ESG7@DFVLROP1.BITNET (10/17/86)
Another amusing point about Martian industrialization is that on Mars
"pollution is your friend". On Earth you want to avoid having factories
spewing out vast volumes of smoke due to problems with the green house
effect, acid rain, etc. Nuclear energy is generally incompatible
with a living planet because of the ionizing radiation. However this
is not true with Mars. Anything that adds pressure to the atmosphere
is good towards terraforming the planet. With used up nuclear fuel
rods, rather than burying them deep into the earth, one should cut them
up into small hunks and scatter the pieces over the Martian ice caps.
If one could get enough CO2 into the atmosphere of Mars one could in
principle get the atmospheric pressure above the partial pressure of
water. Once it was possible to have liquid water on the surface of
Mars, one could then introduce geneticly engineered microorganisms to
modify the atmosphere into something breathable. This is just one more
reason why Mars is ideal for industrialization.
Gary Allenandrew@cadomin.UUCP (10/20/86)
In article <8610171353.AA05955@s1-b.arpa> ESG7@DFVLROP1.BITNET writes: >Another amusing point about Martian industrialization is that on Mars >"pollution is your friend". On Earth you want to avoid having factories >spewing out vast volumes of smoke due to problems with the green house >effect, acid rain, etc. Nuclear energy is generally incompatible >with a living planet because of the ionizing radiation. However this >is not true with Mars. Anything that adds pressure to the atmosphere >is good towards terraforming the planet. With used up nuclear fuel >rods, rather than burying them deep into the earth, one should cut them >up into small hunks and scatter the pieces over the Martian ice caps. >If one could get enough CO2 into the atmosphere of Mars one could in >principle get the atmospheric pressure above the partial pressure of >water. Once it was possible to have liquid water on the surface of >Mars, one could then introduce geneticly engineered microorganisms to >modify the atmosphere into something breathable. This is just one more >reason why Mars is ideal for industrialization. > > Gary Allen Hmm. By the time all this industrial pollution has created a breathable atmosphere, I guess the plutonium would have decayed to safe levels! :-) 1. If you want to terraform Mars, it is easier to just throw a few large pieces of rock or ice at the polar caps. That will vaporize the CO2 faster than just about anything else. 2. If noone in net.space has yet come up with a good reason to industrialize LEO or the Moon, what makes you think that putting industry on Mars will be make any more economic sense, especially given the vastly greater distance? Personal opinion time : I can't see any valid reason to go to Mars other than as another Apollo-type 'publicity stunt'. Hold off on the flame-throwers, for a minute : I think the Apollo program was great, but I can see a lot more reasons for investing the money in Earth-Moon space than in a one-shot mission to Mars, even though it may be much more glamorous. -- Andrew Folkins ...ihnp4!alberta!andrew The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Arthur C. Clarke's Law : It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.