science.howstuffworks.com — Recently, NASA probes have discovered hints to a warmer past on Mars, one in which water may have flowed and life might have existed. With fluvial evidence mounting that water may still exist in a frozen state on Mars, there are many who suggest that the human race could one day make Mars its second home.
Jul 18, 2008 View in Crawl 4
ghankJul 18, 2008
And yet another "terraform Mars" article that ignores the #1 hurdle for terraforming mars. NO MAGNETIC FIELD. any atmosphere that we attempt to create on Mars would be stripped away by the solar wind, just like any previous atmosphere that Mars had. That is why the air on Mars is so thin.
bactameJul 19, 2008
The mass of a body gives it the ability to have an atmosphere. The mass of Mars means it can't hold common gases we like such as water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Magnetic fields act on ions, not neutral molecules. Since mars is small it needs larger molecular gases to have something to hold onto. Freon is big so could be an atmosphere. Water complexes and the use chelating agents to form large gaseous molecules we can breath are the kinds needed.