Mars is said to be colonizable; could Venus be cooled and settled?

Question

Seriously, I had thought often that if and when mankind arrives at the Oort belt, a "shell" of comet-like bodies that orbit earth from way off, they could aim numerous comets at Venus, causing tremendous cataclysms but cooling the planet, and install large solar-reflecting mirrors in orbit around it to produce solar energy on earth while shielding Venus. Enough comets would put seas in Venus's basins. [Maybe they could even "rope" the planet Mercury somehow and put it around Venus for a moon, to create tremendous tidal forces hence an electromagnetic field needed for life to thrive. Mercury is fifty percent greater in diameter than our own moon, and more massive. Or, they could just send a bunch of meteor material in orbit around Venus, eventually creating a moon. Anybody else excited by the idea? Let's do it! [Kidding, but serious.].

Answer 1

Baby steps, its all baby steps. The process of establishing ourselves on the moon first seems like a big enough hurdle at the moment, let alone throwing comets at Venus with the hopes of terra-forming it.

I think the best part about space exploration and eventually colonization is how much we learn in the process. So eventually, maybe in a couple of centuries, we could take a stab at Venus. Until then, lets get setup on the moon. Lots of H3 there, perfect for Oxygen and water needs, great first step into the cosmos.

Answer 2

There are many problems with Venus.
The most obvious are:
a) The temperature at the surface is 800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt lead. This is partially due to the fact that the atmosphere is 98% carbon dioxide which causes a "runaway greenhouse" effect. Any water transported to the planet would vaporize and contribute more to the greenhouse effect.

b) The atmospheric pressure at the surface is almost 100 times that of Earth at sea level, you wouldn't have a problem with the gravity as it's the same as Earth, but you would be crushed by the atmosphere (similar to a diver being crushed in the depths of the ocean)

The less obvious answers are:

c) The magnetic field of Venus is so small that the solar wind interacts with the atmosphere. Since there is no magnetic field to protect people who might move there we would have to find other ways to protect ourselves from the dangerous radiation produced by the solar wind, solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

d) Venus does not have plate tectonics like the Earth does. The Earth's crust is constantly recycled by plate tectonics. Many planetary scientists believe that Venus' crust builds up pressure and energy over a long period and then melts all at once over a short period (geologically speaking this could be hundreds or thousands of years). The massive recycling of Venus' crust and it's constant volcanism makes it totally uninhabitable by humans.

Answer 3

Ufortunatly, there would be no way we could settle there, dispite your "cooling" theory. The planet is like earth almost before life even lived on it: volcanic, no oxygen, and the clouds are mades of acid that could corrode the skin. Not only that, but the pressure on venus is just to insane (about 90 times greater than earth, or 1024 pounds per cubic centemeter) for us to even land on it properly. The cooling theroy might work, but the gas, composition, and gravity would just kill anyone who enters it.

Answer 4

go back to your science book won't work.
The earth was.o1 follow by billions of o's different in size it couldn't sustain life. If the moon was larger or without a moon couldn't sustain life. Apnosphere is not that easily created.
The other planets are either to close to the sun or to far away.
The chances of all these things coming together by chance is impossissible to calculate. But no without about 50 different things and thats just to start. Your not the first one to try and find a planet that would work. There is one Alpha something I remember reading about it. In another galaxy that scientists have figured would sustain life. Go to the library it was real interesting reading. They just haven't figured out how to get there.

Answer 5

The problem with Venus is its proximity to the sun and the gases in its atmosphere. Meteor crashes would certainly cause a cooling of the planet due to a "greenhouse" effect, but otherwise the atmosphere is not breathable. Its mainly methane if I remember correctly.

Answer 6

Could not be cooled effectively and is covered in noxious gasses and constant horrific storms.

Thanks for playing.

Answer 7

not possible but keep dreming.
it will be much easier to colonise mars as its possible for trees to grow in martian soil and atmosphere

Answer 8

Nope...Venus' gas is actually very poisonous to us.