/sci/ - Science & Math

Two trillion with current technology, no.
But that two trillion can fund a lot of research and development into the technological base we require (i.e. processing asteroids into photovoltaics, wiring and mirrors, bioengineering algae for increased oxygen production, CO2 and Nitrogen importation from Titan and Venus)

So yeah, two trillion would go a long way into starting the terraformation of Mars.

As for the lack of planetary magnetic field, any reasonably thick atmosphere would have a scale height of about 2.5 times higher due to Mars' 0.376Gs, which affords plenty protection from solar and cosmic radiation. The atmosphere will erode until we construct an artificial planetary magnetic field, but that will take millions upon millions of years, giving us ample time to address the problem.

- Set up infrastructure for building space stations and equipment out of asteroids
- Have this be almost entirely automated
- Begin having focusing mirrors constructed from Mercurial orbit, several stations so sun is constantly directed onto Mars
- Use Asteroid belt material to construct a massive armada of nitrogen tanker ships to go between Mars and Titan, since Mars seems to have a nitrogen deficiency
- Direct some comets from Kuiper belt to go on atmospheric burn collisions, raising the temperature, causing extra outgassing of gas, and depositing more water on the surface as well as some volatiles
- Begin seeding of bioengineered algae, start widespread human colonization with use of oxygen masks
- Trees and other plants and some insect seeding when oxygen level permits
Tah dahhh.

>>3601181
Deimos will likely be moved into a geosynchronous orbit for the Martian space elevator, so it's likely there will be a large spaceport there.

>>3578148
Did you draw that yourself?

Oh and some of my OC.

>Interstellar travel
Definitely. But unless we circumvent physics, it'll be at a snail's pace of 0.99c.

>Time Travel
Unlikely.

>Biological immortality
Definitely. What is medicine? What does medicine try to do? It seeks to improve quality of living, the function of your body as well as extending your healthy lifespan. And now Sierra Sciences and other groups such as the Manhattan Beach Project are taking on the cure for aging.

>Transhumanism
Definitely. Already happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoY1cItRiHA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ0iMulicgg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEH2-uek8k&feature=channel_video_title

>Artificial Intelligence
Definitely. What is Toronto?

>First Contact
Likely. The universe is abundant in organic molecules and the existence of habitable worlds. The current estimate for worlds in the Goldilocks zone where liquid water can exist JUST FOR OUR GALAXY is 500 million. Then there are another 100 billion galaxies. however, now the challenge comes of actually MEETING an extraterrestrial lifeform, and those same numbers then become a reason against us making first contact.

>Terraforming
Definitely. I personally wish to get on the main Martian terraforming team.

>World peace
Not sure. If you mean by no more wars, then I'd say Likely.

>Human extinction (in the near future)
Unlikely. Asteroid impact or irradiating magnetar needs to roast us, as not even full deployment of nuclear arsenals on the most populated areas would eradicate us.

>Getting laid
Achievement Unlocked

There are continent-sized regions that are 60% water ice by mass.

>>3305207
In time, young padawan. Give it another 25 years for proper automation technologies and a better political climate alongside better space infrastructure.

>Just think if we spent 1.5 Trillion on the space program for JUST ONE FUCKING YEAR we could have a self sustaining colony on Mars by 2020.

No.

We would likely have a space elevator, a 100,000-strong city in the Sea of Tranquility, a large self-sustaining colony on Mars as well as countless L5 and GEO O'Neill cylinders, not to mention bases on every single moon and protoplanet above 500km in diameter.

Also, Mars-buff here. Ask me anything.

>>3130517
I am known on this board for:
Terraforming (Largely Mars, I have a hard-on for Mars)
Longevity extension/Cure for aging
Transhumanism
Asteroid mining
Space elevator
Space-based solar
Space colonization
Technocratic Republic of Sci
Robots (as our future)
Post-scarcity

I live in SA, I like Drum n Bass/Dubstep music mainly.
I like drawing and have only done serious art in the past couple of years. What else are you interested in knowing about me?

>Defend the crazy fucking system you live in now, GO
It's fucking horrible and I petition that /sci/ come together on some huge science-related moneymaking project to fund a expedition to terraform Mars and declare it our sovereign planet for the educated and intelligent.

Maaaars, is a world of wonders
It has canyons, river valleys, and giant ice sheets
Maaaars, is a world of wonders
It shouldn't be humans to Mars in fifty years, it should be humans to Mars in ten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5sWfhkpE0

Any questions to the feasibility of such a project?

>>3049397
>no planet will ever be terraformed
>outlines a plan for billions of O'Neill cylinders in a 300 million kilometer-wide circle that would require the same technologies that would make terraforming feasible

Also you assume that humans will never invent any form of life extension.

This isn't a zero-sum game, mars/Venus/Mercury/Luna can be terraformed and loads of space habitats can be constructed at the same time.

The technology:
http://techland.time.com/2011/04/06/spacexs-falcon-heavy-most-powerful-private-rocket-ever/
http://www.universetoday.com/73536/nasa-considering-rail-gun-launch-system-to-the-stars/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article4799369.ece

The will:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8bIQLiKi3g
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/02/lord-british-wants-to-take-you-to-space-and-hes-closer-th
an-you-think.ars/3

The time (and one of the main kicks in the ass to get it started):
http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/forever-young/manhattan-beach-project-end-aging-2029
http://www.sens.org/sens-research/research-themes
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3329065877451441972#
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101128/full/news.2010.635.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/28/scientists-reverse-ageing-mice-humans

The economic benefits:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining
>At 1997 prices, a relatively small metallic asteroid with a diameter of 1 mile contains more than $20 trillion US dollars worth of industrial and precious metals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_Earth_Objects#Near-Earth_asteroids
>As of May 2010, 7,075 near-Earth asteroids are known,[14] ranging in size up to ~32 kilometers (1036 Ganymed).[16] The number of near-Earth asteroids over one kilometer in diameter is estimated to be 500 - 1,000.
http://www.virgingalactic.com/

>>2948413
/thread

Occasionally art can really help science by showing what could be possible in the future. Going over Mars Direct blueprints would be less awesome for people than say, the music animation of it on Youtube.

>>2944557
Not necessarily if you have a thick atmosphere with plenty of ozone. Since Mars is 0.376G's, the atmosphere will be about two and a half times thicker, whereas it will receive only 47% of the sun's radiation/light/heat.

>>2924165
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars#Carbon_dioxide_sublimation
>There is presently enough carbon dioxide (CO2) as ice in the Martian south pole and absorbed by regolith (soil) around the planet that, if sublimated to gas by a climate warming of only a few degrees, would increase the atmospheric pressure to 300 millibars,[citation needed] which is comparable to that at the peak of Mount Everest. While this would not be comfortably breathable by humans, it would eliminate the present need for pressure suits, melt the water ice at Mars' north pole (flooding the northern basin), and bring the year-round climate above freezing over approximately half of Mars' surface.

We need 500 millibars for permanent habitation. This is the air pressure at the 4,000m sea level elevation on Earth mark. If we still don't have enough CO2 we can construct a orbital soletta which metls the regolith in areas that will soon be inundated by seas and oceans, releasing their gas. And also as was discussed earlier, if we were to freeze out Venus' atmosphere we could transport frequent shipments of CO2 from Venus to Mars via the use of railguns. Actually, we wouldn't need to even freeze it out. Though it'd probably be easier.

>>2917994
>and we'd have much better chances with earthlike habitable exoplanets than, for example try to terraform Mars, Venus or whatever.

1) Find a planet within 40ly in the habitable zone.
2) Find a planet with around 1 Earth gravity
3) Find a planet with an active magnetosphere
4) Find a planet with more than trace amounts of water
5) Find a planet with a largely oxygen/nitrogen non-poisonous atmosphere
6) Find ways to transport hundreds of millions of people at a significant fraction of the speed of light toward this new world while keeping them in some form of stasis so they do not succumb to aging and the long trip between Sol and Beta Hortensis or whatever

Mars isn't as hard to terraform as some people think it is. It's practically 2 minute noodles. Just add heat and water.