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My_Soul_to_Squeeze t1_ir44hqy wrote

Reply to comment by groovy604 in NASA is now making oxygen on Mars by JumpinKing

Short answer is yes. There are ways to generate a magnetic field / block some of the solar wind, but they're all scifi right now. Even if we could make an atmosphere Mars could hold onto, it would take multiple lifetimes to complete.

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TheStegg t1_ir5kszb wrote

> it would take multiple lifetimes to complete.

The best time to start terraforming a backup Earth was 500 years ago.

The second best time? Now.

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alphahydra t1_ir6m3nv wrote

If I remember correctly, the stripping of the atmosphere by solar wind is a very gradual process, such that if we did have the technology to terraform it on the timescale of human history (even a process requiring centuries to complete) the rate of human-effected change would far outpace the rate of loss. So a terraformed Mars would still be habitable for a long time, even if we didn't solve the magnetism issue.

Like, if you could magically give Mars a full Earth-like atmosphere today, it would still be breathable thousands of years from now (assuming solar wind was the only deleterious effect).

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Coletrain-Z t1_ir4kafv wrote

Then there is also a matter of resources required to achieve said task

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Dr-P-Ossoff t1_is0wdiq wrote

I know a “theory of habitable planets” guy who could say how much nitrogen and oxygen you need. You could get the oxygen from the rusty soil.

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