Elon Musk thinks he has all the answers to our future survival, but his brilliant idea involves nuking mars. We found an insane new video where we explain why this isn’t such an intelligent strategy after all.
How did Elon Musk plan to warm up Mars?
Elon Musk said that dropping thermonuclear weapons over the poles would allow us to terraform Mars. Still, he is not a scientist and has never published a peer-reviewed study pertaining to any of the sciences. Furthermore, nuking Mars’ poles would release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere that would warm up the planet.
This would allow humans and other lifeforms on planet Earth to live comfortably on Mars.
Elon Musk has stated that he plans to nuke Mars to warm up the planet to hospitable levels by releasing CO2 stored in the planet’s rocks and crust. Still, a recent study has shown that there isn’t enough CO2 contained within the surface rocks on Mars.
Elon Musk’s plan to nuke Mars to create a habitable planet faces several problems, including the fact that Mars does not have a magnetic field protecting it and that solar winds tend to eject gasses from Mars’ atmosphere into space. In addition, Elon Musk’s plan to nuke Mars would not result in the planet being terraformed because it would increase greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and cause a large amount of radiation.
It would also take decades before it would be safe to grow plants on the surface. A nuclear winter would cause the temperature to drop even lower than it already is, and since there isn’t enough water or carbon dioxide on the surface of the planet to raise the temperature to adequate levels, nuking Mars is not a great option.
How can we protect Mars from solar wind?
A former NASA scientist has developed a plan to block the sun’s harmful effects on Mars’ atmosphere by setting up a magnetic shield between Mars and the sun. This would allow the planet to warm up and begin the terraforming process without human intervention.
The magnetic shield will need to follow the orbit of Mars to keep it protected from the sun’s radiation, and we still need to find a way to put more greenhouse gasses into the Martian atmosphere.
The entire surface of Mars would need to be mined to release enough greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to increase the temperature of the planet. However, we don’t know if there is enough CO2 contained within the buried Martian rocks and minerals to create the desired effect.
How long would it take to terraform Mars with nukes?
The harvesting method would require a massive amount of energy to terraform the planet. Even if we detonated all the nukes we currently have on Mars, it wouldn’t be enough. Scientists think the only way to generate adequate constant energy is by using a source of fusion power similar to the sun. Scientists have proposed that we could terraform Mars faster by capturing a large asteroid full of ice and ammonia and slamming it into the Red Planet.
This would release water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while simultaneously adding more greenhouse gasses to the planet. Using asteroids to terraform Mars would take centuries and involve moving a ten billion-ton asteroid through Mars’ atmosphere and slamming it into the planet.
This would generate around 130 million megawatts of power and raise the temperature of the planet by around 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Using greenhouse gasses from old air conditioners and refrigerators, we could terraform Mars without nuking the planet or slamming countless asteroids into it.
Instead, we would need to launch countless missions with supplies and colonists to build settlements and factories on the surface of Mars. A colony on Mars could be built using tons of resources, but it would take a long time.
There may also be a way to increase temperatures on Mars from space. A giant mirror would need to be placed on one side of Mars to intensify the sunlight and cause global temperature change. Unfortunately, this would also cause the melting of the ice caps and the release of carbon dioxide trapped within the Martian rocks.
What happens when the levels of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere increase?
Once we get the greenhouse gasses to the right levels and Mars reaches a habitable climate, we will need to put oxygen into the atmosphere for us to breathe.
This is because plants take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere for photosynthesis, releasing oxygen back into the air. Unfortunately, growing plants on Mars is easier said than done because the Martian soil is devoid of all nutrients.
First, we will need to find a way to fertilize the entire planet. Then pioneering species will convert rocks and sand into usable soil.
The question of whether or not we should modify an entire planet to suit our needs comes up with all the talk of nuking, harvesting resources and changing the atmosphere of Mars.
If we want to terraform Mars, we will need a magnetic shield, a giant mirror, and a way to pump greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. We will also need to study asteroids and continue to fund scientific missions and technological research.
