Possible 2014 comet impact to Mars could make it habitable.

On Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:31:02 -0800, Robert Clark wrote:

Speculation here that such an impact could make Mars habitable:

Rush to Mars: Comet impact could make Red Planet inhabitable. Published
time: February 28, 2013 16:32
http://rt.com/news/mars-comet-tito-flyby-601/


Bob Clark

You would need thousands of comets' worth of gas to make Mars' atmosphere
dense enough for human life, plus you would probably have to introduce
some sort of genetically-engineered plant to release free oxygen, then
wait a long time.

--
John F. Eldredge --
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly
is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria

In article ,
"John F. Eldredge" wrote:

On Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:31:02 -0800, Robert Clark wrote:

Speculation here that such an impact could make Mars habitable:

Rush to Mars: Comet impact could make Red Planet inhabitable. Published
time: February 28, 2013 16:32
http://rt.com/news/mars-comet-tito-flyby-601/


Bob Clark

You would need thousands of comets' worth of gas to make Mars' atmosphere
dense enough for human life, plus you would probably have to introduce
some sort of genetically-engineered plant to release free oxygen, then
wait a long time.

That's a pretty good assessment.

On Mar 9, 8:37*pm, Orval Fairbairn wrote:
In article ,
*"John F. Eldredge" wrote:

On Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:31:02 -0800, Robert Clark wrote:

Speculation here that such an impact could make Mars habitable:

Rush to Mars: Comet impact could make Red Planet inhabitable. Published
time: February 28, 2013 16:32
http://rt.com/news/mars-comet-tito-flyby-601/

* Bob Clark

You would need thousands of comets' worth of gas to make Mars' atmosphere
dense enough for human life, plus you would probably have to introduce
some sort of genetically-engineered plant to release free oxygen, then
wait a long time.

That's a pretty good assessment.

if theres enough water under the mars surface it could be electrically
turned into oxygen and hydrogen to provide breathable air. or
genetically engineer some lichen that would produce air.

On 3/9/13 10:17 PM, bob haller wrote:
if theres enough water under the mars surface it could be electrically
turned into oxygen and hydrogen to provide breathable air.

Only to be scoured away by the solar wind.

On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 07:06:29 -0500, Sam Wormley wrote:

On 3/9/13 10:17 PM, bob haller wrote:
if theres enough water under the mars surface it could be electrically
turned into oxygen and hydrogen to provide breathable air.

Only to be scoured away by the solar wind.

How long did it take Mars to lose its original atmosphere to the solar
wind?

On Mar 10, 5:06*am, Sam Wormley wrote:
On 3/9/13 10:17 PM, bob haller wrote:

if theres enough water under the mars surface it could be electrically
turned into oxygen and hydrogen to provide breathable air.

* *Only to be scoured away by the solar wind.

Anything to keep humans out of space, eh, Sam? If Mars' primeval
atmosphere was eroded away by the solar wind, remember that took
billions of years, during which the sun's radiation was much stronger
than today:

http://science1.nasa.gov/science-new...01/ast31jan_1/

"To calculate the total loss of atmosphere," he added, "we must take
into account how the Sun has changed during the past four billion
years. The Sun's ultraviolet output was larger in the past, and the
solar wind was probably much stronger. This means that solar wind
erosion was likely much more effective in the past than it is today."


Mark L. Fergerson