5 ms·

If we could just pack up some of this extra CO2 & get it over there, maybe we'd have a new planet! I wonder how many PPM you'd need?

pasbesoin 10y ago
Yeah, but how are we going to reheat and spin up the core?
- sandebert 10y ago
  Can't we just let the market handle that?
  - tonyedgecombe 10y ago
    Very funny.
- anigbrowl 10y ago
  Have you tried turning it off and on again /ducks to avoid projectiles
  - pasbesoin 10y ago
    I've progressed to the eternal struggle between pounding on it with my fist and utter apathy. Apathy is on its way to winning. (Don't tell Jen.)
    - pasbesoin 10y ago
      Hmm. Downvotes. Isn't this the next step after turning it off and on again. Back when we had more mechanical drives, daughterboards, socketed chips and the like, it worked a surprising amount of the time. Apathy... Maybe that comes with age. P.S. Not to mention tubes. Yeah, I'm that old. P.P.S The grandparent was making a reference to a show, and Jen is a character in that show. In case that was confusing anyone.
- mynameisvlad 10y ago
  Clearly, by drilling to it in a ship carrying several nuclear devices. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/
- personjerry 10y ago
  Why do we need that?
  - scardine 10y ago
    Because a magnetic shield will prevent the solar winds from wiping your atmosphere. Without a spinning core, Earth would be like Mars. Of course you can live in caves instead of trying to terraform Mars, but doesn't sound so fun.
    - sosborn 10y ago
      If we had the ability to terraform Mars wouldn't we just terraform Earth?
      - nickff 10y ago
        If you want to terraform Mars, it's probably not because you decided Earth was beyond salvation; I haven't heard many people wanting to abandon Earth. Most people in favor of terraforming Mars want to have a 'backup' for intelligent life, or want to begin humanity's expansion past the bounds of Earth's atmosphere. The 'backup' motive is comparable to suggesting someone backup their electronic data instead of just trying to get very reliable drives. I am also not sure that it is possible to 'terraform' Earth. 'Terraform' means 'to make like Earth', and Earth is as Earth-like as is possible, no matter how hot or cold it is.
      - thaumaturgy 10y ago
        Humans have been terraforming Earth for at least the last hundred years (industrial scale) to 10,000+ years (agriculture, livestock, extinction of other species).
      - blhack 10y ago
        ...because we don't need to? Earth is already full of plant life. Mars isn't. Sorry for the overly blunt answer, because I know this isn't the question you're asking, but IMHO the question you're asking is based on a ridiculous premise. We are polluting the Earth. Yeah, this is really bad for the Earth, and for us, but it isn't going to kill all life here. The thing that a "backup planet" is here to protect against is something like being struck by a meteor, or a plague, or nuclear war. Something where everybody dies very quickly, not something where life changes radically.
- rangibaby 10y ago
  Surprisingly, a microwave oven satisfies both requirements
  - lfowles 10y ago
    Yeah but it always makes the crust soggy.
    - mmanfrin 10y ago
      Maybe we can get one of those foil crisper trays that microwave pizzas come with, stick it behind Mars.
ChrisClark 10y ago
Mars is 96% CO2, I think it might already have enough. In fact, the problem is trying to get rid of it all.
- qbrass 10y ago
  Mars has almost no atmosphere, being almost entirely composed of CO2 is the least of it's problems.

pasbesoin 10y ago

Yeah, but how are we going to reheat and spin up the core?

sandebert 10y ago
Can't we just let the market handle that?
- tonyedgecombe 10y ago
  Very funny.
anigbrowl 10y ago
Have you tried turning it off and on again /ducks to avoid projectiles
- pasbesoin 10y ago
  I've progressed to the eternal struggle between pounding on it with my fist and utter apathy. Apathy is on its way to winning. (Don't tell Jen.)
  - pasbesoin 10y ago
    Hmm. Downvotes. Isn't this the next step after turning it off and on again. Back when we had more mechanical drives, daughterboards, socketed chips and the like, it worked a surprising amount of the time. Apathy... Maybe that comes with age. P.S. Not to mention tubes. Yeah, I'm that old. P.P.S The grandparent was making a reference to a show, and Jen is a character in that show. In case that was confusing anyone.
mynameisvlad 10y ago
Clearly, by drilling to it in a ship carrying several nuclear devices. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/
personjerry 10y ago
Why do we need that?
- scardine 10y ago
  Because a magnetic shield will prevent the solar winds from wiping your atmosphere. Without a spinning core, Earth would be like Mars. Of course you can live in caves instead of trying to terraform Mars, but doesn't sound so fun.
  - sosborn 10y ago
    If we had the ability to terraform Mars wouldn't we just terraform Earth?
    - nickff 10y ago
      If you want to terraform Mars, it's probably not because you decided Earth was beyond salvation; I haven't heard many people wanting to abandon Earth. Most people in favor of terraforming Mars want to have a 'backup' for intelligent life, or want to begin humanity's expansion past the bounds of Earth's atmosphere. The 'backup' motive is comparable to suggesting someone backup their electronic data instead of just trying to get very reliable drives. I am also not sure that it is possible to 'terraform' Earth. 'Terraform' means 'to make like Earth', and Earth is as Earth-like as is possible, no matter how hot or cold it is.
    - thaumaturgy 10y ago
      Humans have been terraforming Earth for at least the last hundred years (industrial scale) to 10,000+ years (agriculture, livestock, extinction of other species).
    - blhack 10y ago
      ...because we don't need to? Earth is already full of plant life. Mars isn't. Sorry for the overly blunt answer, because I know this isn't the question you're asking, but IMHO the question you're asking is based on a ridiculous premise. We are polluting the Earth. Yeah, this is really bad for the Earth, and for us, but it isn't going to kill all life here. The thing that a "backup planet" is here to protect against is something like being struck by a meteor, or a plague, or nuclear war. Something where everybody dies very quickly, not something where life changes radically.
rangibaby 10y ago
Surprisingly, a microwave oven satisfies both requirements
- lfowles 10y ago
  Yeah but it always makes the crust soggy.
  - mmanfrin 10y ago
    Maybe we can get one of those foil crisper trays that microwave pizzas come with, stick it behind Mars.

ChrisClark 10y ago

Mars is 96% CO2, I think it might already have enough. In fact, the problem is trying to get rid of it all.

qbrass 10y ago
Mars has almost no atmosphere, being almost entirely composed of CO2 is the least of it's problems.