[mikhael]

Originally posted by aldo_14


There's a 2 term limit anyway, isn't there?  So why actually keep promises if you can't re-run......

There is indeed. But he made those promises in the run up to his FIRST term, not his (nonexistent) second term.

[diamondgeezer]

Up yours copper

[Stunaep]

Originally posted by Rictor


*rant no. 2*

Of course they shouldn't waste truckloads of cash on stupid hollywood movies. But that's beside my point. My point is, that there are many things, that we could not do, and instead give the money to the poor. But face it, no-one's gonna do that. Especially not anyone with actual power.

But when faced with a choice of

a) bombing the **** out of another country based on circumstantial or completely false evidence

or b) doing something that actually helps man kind.

my bet stands pretty fairly on b)

[Nico]

Originally posted by IceFire
Apparently of any planet observed in our solar system, Mars would be by far the easiest of planets to terraform.  Its got quite a few of the things that we have here on Earth its just not in the same balance.

One thing I wonder about however...I don't think Mars has a magnetic field.  Or at least not one that protects the planet like the Earths field does so whats the deal?

Being off topic, but have you heard about the Earth magnetic field supposed to inverse itself is the close future? North will become south

[diamondgeezer]

Mars' weak magnetic field and low gravity contributed greatly to the loss of its atmosphere. If we terraformed the place we'd neeed to artificially maintain the atmosphere or it would just blow away in the sloar wind...

[Corsair mk. 2]

Originally posted by Nico
Being off topic, but have you heard about the Earth magnetic field supposed to inverse itself is the close future? North will become south

I head that that happens about every 7000 years. And the last time that happened was 9000 years ago. You might say that we're due....

[diamondgeezer]

The Earth IS overdue for a so-called flip-flop. Observe.

[Martinus]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Up yours copper

[color=66ff00][Centurion]You're ****ing nicked me old beauty.[/Centurion]
[/color]

[Ace]

Originally posted by IceFire
Apparently of any planet observed in our solar system, Mars would be by far the easiest of planets to terraform.  Its got quite a few of the things that we have here on Earth its just not in the same balance.

One thing I wonder about however...I don't think Mars has a magnetic field.  Or at least not one that protects the planet like the Earths field does so whats the deal?

Technically Venus would be better. With gravity that is practically Earth-like as well as being closer to Earth and being comfortably in the habitable zone of Sol (Mars is, but Venus is a better fit) it would be a better planet to terraform.

The trick with Venus is stopping its greenhouse effect, as well as starting some form of plate-tectonics to help stabilize the geology on a long term scale. (Venus' crust is one giant fused plate, and the crust literally flips inside out when the pressure is too great)

[diamondgeezer]

You want to jump-start a planet's plate tectonics? Well good luck with that.

Terraforming Venus would be a ***** since any equipment there is crushed within minutes

[mikhael]

Crushed? No. Not crushed. Melted.

[Flipside]

I believe Carl Sagans terminology was....

Crushed, Fried, and Eaten simultaneously

(Gaseous Sulphuric Acid makes such a friendly atmosphere)

[Martinus]

Originally posted by Rictor
And lastly, I may just be stupid in this respect, but can someone explain to me how a mission to Mars will help humanity.

[color=66ff00] You've already mentioned Bush's main motivation for a mission to Mars, he wants publicity and in the long run he wants to be seen as some kind of visionary.

As for valid reasons to go to Mars; money isn't stopping us technically, it's been proven that the world currently creates enough food to feed it's current population. Some people have more of the cake than others though. We technically have the cash (speaking pretty much of the first world). Mankind's want for exploration and the inbuilt ability to surmount obstacles drives us. It's a pity that mankind is not more willing to explore methods of living in harmony with his surroundings and taking misery as the obstacle to overcome.

Wishful thinking.
[/color]

[JC Denton]

Never mind my little semi-informative rant here, but as an astronomy buff...

One tiny little drawback to either planet's terraforming:  lack of a detectable magnetic field.  I'm sure you've heard of something we have on good ol' Terra called a Van Allen Radiation Belt?  It's effectively a magnetic trap in the planetary magfield, where radiation and charged particles are caught.  The interesting thing about it is it serves to deflect cosmic radiation being emitted by the sun.

Another thing, from a geological standpoint:  magnetic fields are caused by convecting liquid iron in a planet's core.  The 'flip-flop' phenomenon we're expecting on Earth is a result of a shift in the current flows.  Now, Mars is effectively a dead planet:  the core's probably still hot, but not to the free-flowing degree of Earth.  Venus lacks a magnetic field, as well, but I've not heard any reason why it doesn't.  Can't use the 'cool core' explanation because it's too damned hot there.

End result?  Unless you can somehow jump the core of a planet up to around the surface temperature of the sun, and get that liquidized iron flowing about, you're not going to get a magnetic field to deflect the solar wind from stripping away any non-contained atmosphere you generate on it, and no radiation belts to provide an additional defense against cosmic rays.  That means an atmosphere-tight colony design: underground and/or 'bubble cities' for the colony proper.

IMO, we need to leave Venus alone for a good bit, until we find some method of peeling off that thick atmosphere so it can cool down a bit.  Maybe some kind of orbital shade to block the sunlight coming in on it would be a good start...

[vyper]

HOw would a few nukes into the core do?

[Grey Wolf]

As far as my knowledge goes, nukes to the core of a planet most likely cause massive earthquakes, but little else. And how the hell would you get the nukes to the core?

[Corsair mk. 2]

What, like in The Core?

That looked like an interesting movie, if completely implausible. Never saw it though, got terrible reviews.

[vyper]

Giant moles? how the heck should I know its 3am!

[Bobboau]

you... could... use... nukes!:D

and a few nukes to the core would have absolutely no effect at all, we'd probly need a number of largish anti-mater grade weapons to do anything, probly something just large enough to not blow the blanet to bits, used repetadly

and what good would going to mars be, well what if we find something alive up there, this would help to counteract religon and other stupidity, wich would be a good thing

[JC Denton]

You do realize that you'd be trying to heat up a solid (or semisolid) spherical mass of iron with a diameter of nearly a hundred miles at the absolute smallest?

And just how do you expect to get them down into the core in the first place?  Tunnel down to it?  Great idea!  When you get the core to the right temperature, you'll have a geyser of fusion-hot metal being spewed out at you!

Actually, I don't know exactly how much iron is in Mars's core.  I know there's a good bit on the surface, since that reddish hue's all iron oxide (incidentally, a source of oxygen for the future atmosphere ).