allow us to produce jet fuel, oxygen, water, and other resources with simple, nuclear-powered chemical reactors. Units like this oculd be sent ahead of time to provide a fully fueled return vehicle for the crew. Furthermore, similar, very simple units could be made to continuously free green-house gases from the martian soil, at later stages, oxygen and nitrogen could be introduced as well. Over time (hundreds of years) Mars could take on an earth-like atmosphere suitable for human life and for growing conventional crops.

Answer 4

My simple answer is lots of plant life and even more time...once u get the plant life there then it will produce oxygen. There is already some carbon dioxide there, which is what plants need to "breathe." When we get there we can produce more carbon dioxide / green house gases (which, as every body knows, is something that we're all too good at here on Earth) and that in turn will encourage the growth of more plant life...From there u have a cyclicar reaction that will transform the whole red planet into a miniature version of the Earth....

Answer 5

Well, we have not found free oxygen or nitrogen in any quantity on mars, and the atmosphere is 1000 times less dense than ours. So we would have to take our atmosphere with us. Which would annoy the people who got left behind. A lot.

Answer 6

much more to it than that. while Mars is atmospher (and entire planet) is the most like earth. The conditions there are not good for human life. While don't you look into planets that have an atmosphere already. like enceladus or titon.

Answer 7

Yes we can live on mars. but the irony is that to make the planet hospitable we will have to pollute it to certain extent first. this will cause green house effect which will increase the temrature from frigid to somewhat the tempreture of the earth.

Answer 8

i suppose u can convert the ice into water and u can produce oxygen from water ..........and if u have oxygen ..there mire be 25% chance of creating an atmosphere like that on earth

Answer 9

We can live in Mars, but it won't be for another 25-50 years. MY EST is 2045.

Answer 10

it is quite possible we excercised it on iss for years. for supply side we have to develop effecient regenerating system for food and trash that is also pretty much doeble.