Can we blow up Mars?

Question

Since the atmosphere of Mars is mainly carbon dioxide, is it possible to setup many nuclear reactions that can heat up the atmosphere until it converts it to oxygen? The heat generated would keep the client warm enough for human habitation

Forgive my merciless idea.

Answer 1

Why would you want to use nuclear reactions? They would make Mars uninhabitable for hundreds of thousands of years.

It would be much easier and safer to use mirrors. We could build thin mirrors out of Mylar in a polar orbit around Mars. The mirrors could then reflect sunlight down onto the polar ice caps of Mars, which would cause the liberation of billions of tons of water vapor and carbon dioxide gas.

The release of the carbon dioxide gas would thicken the Martian atmosphere. The thicker atmosphere would trap more heat, and, subsequently, more polar ice would melt.

Eventually, primitive life forms such as lichens and algae could be introduced to begin converting the carbon dioxide atmosphere into oxygen. We would still need to introduce nitrogen into the atmosphere, but after a few hundred years, Mars would be able to host plants and animals and humans, without spacesuits.

I love terraforming!

Answer 2

First of all, Mars has a very thin atmosphere. So eventhough it is 95.32% CO2 it still has, in terms of pure quantity, a lot less than Earth.

Second, heating up CO2 is not going to convert it into Oxygen. Venus has a mean temperature more that 400deg C and CO2 is still there.

Third, setting up Nuclear reactions with our currently technology will only futher make Mars uninhabitable by making it radiactive. Not a very good idea if you want humans to inhabit the planet

Answer 3

I think it would become more radioactive so that us humans will never set foot on that planet. All copy rights resever, This would ward of any one trying to take claim of the land plus I would only favour the use of these weapons if there were Martian living there and posed a threat to us, eg like eating our heads off.

Answer 4

No scientist here but I'm pretty sure that wont happen plus you would need plant life to maintain oxygen as well as an ozone layer to trap in the gasses.

Answer 5

can we wait till we blew up earth first ?

i think its way too early to think about terraforming mars with anything of what we think we have would work.

Reasons
- it does not belong to us
- its VERY expensive
- we are not even able to handle our own problems here on earth
- its a total waste of money and time for the reasons above

Answer 6

is your question can we blow it up? Or can we warm it up?

They are 2 totally different proposals

Answer 7

sure is a merciless ques