New Mars Forums

How big does a StarShade have to be to completely block light coming to Venus?

Obviously the smaller it can be made, the more feasible such a device would be on a reasonable timescale.

I'm thinking that an Iron rich Asteroid could be perturbed into the right orbit, and gradually reshaped and sculpted into a thin stellar shade, perhaps making it out of a simple lattice of welded metal plates.

NASA isn't a buisness and shouldn't ever operate like one.

Space programs are ridiculously expensive but thats a worthwhile cost for the Science they produce and the general sense of wonder for humanity they create. What NASA invests now will be reaped in the future, usually by corporate interests who don't like to make risky investments.

If I had things my way, I would have took all the money that was used on the Iraq war and spent it on getting us to the Moon/Mars.

Can u draw a picture of it? I don't understand it!

I've always wanted to draw a smiley face across the moon

Hi,

I understand the goal of it, to make Mars have a core like Earth. I just don't think the energy input for this would make sense in the long run. THe Martian Core is thought to be quite warm already, it just never formed tectonics.

My thoughts on terraforming is that you have to work with the planet you have, adapt to its condtions technologically. I don't think you can just force it to become Earth.

Over millions of years we could mine the material needed to maintain a life forms on planet. Maybe its even a good thing that Mars is not so geologiaclly active copared to Earth. There less risk of a catastrophic Natural disaster.

If its really important to have active geological activity, perhaps very deep fissures could be cut into the Martian surface to make plate tectonics.

I don't see the point

"inferior" how?

Extramphiles might never get the chance to evolve in the first place in such an enviroment.

On Earth, there are plenty of enviroments were life can thrive and spread to adapt to all niches. Billions and Billions of bacteria and microorganisms in nice friendly enviroments increase the chances that some will have mutations that help fill wierd niches like Extremaphiles do.

assemble the fusion reactor spacecraft in space

Terraforming neptune is hopeless. Its not an earth like enviroment and no matter how much time and energy you wated on it, It will never become one.

We could however adapt to living in its upper atmosphere using clever technology and engineering. Bacteria that are independant of sunlight for energy may be a possible food source, that or plants grown indoors under artificial light. 

I reckon that Fusion power is the key technology to make this all possible.

I think, why bother?

By the Time Nasa puts a man on the Mars, Fusion power is probably going to be possible. Most of the public would be against putting a fission reactor into space, they already go apeshit about RTG's.

There is no need real requirement for that amount of power in the first missions to Mars, they could easily get by on Solar. Giant Solar panels would be much lighter to carry across space. 40% efficiency is already possible, in 2 or 3 decades, much higher efficiencies will be possible with quantum and nano technology. The wind on Mars has been shown to clear dust of the 2 rover's panels.

I get the feeling some people here just get a boner talking about Nuclear Fission Reactors....

Perhaps it could be sealed better if the structure was a giant metallic sphere? The bottom half of the sphere could be submerged in the regolith.

The top half of the structure would use a lattice of plastic plates (or any suitable transparent material) reinforced by a welded metal frame.

The material to build this could be mined from an Iron rich asteroid.