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I lean towards the pessimistic side of humanity's future in space, but I don't see that being a practical problem. If we manage to figure out a way to create a

by ufmace 12y ago

I lean towards the pessimistic side of humanity's future in space, but I don't see that being a practical problem. If we manage to figure out a way to create a viable atmosphere on Mars, it ought to be a relatively trivial add-on to supply enough atmospheric gasses to make up for losses to solar radiation.

logfromblammo 12y ago
That isn't even an add-on. In order to get from current atmosphere to breathable atmosphere, you already have to overcome the stripping effect of the solar wind, plus an additional amount. All you have to do is throttle the system back to just the replacement rate. It would require a continual energy investment, but as long as the lights can stay on, everyone can still breathe. In the extreme long term, Mars may be a good place to try a planet-wide artificial magnetosphere, using high-temperature superconducting materials. That's a rather hefty bit of engineering for a planet that currently has no humans on it.