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NASA Considers Magnetic Shield to Help Mars Grow Its Atmosphere
Popular Mechanics ^
| Mar 1, 2017
| Jay Bennett
Posted on 03/01/2017 6:58:45 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin
41
posted on
03/02/2017 8:20:57 AM PST
by
Vendome
(I've Gotta Be Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-pk2vZG2M)
To: Vendome
42
posted on
03/02/2017 10:35:00 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
To: Jonty30
It seems to me that, if they want to grow the atmosphere, they need to grow the mass of the planet. Mars isn’t that much bigger than our moon and its lack of gravitational pull would make it hard to hold onto an atmosphere.Venus is 81% of the mass of Earth, yet has a surface atmospheric pressure of 92 times earth surface pressure.
43
posted on
03/02/2017 10:49:50 AM PST
by
PapaBear3625
(Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
To: Windcatcher
Any global field would require a lot of energy due to the flux, but it wouldn’t have to be very strong at any one point (although I’ve been mulling the benefits of large distributed infrastructure that produce weak fields over a large area vs. large numbers of small infrastructure elements that each produce very strong fields in a small area). This was exactly the idea that I had thought of several years ago when I first heard of the solar wind stripping Mars' atmosphere. Build a whole lot of magnet stations all over Mars, and let their fields sum together. I have to admit I didn't think of the Lagrange point idea. That sounds like a possibly better approach.
I am pleased to see people are thinking along the same lines.
On another Mars related issue, should Phobos be boosted up to rendezvous with Deimos, or should it be crashed into the planet to add more mass?
A single moon would help stabilize Mars, but Mars could always use more mass.
44
posted on
03/02/2017 3:59:37 PM PST
by
DiogenesLamp
("of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty.")
To: Rastus
They’d be begging Earth to send toilet paper within months.
To: Yardstick
Well, we can send them $60M worth of Barky and the Moose’s memoirs. ;)
46
posted on
03/02/2017 5:27:35 PM PST
by
Rastus
To: semaj
It’s not just one thing, that’s a problem too!
47
posted on
03/02/2017 5:30:22 PM PST
by
Reily
To: BenLurkin
I would think that an effort like this to build a device that emits a protective magnetic shield would be best directed at enabling future spacecraft with it. Such a device that protects humans in spacecraft from the effects of solar wind particles, etc would be worth its weight in gold pressed Latinum.
48
posted on
03/24/2017 1:01:29 PM PDT
by
Bloody Sam Roberts
(Good judgement comes from experience. And experience? Well, that comes from poor judgement.)
49
posted on
05/06/2019 10:52:38 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
To: al baby
Mars is basically dead now... otherwise I'd agree with you. Yeah, we don't know enough to go mucking with planetary level ecosystems, but come on, - what's the worst that can happen? A dead planet stays dead? Heats up too much?
50
posted on
05/06/2019 11:01:39 AM PDT
by
GOPJ
("Elites reflexively exempt themselves from the ravages of their own policies." - nathanbedford)
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