TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
WRITTEN BY ANDREW LIM AND CELINE LITYO
DESIGN BY CELINE LITYO
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
Science fiction has always dreamed of life on other planets just like it is
on earth. There is a method in doing such, it is called terraforming.
Terraforming is the hypothetical transformation of an environment such
as plants, where hostile living conditions (atmosphere, temperature,
human ecology) are adjusted. After the arduous process of terraforming a
body, Earth like-life should be possible.
With worries about our world’s rising pollution and population, many
people are starting to think that life on another planet must be an option.
This document lists the challenges, methods and history of terraforming.
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
HISTORY
James Edward Oberg, born on November 7, 1944, in New York, United
States, is an American NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) engineer and also a journalist. He was the first to
organize Terraforming colloquium activity in 1975. He then went on to
publish a book in 1981 called “New Earths”, where he popularized the
term Terraforming and explained the concepts behind it.
Fig 1: James Oberg.
Scientists have considered 2 planets in our solar system fit for
terraforming: Venus and Mars. In 1961, the Journal of Science
published Carl Sagan’s (astronomer) terraforming strategies for
Venus, including seeding Venus’ atmosphere with algae to combat the planet’s runaway
greenhouse effect. Subsequently, Sagan’s 1973 Icarus “Planetary engineering on Mars” also
presented 2 possible techniques of transforming the martial atmosphere.
The idea of “shell worlds” was
later introduced in 2009 by Kenneth
Roy, an engineer in the US
Department of energy. The model
imagines a world where a foreign
planet is “shelled”, so that its
atmosphere is encased in
favorable conditions while
transformation takes place. This
hypothetical idea could be more
easily accomplished in smaller
bodies/planets. Shells could be
made of all sorts of materials,
depending on the planet. For
example, Mars could be
terraformed using a shell of dirt,
Kevlar fiber and steel, which still allows safe pressure and oxygen levels inside. Since shells
encase the entire planet, artificial lighting must be used to mimic earth like conditions and
environments. The heavy industry for docking and loading would be located outside of the
shell.
So far, “shell worlds” have many advantages that other methods do not. The encasement
protects the planet in making from ultraviolet radiation from other celestial bodies.
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
Let’s talk about Mars, nicknamed
the “earth’s little brother”, it is
the most frequently hypothesized
planet in the topic of
terraforming.
Conditions needed to be satisfied to be
able to live in MARS
1. The distance between the Sun and Mars is
approximately 208.99 million kilometers. This implies that the amount of sunlight and
heat reaching Mars is relatively low as compared to Earth, which explains the low
temperature(-62.8°C). To be able to live on Mars, humans need supplies of heat or
warm temperature.
2. Water supplies/water processing system. This is very vital because a human
being would die in a matter of days if they do not drink. Furthermore, the incredibly low
temperature does not allow water to remain in its liquid state. This means that even if
there is water, it will definitely be in forms of ice/liquid’s solid state.
3. Food or agricultural systems. Mars's atmosphere consists mostly of carbon
dioxide (95%), which is crucial for the growth of plants. It is also known that Martian
soil has some of the nutrients required for plants to grow. This is good news! However,
we must remember that plants cannot grow in extremely cold temperatures.
4. To achieve earth like conditions, Mars is in great need of artificial thickening of
the atmosphere. The process requires melting ice to release water and increase the
density of oxygen to the atmosphere, but we have to consider Mars’ “Triple Point” of
water. The triple point of water refers to the set of conditions in which all 3 states
(solid, liquid and gas) can exist. On Mars, water in the form of ice would directly
sublime into gas due to its low atmospheric pressure (600 Pa). Terraforming efforts
would have to alter the planet’s pressure first so that water can exist in the form of
liquid on the surface.
5. Pressure is not the only setback in the development of Mars, temperature is
also a factor that needs to be altered. Buffer gases like nitrogen and other stable
greenhouse gases such as sulfur hexafluoride and 1,1,1-Trichloro ethane have to be
provided in massive amounts for the warming of Mars’ temperature. However, this
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
process could be a costly one. It is estimated that 150 million tons of these gases are
required for this project.
6. The soil in mars is also found to be laden with radioactive carbon-14 and sulfur-
35, which gives the Martian soil a red color. Martian soil is highly radioactive, as
observed by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft Radiation Experiment. This is a
direct result of a very weak magnetosphere. The magnetosphere shields the earth
from interplanetary space weather and shields us from particle cosmic radiation,
especially from the sun. Being constantly exposed to solar flares and cosmic rays for
hundreds of millions of years, radiation is definitely a health issue for living things.
We tend to think of terraforming as an instant solution to world’s
problems, like an instant new world for humans. However, after the first
initial processes are complete, it would take more than 10000 years for
the atmosphere to suit human requirements and around 100 to a few
thousand years for plants to thrive.
Terraforming methods that may solve these problems
• Installing large orbital mirrors. These large
orbital mirrors are used to reflect sun rays to melt
the ice caps on Mars. This will not only provide a
water source, but also release the carbon dioxide
trapped inside the ice caps. The trapped carbon
dioxide gases are then released into the
atmosphere. Since carbon dioxide is a greenhouse
gas, it can trap heat which would eventually increase the temperature on Mars due to
the thickening of the atmosphere.
Fig 3: Prototype of the large orbital mirror
The carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere
can then be used to help grow plants. Since there
is a relatively warmer temperature, source of
water, and Martial soil that already contains the
required nutrients, the plants, such as sweet
potatoes and carrot, can now grow.
Fig 4. Plant growth
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
Fig 5: Contents of the soil
Isn’t this interesting? As mentioned earlier, it is a hypothetical process.
This is because terraforming is not possible with the technology we
currently have. According to Bruce Jakosky, there isn't enough carbon
dioxide gas to make the atmosphere warmer/thicker. As also mentioned
earlier, pressure is also another setback. If these setbacks cannot be
deciphered, humans will not be able to conduct activities in a way similar
to how humans do it on Earth. Maybe in the near future, technology will be
able to solve our issues, allowing us to migrate to other planets.
TE R R A F O R M I N G
THE JOURNEY TO A SECOND WORLD
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