Scientist Suggests Terraforming Mars
Posted on June 25, 2007
Space.com reports that noted physicist Lowell Wood is suggesting that Mars will be terraformed to "increase its habitability for humans."
"I suggest that the near-term outlook is that Mars will be terraformed," Wood said, and seriously underway by the middle of this century and essentially complete by the end of the 21st century.Wood defined terraforming as "the purposeful alteration of the physical environment to increase its habitability for humans." He noted that we homo sapiens are a terraforming species, pointing to our own planet's alteration over time.
"We're currently in the tenth millennium of the terraforming era," Wood said. Similarly, Mars will be terraformed...as will every other piece of the solar system that we can get to...if-and-as humanity becomes truly space-faring, he explained.
"The terraforming impulse in humankind will be quenched only by massive adverse selective pressure," Wood reported. Terraforming nay-sayers seem to ignore the fundamentals of population genetics, sociobiology and human history, he argued.
Mars is far easier to terraform than the Moon, Wood advised. "It's kids' stuff as far as rendering it [Mars] into something that's human habitable quickly and easily. The Moon is a good bit tougher."
Wood does sound a little optimistic when he says, "I believe it's roughly a 50/50 chance that young children now alive will walk on martian meadows...will swim in martian lakes." Wow. What kid wouldn't want to do that? It might sound far-fetched but technology does advance in leaps and bounds.
Mars may also be the only game in town as far as alternative for Earth goes. The closest potentially habitable planet (that we know of) -- Gliese 581 C -- is 20.5 light years away.