Is Terraforming Possible?

Question

Given the current state of technology, terraforming isn't likely in our lifetime however do you think that given time man will be able to inhabit other planets or that we will be confined just to Earth? Will we ever be advanced enough to carry the population to another world and survive there with similar conditions to Earth or is that too much to ask? Possible sites mentioned include the moon of Titan and perhaps Mars or the Moon?

Answer 1

I recommend you read the sci-fi novel "Moonseed" by Stephen Baxter. Terraforming is mentioned in the book, and although it is a fiction it's supported by a considerable amount of real scientific data.

Answer 2

The moon do not have enough gravity to retain a dense enough atmosphere that would feel comfortable.
Mars and Titan are a bit better in this respect, though not fully good.
Now, if we were to develop technology to terraform a whole planet, it is quite possible that we would have technology to build giant space stations that would also have the advantage of not being at the bottom of gravity well. And this is what would be the most likely approach: live in revolving (for artificial gravity) space stations instead of terraformed planets. Those would be a lot easier to do and offer a lot more room.

Answer 3

Is certainly possible, and it looks like Mars would be the easiest.

Here's the plan;
We can increase Mars' atmospheric pressure to about half that of Earth's in less than a century which will make it MUCH easier to colonize.

With mass production of artificial greenhouse gases, several hundred tons per day, (per-fluoro-chloro-carbons, spelling?) and the use of orbital mirrors, an increase at the polar temperatures by about 10 degrees C would be realized quickly (25 years). This initial temperature rise, when stabilized, would cause the polar frozen carbon dioxide to quickly sublimate and drastically increase pressures, perhaps 1/10 th bar. As temperatures slowly rise and approach the freezing point of water at the new equilibrium, released water vapor, which is a very strong greenhouse gas, will release additional sequestered CO2 in the regolith and leave us with an entire planet at about half a bar, slightly above zero Celsius with lakes, glaciers, seas, rain and snow... but with an unbreathable CO2 rich atmosphere.

It will take many thousands of years of genetically altered life and ammonia rich comet impacts to make an air we can breath with out SCBA.

Answer 4

Well first off to terraform Mars to Live on the open surface we would first have to increase it's mass. Mars has a very thin atmosphere because it isn't massive enough to hold onto it. To increase Mar's mass enough for it to hold onto an atmosphere suitable to our needs we would have to crash numerous asteroids and comets into it. This in itself would take hundreds of years.

Also without radiation shielding (like the Earth's Ozone layer) humans would be susceptible to radiation from the Sun as well as intersteller scources. I think the best we can hope for is bio-domes that may be self sustained by solar power, well drilling, and the process of splitting water into it's component parts. This may be possible within the next 100 years. It won't be efficient to house thousands for a few hundred years if ever. It really depends on the water content of the planet in question. Mars is probably the best bet in this respect.

If you're talking about turning Mars into Earth. It won't ever happen unless it happens naturally. In which case it would have happened by now.

Answer 5

Hi. Some form of planetary environment modification combined with genetic engineering to make life forms that could survive is possible, In my opinion.