Be the First Nudist on Mars

[Trailscout]

With all the excitement about Mar's warm and watery past, I started doing some searching Terraforming Mars, that is starting a chain-reaction of natural events that would return Mars to what it used to be and maybe push it a step further to make it a lush green paradise.


On the bright side, our grandchildren could probably live in a dome while waiting for the grass and trees to reclaim the red sands of Mars, but it might be quite a while before we could stroll nude down to a Martian lake for a skinnydip.


Here are a couple of links:

First Science.com Terraforming Mars Page

Super Greenhouse Gases

Technological Requirements for Terraforming Mars

[Trailscout]

With all the excitement about Mar's warm and watery past, I started doing some searching Terraforming Mars, that is starting a chain-reaction of natural events that would return Mars to what it used to be and maybe push it a step further to make it a lush green paradise.


On the bright side, our grandchildren could probably live in a dome while waiting for the grass and trees to reclaim the red sands of Mars, but it might be quite a while before we could stroll nude down to a Martian lake for a skinnydip.


Here are a couple of links:

First Science.com Terraforming Mars Page

Super Greenhouse Gases

Technological Requirements for Terraforming Mars

[Naturist Mark]

Have you read Kim Stanley Robinson's excellent Mars Trilogy?

The background of the books Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars is the terraforming of the planet.

Personally I'm a bit concerned that if things continue as they are going, by the time we are able to terraform Mars, we'll also need to terraform Earth.

-Mark

[tarsus]

some people watch too many "star trek" programs [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] i never heard of these books,thank you for mentioning them. even though reply was not to me, i still learn something. who says this site is not informtive?

[Trailscout]

Mark, Thanks for calling that trilogy to my attention. I saw it on the shelf in a bookstore some time back, but forgot to investigate. I would like to look for it again.

I fully agree with you. Mankind does have the capacity to render earth uninhabitable and parts of it are.

I have seen places in Arizona that were originally rangeland. Overgrazing turned it into a desert and such dry lands need manual intervention to restore the grass. Unlike the humid east, such places in the west will not return to vegetation without our help.

When I bought my house four years ago, My yard seemed like a hot sun-blasted pasture. So, as soon as I could, I planted trees and shrubs. In those first years we had a couple of really hot summers and of course there was no shade at all. I had to go out and water during several droughts and heat waves, but now my young trees have deep roots and seem to be growing much faster.

I collect rainwater in plastic barrels and use it during droughts. I recycle: vegetable scraps go into the leaf compost bin and this stuff becomes top soil in short order. The first year, I planted a vegetable garden. As I broke ground, I discovered that I had no top soil, so I have been ammending the soil for four years and at least in my veggie patch I am finally getting a humus layer.

Terraforming takes time, even here on lush green planet Earth.

[Trailscout]

tarsus,
I know all this stuff about changing the climate of Mars sounds like science fiction, but NASA scientists and others are making plans to do just that.

Mars is unique in that it even though it is now a frozen world with a thin atmosphere, it has not always been that way and it would not take much to make it liveable with technology we already have. Most of what Mars needs for life is locked up frozen or chemically bound in its soil. I like to think that God gave us a puzzle to solve with a very rich reward if we solve the puzzle.

[shãybare]

I agree, Trailscout. With continuing population growth mankind must search for options if they are to survive. One thing I think that is not being done here on Earth that would help immensely to overcome starvation of third world countries is Desalination Plants. It is initially costly but would more than pay for itself in the long run.

[S.M.A.]

This all seems really cool. It's a real shame it won't really be feasible for another two or three decades.

If someone is already the first naturist on Mars, can I be the second?

[Trailscout]

SMA, we have to proceed carefully without skipping any steps in preparation for settling humans on a new planet. We all know it will take a long time.

Eventually it would be hard to tell Mars from Earth. It would have oceans, lakes, rivers, trees, grass, blue sky and whatever animals we care to bring and ourselves.

If you had the chance to start human life all over again on a new planet with a warm climate, what would your new world be like?

Clothing-optional? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] That would do for starters!

[puffledud]

Trailscout,

I guess I'm just exposing (pardon the pun) my ignorance. And I haven't read any of the above books. However, even if Mars were able to develop an atmosphere like earth's, isn't it too far away from the sun to allow to roam nude across the landscape?

Cheers.

[Rex]

Maybe the first explorers will find a fossilised copy of "The Daily Martian" with a news report warning of impending global climate change. And an editorial saying, "Take no notice, it's just those scare-mongering environmentalists again!"

[Trailscout]

puffledud,

Yes, Mars does get less sunlight, so we would have to make the atmosphere thicker and provide it with more greenhouse gases to compensate. The evidence is increasingly showing that Mars once had the very atmosphere that was necessary for oceans and lakes to remain in liquid state. The scientists who crunched the numbers say that Mars can be warmed to our liking. Years ago, I worked in a greenhouse and was amazed at how little energy it takes to warm a place up if the energy that you DO receive is retained. Now in our greenhouse on sunny days, all we needed was the greenhouse skin to retain heat. Certain greenhouse gases, both natural and synthetic would serve the same function to trap the heat of Mars and hold it like a warm blanket.

When I first heard about this process, called "terraforming", I wondered about the vast chemical reactions and energy needed to make Mars liveable. What surprized me was the news that much of the job of warming Mars will be done by natural forces on the planet; we will primarily just be starting a chain reaction to restore Mars' atmosphere and nature will do the lion's share of the work.

I just wish I could live long enough to see the day that folks are skinnydipping in Martian lakes!

[Rex]

"I just wish I could live long enough to see the day that folks are skinnydipping in Martian lakes!"

If the Europeans get there first, that could be more of a possibility.

[nudistmatt]

I perfer venus myself.

[Rex]

Venus-1959-Frankie Avalon

Hey Venus oh Venus
Venus if you will
Please send along a girl for me to thrill
A girl who wants my kisses and my arms
A girl with all the charms of you

Venus make her fair
A lovely girl with sunlight in her hair
And take the brightest stars out of the sky
And place them her eyes for me
Venus goddess of love that you are
Surely the things I ask
Can't be too great a task

Venus if you do
I promise that I always will be true
I'll give her all the love I have to give
As long as we both shall live

Venus goddess of love that you are
Surely the things I ask
Can't be too great a task

Venus if you do
I promise that I always will be true
I'll give her all the love I have to give
As long as we both shall live

Hey Venus oh Venus
Make my wish come true