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groovy604 t1_ir3wa1y wrote

Didnt mars lose its atmosphere due to the core no longer producing a magnetic feild? Without that feild to protect the planet wont efforts to teraform be futile? I literally have no idea ive pieced this together from youtube videos

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My_Soul_to_Squeeze t1_ir44hqy wrote

Short answer is yes. There are ways to generate a magnetic field / block some of the solar wind, but they're all scifi right now. Even if we could make an atmosphere Mars could hold onto, it would take multiple lifetimes to complete.

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TheStegg t1_ir5kszb wrote

> it would take multiple lifetimes to complete.

The best time to start terraforming a backup Earth was 500 years ago.

The second best time? Now.

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alphahydra t1_ir6m3nv wrote

If I remember correctly, the stripping of the atmosphere by solar wind is a very gradual process, such that if we did have the technology to terraform it on the timescale of human history (even a process requiring centuries to complete) the rate of human-effected change would far outpace the rate of loss. So a terraformed Mars would still be habitable for a long time, even if we didn't solve the magnetism issue.

Like, if you could magically give Mars a full Earth-like atmosphere today, it would still be breathable thousands of years from now (assuming solar wind was the only deleterious effect).

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Coletrain-Z t1_ir4kafv wrote

Then there is also a matter of resources required to achieve said task

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Dr-P-Ossoff t1_is0wdiq wrote

I know a “theory of habitable planets” guy who could say how much nitrogen and oxygen you need. You could get the oxygen from the rusty soil.

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DeepLock8808 t1_ir55byb wrote

Check out Isaac Arthur on terraforming mars. Spinning up the core is insanely impractical. Some satellites can generate the needed magnetic field, or you can let the atmosphere blow off, which is a process that takes thousands of years. Hundreds of thousands if I recall correctly?

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Colosso95 t1_ir6m27n wrote

This is just a simple experiment though, this is just a tiny step towards terraformation is like thinking about computers when you've just learned how to make the printing press

Making oxygen off of mars's atmosphere could be first and foremost used to provide oxygen for enclosed habitats which is likely going to be the only type of settlement we will make in potentially centuries if and when we start colonizing mars

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Mythopoeist t1_irly0hk wrote

It isn’t to breathe- it’s for making rocket fuel in situ

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