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Given that the atmosphere on Mars is presently very thin, that light gases rise, it has been proposed that the solar wind blew away most of the original Martian atmosphere and the effects of unfiltered ultra violet rays, how will we be able to retain a viable and breathable atmosphere on Mars after terraforming?
:hm:
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I think that the general consensus is that although Mars cannot stably retain an atmosphere, the process of losing it is slow. If we were to terraform Mars tomorrow, it would be millions of years before it lost that atmosphere. Presumably, in a million years, if humanity still exists, we'll have figured something out to deal with the problem in a sustainable fashion.
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Mars is to small to hold onto a gas like Helium but it has enough mass and gravity to be able to keep heavier molecules and other types of elements...
thats why its atmosphere has some Ammonia, Water Vapour, suspended dust-Particles and Carbon Dioxide
terraforming its atmosphere would be very difficult
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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For 4.5 billion years, Martian water has been breaking down on exposure to ultraviolet photons, the hydrogen has been escaping, and the oxygen has been oxidizing surface minerals. Some people estimate Mars has lost over one hundred meters of water (that is, as a uniform depth over the entire surface). Water is 89% oxygen by weight, and on Mars 30 meters of water produces one atmosphere of pressure. That means Mars has something like three atmospheres or 15 times as much oxygen in its crust as Earth has in its atmosphere (constant pressure, assuming no oxygen was lost, and some has). A process that separates the oxygen from the iron oxide could supply Mars with a breathable atmosphere for billions of years.
-- RobS
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