Many already imagine human colonies on Mars, but before that, it must be made habitable for man. Is it only doable? A study looks at the possibilities of terrifying the red planet.
It is Elon Musk’s biggest dream: building a inhabited city on Mars. He imagines that since he was 10 years old and he is not the only one. The conquest of the red planet obsesses many scientistsespecially in recent years with the renewed interest in the intermediate stage that is the moon.
We also plan to bring humans to life. Successful this feat would be very encouraging for the future. But before browsing the ocher expanses of Mars aboard a futuristic vehicle, there is an essential prerequisite that we tend to forget.
It is compulsory to terrofle Mars. That is to say, modify its atmosphere to make it habitable. Recall that contrary to what its desert appearance suggests, the average temperature on Mars is -60 ° Celsius. To warm up the star, the researchers already have some ideas, except that there is a little problem: one wonders how to get there before you even be sure that it is doable.
Has man have the means to terrify March to live there?
This is the observation that motivated a team of scientists to look at this fundamental question. Nina Lanza, co-author of the study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, notes the paradox: “Believe it or not, no one really tried to find out if it was possible to terrify March since 1991“.
Yet, “Before we can assess whether the warming in March is worth it, compared to the alternative to leave Mars in the state of virgin nature, we must face the practical requirements, costs and possible risks“.
And that’s the problem. Currently, we lack matter on understanding the physical, chemical and biological constraints which could make it possible to envisage a terraformation of the planet. The answer to the initial question is therefore rather not.
Research must first focus on these shortcomings. “” “We don’t even know what is physically or biologically possible“Summates Lanza. She thinks that“If you can learn to terrify a world such as Mars, it may be the first step towards destinations beyond the planet“. More optimistic than this study which sweeps away all the hopes of living one day on Mars.
