Also, what will be the hypothetical population of mars if NASA succeeds on terraforming mars?
2007-11-24 00:00:58 · 8 answers · asked by ozziesci 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
the price would be astronomical..haha..
really, it'd be more than we have now, plus we dont have the technology to make it viable (teraforming). If we did start a colony up there, it would probably be limited to less than a dozen people. They'd have to grow their own food (inside) and create/produce their own oxygen. because the logistics of transporting food and oxygen and other such things would make it impossible to live up there..without being self sustaining
2007-11-24 00:10:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The cost? More than the entire Earth currently could sustain for decades, if not centuries. Right now it's fun to talk about but it's not really a practical option.
The best way to terraform Mars is likely through the use of tailor-made biological agents like genetically-engineered algae. However such an approach would take thousands of years to work.
If Mars could be given an Earth-like climate then it could probabbly sustain a population of about 1/4 that of Earth. This is because Mars has 1/4 of Earth's surface area.
2007-11-24 09:40:19 · answer #2 · answered by Peet 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it would be cheaper to terraform Venus. With all the attention focused on Mars, it is Venus that is most like Earth. The only difference the huge amount of CO2 in Venus's atmosphere that makes it so hot (at least it has one, unlike Mars). Bioengineer some seaweed that can survive in hot temperature and you have the tools to terraform Venus into another possible Earth. Way easier than trying to create an atmosphere for Mars
2007-11-25 01:20:57 · answer #3 · answered by zi_xin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Infinite.
Mars is not livable and cannot be made livable. It is too small to hold onto a significant atmosphere. We could put all the worlds resources into giving Mars back a denser atmosphere, like it once had, and we would just see it drift off into space.
Humans would have to live in pressurized structures. That would make their numbers quite limited. Think "nuclear sub" and you will have an idea of what it might be like living on Mars or the Moon.
2007-11-24 11:35:08 · answer #4 · answered by DrAnders_pHd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
teraforming is probably at least a 100 years off. At present it would take 6 months to 2 years to even reach Mars. We can not sustain a person that long in space, especially without resupplying shuttles. Secondly, I have read and read how NASA fears that Earthly microbes from our robotic explorers would "effect" moons and planets. So, maybe it will never be done.
2007-11-24 09:37:11 · answer #5 · answered by primalclaws1974 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cost would be immense, there are way too many problems with Mars. First of all you'd have to give it a new electromagnetic field by re-heating the planets core. Then you'd have to supply oxygen and nitrogen for air, which would probably involve strip mining a gas giant.
It would be a lot cheaper to just head on out to another star.
2007-11-24 09:40:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Probably less than we are spending on Iraq.
2007-11-24 09:52:48 · answer #7 · answered by Lorenzo Steed 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hypothetically, £2.57.
2007-11-24 08:02:47 · answer #8 · answered by Moorglademover 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋