We stand today at the edge of space exploration, dreaming of things to come, and one of them could be the development of Mars as another green planet.
Mars, the planet closest to Earth, has long interested man. A number gorges, volcanoes and has been pitted by meteorites that have hit the planet through the ages. The atmosphere on Mars is so cold and thin that man would die in minutes without a space suit.
In spite of this inhospitable terrain, scientists believe we should look into the possibility of transforming Mars into anew home for mankind and reduce the pressure on Earth’s resources. Terraformation, or greening of Mars would be one of the mass ambitious projects undertaken by man.
Mars is considered an ideal planet for man to inhabit because of its similarity to Earth. A day on Mars would only be about half an hour longer than on Earth. The seasons would, however, be twice as long as Mars takes 687 days to orbit the sun.
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If Mars has to be inhabited, the first challenge before scientists is to warm the planet by raising its temperature, a task as difficult as melting Antarctica. One way to do this is to build chemical factories, power them with nuclear reactors and pump out the green house gases that are emitted to cover the planet with a thick blanket to prevent the heat from escaping.
As the planet becomes warmer, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water will sup from the crust. Soon clouds will form and the sky will turn from pink to grey. Water will fill the canyons forming lakes and seas.
As the atmosphere becomes warmer, small cities will spring up in which the temperature will be regulated. Airtight cars and trucks will be developed. As Mars develops, Earth will profit from its vast store of natural resources.