This image of Mars shows the north polar ice cap, the border between highlands and lowlands, former river valleys, plains covered by dark sands and the large Hellas Planitia impact basin in the south. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlindjellison t1_j98mkgm wrote
Reply to comment by Monoken3 in This image of Mars shows the north polar ice cap, the border between highlands and lowlands, former river valleys, plains covered by dark sands and the large Hellas Planitia impact basin in the south. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin by MistWeaver80
Many have advocated for that via a variety of different means.....and it's simply not enough
There is not enough CO2 left on Mars in any known, readily accessible reservoir, if mobilized and emplaced into the atmosphere, to produce any significant increase in temperature or pressure. Even if enough CO2 were to be available, it would not be feasible to mobilize it; doing so would require processing a major fraction of the surface (analogous to regional- or planet-scale strip mining) to release it into the atmosphere, which is beyond present-day technology. Terraforming Mars is therefore not possible in the foreseeable future by utilizing CO2 resources available on the planet.
danielravennest t1_j9c1w7w wrote
Fortunately there are plenty of volatiles in the outer Solar System.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments