Science > Physics > A Hypothetical Question about Terraforming a Planet
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"G.L. Cross" |
| Date: |
06 Mar 2006 01:28:51 AM |
| Object: |
A Hypothetical Question about Terraforming a Planet |
I am working on a science-fiction novel I hope to get published but one of
the things I
desire to do with it is to stick to "real science" as much as possible.
Anyway, I am looking
for ideas about how a project to terraform the planet Mars, could
artificially reproduce a
planetary magnetic field similar to the one here on Earth. Such a magnetic
field would
be required to:
(1) Prevent the solar winds from striping away whatever atmosphere such a
project had
managed to provide for the planet,
and
(2) Protect whatever biosphere such a project had established there from the
same otherwise
probably lethal solar radiation.
As for any suggestions you may wish to offer, feel free to extrapolate
technological growth
beyond what we are capable of today forward to the year 2187 (the date I am
currently
using as the tentative timeframe the novel is set in).
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to ponder this question,
- Gordon
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: A Hypothetical Question about Terraforming a Planet |
06 Mar 2006 05:23:27 AM |
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G.L. Cross wrote:
I am working on a science-fiction novel I hope to get published but one of
the things I
desire to do with it is to stick to "real science" as much as possible.
Anyway, I am looking
for ideas about how a project to terraform the planet Mars, could
artificially reproduce a
planetary magnetic field similar to the one here on Earth. Such a magnetic
field would
be required to:
(1) Prevent the solar winds from striping away whatever atmosphere such a
project had
managed to provide for the planet,
and
(2) Protect whatever biosphere such a project had established there from the
same otherwise
probably lethal solar radiation.
As for any suggestions you may wish to offer, feel free to extrapolate
technological growth
beyond what we are capable of today forward to the year 2187 (the date I am
currently
using as the tentative timeframe the novel is set in).
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to ponder this question,
- Gordon
What's in it for me?????????
.
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| User: "G.L. Cross" |
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| Title: Re: A Hypothetical Question about Terraforming a Planet |
06 Mar 2006 11:04:37 AM |
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How about the standard kind of thing authors usually do. That is, you
would be given attribution in the acknowledgements section of the book
for help and assistance. I am presently unpublished so I cannot pay for
this kind of technical research...
- Gordon
<donstockbauer@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1141644207.573382.184250@p10g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
G.L. Cross wrote:
I am working on a science-fiction novel I hope to get published but one
of
the things I
desire to do with it is to stick to "real science" as much as possible.
Anyway, I am looking
for ideas about how a project to terraform the planet Mars, could
artificially reproduce a
planetary magnetic field similar to the one here on Earth. Such a
magnetic
field would
be required to:
(1) Prevent the solar winds from striping away whatever atmosphere such a
project had
managed to provide for the planet,
and
(2) Protect whatever biosphere such a project had established there from
the
same otherwise
probably lethal solar radiation.
As for any suggestions you may wish to offer, feel free to extrapolate
technological growth
beyond what we are capable of today forward to the year 2187 (the date I
am
currently
using as the tentative timeframe the novel is set in).
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to ponder this question,
- Gordon
What's in it for me?????????
.
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| User: "Ian Parker" |
|
| Title: Re: A Hypothetical Question about Terraforming a Planet |
06 Mar 2006 08:55:22 AM |
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There is only one way to do terraforming and that is by a self
replicating robot or Von Neumann machine. That is general
terraformation of anywhere. You need billions of tons of material. This
can only come from space. I have discussed various possible means of
construction. I have in fact shown that a key step, possibly the Pons
Assinorum is a system which can perform flatpack assembly and general
manipulation. WITH THE PARTS IN A RANDOM INITIAL POSITION. If you
specify a route in CAD/CAM you have your VN machine.
MARS - Probably you are going to want a superconducting cable round the
equator. As you are further from the Sun than Earth you are (probably)
going to want to augment sunlight by means of mirrors.
VENUS - We are inclined to write this off. In fact if you were to
reflect sunlight away you would rapidly get to a reasonable
temperature. You could even heat one side and trap CO2 on the other.
Both - You need water from the Jovian system. A catapult on Europa,
Gannymede or Callitso.
Interesting ideas for SF would be how you got a VN macine. A good story
(but not very likely) would be that ET offered you Venus. You built a
sunshield which was then used to provide a brake for a laser sail
interstellar transport. It is easy to accelerate things to c/2, not
easy to stop them.
I could fill you in further you can of course send me an E-Mail
message.
Ian Parker
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