(Image credit: Dane Ballard, CC BY-SA)
The idea of terraforming Mars — changing the planet's climate to support life as we know it — has long been considered the stuff of science fiction. But new research suggests it's time to take the concept seriously.
“Thirty years ago, terraforming Mars was not just considered difficult — it was impossible,” said Erica DeBenedictis, CEO of Pioneer Labs and lead author of the new paper. “However, modern technologies like [SpaceX’s] Starship and synthetic biology now make it a real possibility.”
The study examines the complex ethical issues that need to be considered in the event of terraforming Mars, and outlines a potential path forward.
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“Proponents argue that more life is better than less, and terraforming Mars could be humanity's first step toward managing the planet in a way that is environmentally beneficial,” DeBenedictis added.
Why terraform Mars?
In short, “alive planets are better than dead planets,” said study co-author Edwin Kite, an associate professor at the University of Chicago. “We now understand that Mars was once habitable, based on data from rovers, so greening Mars is the ultimate goal of ecosystem restoration.”
While full terraforming could take centuries, if not millennia, the long-term goal would be to create a Mars with stable liquid water, breathable oxygen, and a thriving ecosystem. In the short term, that might mean pockets of microbial life; in the long term, the planet might even host human cities.
If we reach the scale of cities, it could be a stepping stone to even greater exploration for our civilization. “As we explore the galaxy, we’re going to need base camps, and a base camp on a galactic scale is a habitable planet,” Kite said.
Robin Wordsworth, a professor of ecology and planetary science at Harvard, says the case for terraforming Mars goes beyond human colonization and concerns the spread of life in general.
“I see humanity as part of the biosphere, not as something separate from it,” he said. “Life is valuable – we don’t know of any other places in the universe where it exists – and we need to preserve it on Earth, but also think about how to start spreading life to other worlds.”
What about Earth?
Terraforming proponents stress that it is not just a matter of exploring other worlds; terraforming Mars could also help us deal with climate change and sustainable development on our own planet.
Nina Lanza, a planetary scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and co-author of the paper, sees Mars as a first-class testing ground for planetary engineering.
“If we're trying to figure out how to change our environment on Earth to keep it in a configuration that's good for us and other life forms, maybe it makes more sense to do experiments on Mars and see if they work,” she said. “Personally, I'd rather be more cautious
Sourse: www.livescience.com
