using mirrors to raise Mars temps, as today on Space.com

[bryheinnen]

to make it more habitable was also raised in Kim Stanley Robinson's MARS trilogy--he called them solettas...this should be relatively easy to do, I would think..

 

[yevaud]

Old concept, going back far before Robinson. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[qso1]

Probably not so easy in practice considering we don't really know how to do this right here on earth. It could be said we are unintentionally terraforming earth with our greenhouse gas output over the past couple centuries. But we don't really even know for certain if we are actually doing this.<br /><br />One day raising global temps may be possible, but IMO, were a long way from it despite the best works of sci fi. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[dragon04]

I remember an episode of Mythbusters dealing with Archimedes' Death Ray.<br /><br />They had a gazillion mirrors in a parabolic array and couldn't burn a boat at 150 feet, let alone from orbit.<br /><br />Greenhouses would be much more effective combined with photoreactive chemicals.<br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Yeah. Got to raise the Global gas pressure, and get a lot of Carbon Dioxide, water vapor, and Methane into the atmosphere. Then we can negotiate about a tolerable environment.<br /><br />I hold out for large-scale bombardment of the surface with crap from the belt and outwards. Lots of volatiles, that sort of thing. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>