The ethics of terraforming Mars

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I don't see how colonising the sea should mean the end to the idea of colonising mars, why not do both?

There are certain advantages to mars, for a start anything on earth is susceptible to the same forces that are destroying the planet to begin with, it help bave the way for futore space exploration and colonisation as in the long it's going to be sensible to try and spread the human species out as far and wide as possible, and there are probably hume amounts of valuable metals on mars which we will eventually run out of on earth.

In terms of the original question about the ethics involved I really don't see what the problem is. I mean if there is no life there to begin with what does it matter? Are we trying to take the rocks feelings into consideration?

There is a really amazing series of books about the colonization of mars by a guy called Kim Stanley Robinson, the books are red, green and blue mars. They go into a huge amount of detail about the problems of terraforming but explain how it could be done whilst also focusing on the colonies struggle for indpendance, which is roughly based on the American war of independence.

IIRC, all of the current mars mission concpets involve generating resources, like water, on planet. A lander goes first and begins automatically producing fuel and water from local resources. At some point NASA incorporated elements of the marsdirect plan but its been awhile since I read about it. But given the current budget problems, I doubt we'll see mars in the lifetime of many here.

It's hard to know what they'll be capable of in 100+ years. I wouldnt have a problem with terraforming mars although I would like us to have a detailed survey first just to feel better.

They make it out of CO2. You can make water, fuel and air from the atmosphere by bringing hydrogen with yoiu. But that's something for small crews, not civilizations. At least not with today's technology.

But we know water ice is just inches below the surface in some areas because the Phoenix lander just took a picture of it a few months ago from 2 feet away. I watched it myself. There is available water ice near the pole, but that doesnt mean that terraforming is a realistic option. Thats something for the future to worry about.

Huh? you just quoted me saying you have to bring hyrdrogen. heh. I didnt actually make the plan, I'm just telling what the engineers have planned.

I dont think water will be an issue but what will be an issue is radiation. People who live on mars will largely live underground and have only limited forays on the surface. Even if you terraform the atmosphere and soil, the magnetic field of the planet is very weak so youll catch more rads.

For the same effort you could begin developing a subterranean civilization here on earth. Or ocean surface colonies, or ocean bottom dwellers (as mentioned earlier). And that would all be easier than mars.

The north of mars is thought to be a frozen ocean with a overburden of dust. Evidence for this are craters called sploosh craters. Their perimeters have features that suggest flash frozen liquid. The ejecta of stone and metal craters has a far different scatter field than a low viscosity liquid like steam and boiling water.

The internet is being surprisingly unhelpful with images!

One of the basic misconceptions is that the enterprise of terraforming a hostile environment involves huge clunky machines and robots roiling the landscape and puffing out water and oxygen to permit the human pioneers to stop cowering in their bubble enclosures and walk freely on the planet. What is obviously needed are machines that live off the environment and reproduce themselves indefinitely and change the environment to something more welcome. Plants did this for oxygen breathing animals on Eath and this is what will probably happen on another planet to be made fit for Earth life. The "machines" will be biological creatures that change things by their dynamic physiology. It might take centuries but that's the way it will happen - if it does. The science fiction concept of alien invaders come to take over Earth with heat rays and waving tentacles is nonsense. The first wave will be strange alien microbes that change the atmosphere suitable to aliens and then alien plants that push that further along. Then will come the monsters.