NASA wants to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s, so the race is on to make the planet more hospitable. Scientists think they’ve found the first step. They have discovered a way to warm the Red Planet enough to support microbial life.
This isn’t the first study to propose a method to heat Mars, but it’s the most effective because it uses resources already on the planet. Other ideas rely on transporting materials from Earth or mining them on Mars, both of which would be incredibly difficult. The new method uses the abundant dust particles in the Martian atmosphere.
The average temperature of Mars is -62˚C. By engineering dust particles, the planet’s temperature could be increased by more than 20˚C. It might not sound like much, but it could change Mars from cold barren to simply cool — enough for microscopic life to survive.
Terraforming
Landing on the planet in this way would slowly change its atmosphere. As more plants grow and photosynthesize, more oxygen is released. A major obstacle to living on Mars is that we can’t breathe without help. There simply isn’t enough oxygen. This will start the conversion process.
„This research … brings us one step closer to the long-held dream of establishing a permanent human presence on Mars,” said Edwin Kite. A new study.
Mars rovers have taught us that Martian dust is rich in iron and aluminum. During this time, the dust actually cools the planet slightly. But to give dust particles their short, rod-like shape, they trap heat and scatter sunlight, increasing surface temperatures.
If the entrained particles are continuously released into the atmosphere at a rate of 30 liters per second, a temperature change of 20˚C will occur within a few months. But the scale of that output is difficult; In practice, it can take decades to significantly affect the atmosphere.