Originally published February 14 2005
Adding greenhouse gasses to Mars atmosphere could make it livable
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Scientists interested in the idea of putting life on Mars have come up with a new solution. By pumping octaflouropropane into the Martian atmosphere, the greenhouse effect that we are trying to avoid on earth could be used to warm up and thicken the Martian atmosphere, allowing life to survive and maybe even thrive on the red planet.
Pumping greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere over hundreds or even thousands of years could warm the frozen planet enough to sustain life, according to new research.
Synthetic fluorine-based gases could produce global warming on Mars while also creating an atmosphere conducive to life, say scientists at the NASA Ames Research Centre, California, US.
Conditions on Mars are currently inhospitable for advanced life.
Temperatures on the Red Planet currently dip down to -120�C at night near the poles.
And the atmospheric pressure on Mars is much less than on Earth as its atmosphere is thinner and its gravity lower.
In order to support life, scientists have proposed transforming Mars into an Earth-like planet in a process called terraforming.
Using computer models, researchers found that a gas called octafluoropropane (C3F8) produced the greatest warming in their study.
The gas also worked well when mixed with other gases.
Adding this gas so that its concentration in the Martian air was 300 parts per million could spark a runaway greenhouse effect by evaporating the polar ice caps, which are composed of carbon dioxide.
This could help thicken the Martian atmosphere and increase atmospheric pressure.
But this amount represents 25,700 times Earth's annual production of fluorine- and carbon-based gases.
Some of the competing alternatives to adding gas to the planet would be to sprinkle sunlight-absorbing dust on the poles to try to melt the ice caps, or putting large mirrors into orbit to reflect sunlight onto the surface.
He works on the Mars Express spacecraft's ASPERA instrument, which analyses the interaction between the solar wind and Mars's atmosphere.
"It's the ultimate in cosmic vandalism; at least until we completely understand the conditions for past or present life on Mars, and we are 100% sure that none is there now."
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