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1992•Journal of the British Interplanetary SocietyRequires access

Terraforming Mars quickly

Paul R. J. Birch

Open publisher page 42 citations

Abstract

Mars would be inhabitable if it were warmer and had a denser O 2 /N 2 atmosphere, but previous terraforming proposals have been incomplete or have described very slow processes. This paper addresses the problems of terraforming Mars quickly. It is shown that a solar mirror could be used to vaporise portions of the Martian regolith, liberating trapped volatiles including oxygen, nitrogen, carbone dioxyde and water vapour. The creation of a breathable atmosphere could then be completed by photosynthesis

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What this paper is about

Mars would be inhabitable if it were warmer and had a denser O 2 /N 2 atmosphere, but previous terraforming proposals have been incomplete or have described very slow processes. This paper addresses the problems of terraforming Mars quickly. It is shown that a solar mirror could be used to vaporise portions of the Martian regolith, liberating trapped volatiles including oxygen, nitrogen, carbone dioxyde and water vapour. The creation of a breathable atmosphere could then be completed by photosynthesis

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Available abstract

Mars would be inhabitable if it were warmer and had a denser O 2 /N 2 atmosphere, but previous terraforming proposals have been incomplete or have described very slow processes. This paper addresses the problems of terraforming Mars quickly. It is shown that a solar mirror could be used to vaporise portions of the Martian regolith, liberating trapped volatiles including oxygen, nitrogen, carbone dioxyde and water vapour. The creation of a breathable atmosphere could then be completed by photosynthesis

Key concepts: Mars Exploration Program, Astrobiology, Atmosphere of Mars, Atmosphere (unit), Regolith, Martian, Water vapor, Solar System

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