4 ms·

I got to thinking. Is there any chance we could nudge this to impact the Hellas Planitia on Mars. It's the lowest point of Mars and therefore already has a hi

I got to thinking. Is there any chance we could nudge this to impact the Hellas Planitia on Mars. It's the lowest point of Mars and therefore already has a higher atmospheric density (.01 ATM). So if we could double the depth and potentially add more water, it would really get us closer to a great location for a colony. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellas_Planitia

tocomment 14y ago
I wonder what the minimum atmospheric pressure is to grow some kind of plants out in the open? (Or bio-engineer some plants to grow). Would this get us in that ballpark? Also, what the minimum pressure a human could survive with just a breathing mask?
- Shivetya 14y ago
  There is an interesting bit from NASA here that covers your concerns, http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/25feb_greenhouses/ http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/25...
- danielweber 14y ago
  I think it would be a neat high-school-level science experiment to find some plant that reproduces quickly, and then put it in a bell jar with ever-decreasing levels of air pressure to try and force natural selection to make something that can survive at very low pressures. (Edit: You won't approach Mars-level pressures with these experiments.) At the college level, I've read papers about inserting specific genes into plants to increase their hardiness with thin atmospheres.
cryptoz 14y ago
Have you read the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson? I bet you have, but if you haven't, you should. It's the most amazing hard science fiction regarding terraforming and colonzing Mars. Planetary-scale engineering techniques to heat Mars up, add water, increase the atmospheric pressure, etc are discussed in detail.
- xradionut 14y ago
  "The Sky So Big and Black" by Johne Barnes is also a interesting read about Mars-forming. (And memes, too!)
uvdiv 14y ago
No, it's far too big.
deleted 14y ago
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tocomment 14y ago

I wonder what the minimum atmospheric pressure is to grow some kind of plants out in the open? (Or bio-engineer some plants to grow). Would this get us in that ballpark? Also, what the minimum pressure a human could survive with just a breathing mask?

Shivetya 14y ago
There is an interesting bit from NASA here that covers your concerns, http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/25feb_greenhouses/ http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/25...
danielweber 14y ago
I think it would be a neat high-school-level science experiment to find some plant that reproduces quickly, and then put it in a bell jar with ever-decreasing levels of air pressure to try and force natural selection to make something that can survive at very low pressures. (Edit: You won't approach Mars-level pressures with these experiments.) At the college level, I've read papers about inserting specific genes into plants to increase their hardiness with thin atmospheres.

cryptoz 14y ago

Have you read the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson? I bet you have, but if you haven't, you should. It's the most amazing hard science fiction regarding terraforming and colonzing Mars. Planetary-scale engineering techniques to heat Mars up, add water, increase the atmospheric pressure, etc are discussed in detail.

xradionut 14y ago
"The Sky So Big and Black" by Johne Barnes is also a interesting read about Mars-forming. (And memes, too!)

uvdiv 14y ago

No, it's far too big.

deleted 14y ago

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