From Red to Green: The Future of Mars Part 1

Part 1 of a 3-part 24-minute science documentary that aired on Irish national television. RTE 1 on February 2nd 2004.

Narrated, Directed, Produced, Shot and Edited by Dave Cullen this film tells the story of Humanities exploration of the planet Mars, From the MER Rovers to potential human colonization of the Red Planet. Contains origonal music by Gavin Kearney composed specifically for this film.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Astronomy
• Space
• Mars
• Red
• Planet
• Terraforming
• MER
• Rovers
• ESA
• 2004
• Beagle
• Exploration
• Science
• Express
• Polar
• Lander
• Spirit
• opportunity
• stars
• sun

[SpazzyMcGee1337]

@emikochan13 " I'd wager we need to fully understand earth's climate before attempting to make another one"

I tried using that excuse on my Spanish teacher. He said that I would learn better English by learning Spanish. Likewise, we will understand Earth's environment more by making Mars Earth-like. The great thing about Mars is that it can't get much more inhospitable and there is no one there yet to harm! It'll be humanity's environmental testing ground! :D

[IBlackPlague]

@CptCoolXD There's no such thing as Niburu .... I can't believe people are still falling for that! If you seriously believe those ancient text's, why can't we see it now? They said by 2011 it could be seen by the naked eye, I don't see it, do you?

[SacredSocietyAP]

The guy working at NASA that thought it would wonderful to find out if humans weren't the only living creatures in the universe needs to meet my cat..He would be amazed!!..lol

[curingaging00]

@MaloEdu There is water trapped underneath Mars' surface and within its icecaps.

[MaloEdu]

How do you move the sea from earth to the Mars? hmmmm we need water in Mars.

[Replicatorz]

@emikochan13 to the point to where if they went back to earth, it would wreak havoc on our bodies. Exercise would be "Mandatory" if we lived on mar's, unless you never have plans to visit earth again!

[Replicatorz]

@emikochan13 The thing about living on mars, is we won;t be able to have the gravity the same as on earth, if we were able to terraform mars, humans that live on it would get ALOT thinner due to less use or need of their bones and muscles. Venus we won;t be able to touch, unless we can have space vacuum cleaners to clean the atmosphere up. Mars on the other hand it is possible, and scientists already know how to do it. Living on mars however would change us physically (cont.)

[emikochan13]

@SpazzyMcGee1337 ok then, I did forget about the size difference, schoolgirl error :p Still I'm wondering about the effect of the reduced gravity. I'd wager we need to fully understand earth's climate before attempting to make another one though, it could be that we'd end up overstepping and creating a new Venus via some unknown variable...

[SpazzyMcGee1337]

@emikochan13 (Last post of 3, start at the bottom for the first and work up to this one)

Going by the mass of Earth's atmosphere and the surface area ratio between Earth and Mars, Mars will need an atmosphere of about 5×10^18 kg. The current atmosphere is MUCH less than that, but going by the volume of Mars Northern ice cap and the density of dry ice the Martian atmosphere will gain 1.92×10^18 kg once melted. Mars' N. hemisphere is lower than the S. so that should be enough air pressure.

[SpazzyMcGee1337]

@SpazzyMcGee1337 As for the creation of an Earth-like atmosphere on Mars, it is doable using modern-ish technology. Solar mirrors could raise the temperature of Mars and melt the CO2 ice caps, thereby increasing Mars' atmospheric pressure greatly. Extra gasses (as well as water) can be added by redirecting comets. Many comets come into the inner solar system. If one is patient enough all it would take to change a comet's path is a gentle nudge.

[SpazzyMcGee1337]

@emikochan13 Well now we are switching topics. If terraformation is possible at all, then it can be done within a few thousand years of starting. If it only takes a few thousand years to add an Earth-like atmosphere and it takes MILLIONS of years for the atmosphere to disappear then sustaining it should be a cake walk. Besides for the assumption that it would take a few thousand years to terraform Mars (an assumption I thought everyone was working with) I made no other assumptions.