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FROM TIMES NIE ARCHIVES
“I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space” Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist, cosmologist & author
Can we turn
Mars into Earth Earth 2.0? This question, posed by Rhea Parameshwaran, a student, forms the basis of this feature. DHEERAJ JANGRA finds out whether the red planet can really become an Earth-like dwelling...
RHEA PARAMESHWARAN, class VIII, Sishu Griha High School, Bengaluru
Why not any other planet/celestial body? SHREYAS KUMAR, class IX, St Mira's High School, Bengaluru
What makes Mars so special?
But why should we leave Earth?
AMAN SARAF, class X, The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai Though Mars has its own share of challenges but compare to other nearby celestial bodies, it’s a paradise! Let’s delve a little deeper into mars composition. Mars was once a hospitable planet. It has water, frozen underground and at the polar caps. There is evidence that this water has, in the past and present, flooded the surface in liquid form. Its gravity is 38%
that of our Earth’s, which is believed by many to be sufficient for the human body to adapt to. A day on Mars is approximately 24.5 hours long. Though Mars is one third the size of Earth, its land area equals to the land mass of our seven continents combined. There is also an abundance of rare metals on Mars such as platinum, gold, silver, and others.
PRACHI BHARTI, class VIII, Ryan Intl-K, Bengaluru
The first question that Establishing a permapops in our mind: Why nent colony of huMars, why not other cemans on Mars is a nelestial bodies — like cessity! This is what Moon, Venus or Mercury— some of the most innovative which are much closer to Earth? and intelligent minds of our age What makes Mars different from — Buzz Aldrin, Stephen Hawkthe rest? Consider this: Out of ing, Elon Musk, Bill Nye, and the remaining seven planets in Neil deGrasse Tyson — are saymillion years. solar system: Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, ➤ Mars and Earth our Solar System, we need a ing. But why? Do you rememworld that is not too hot, not ber what Matthew Mcis 21 km high and 600 km in diameter. have approximately ➤ Mars is the only made of gas (Jupiter, Saturn, Conaughey’s character said in the same landmass: planet besides Earth Neptune, and Uranus), nor so 2014 release, ‘Interstellar’: ➤ Mars has the largest dust storms in the But Mars has only 15% far away from the Sun that it is “Mankind was born on Earth. that has polar ice caps: solar system: they can last for months and of Earth’s volume and too cold. Mars qualifies on these It was never meant to die here.” The northern cap is cover the entire planet. The seasons are counts. Let’s take the example His concern for the future of just over 10% of called Planum Boreum, extreme because its elliptical (oval-shaped) of two celestial bodies in orbit humanity is based on facts. Earth’s mass with Planum Australe in near the Earth – Moon and Venus. Moon, as we know, has negligible Through the course of history Earth has repeatedly gone through orbital path around the Sun is more elonthe south. atmosphere. As a result its temperature varies greatly between day periods of “large scale cleansing”. Take the case of dinosaurs: these ➤ Mars is home to the gated than most other planets in the and night. The average temperature on the Moon varies from minus giants roamed the Earth for 165 million years. But a colossal astertallest mountain in the solar system. 183 degrees Celsius, at night, to oid — according to the most pop106 degrees Celsius during the ular theory — wiped them out. ➤ One day Mars will have a day. The moon is 1/4 the size of The same could happen to us. Earth, so the moon’s gravity is Biologists suspect we’re living ring: In the next 20-40 much less than Earth’s, 83.3% through the sixth major mass million years, the planThere is a consensus among the scientific community that the Is it possible to make the one thing that is less to be precise. Its long-term extinction. Earth has witnessed et’s largest moon, temperature of the red planet must be raised to turn it into an destroying our planet work in our favour? It’s poleffects on our health could be five – when more than 75% of Phobos, will be torn detrimental. Venus is worse. It’s species disappeared. Putting huEarth-like planet. Mars’ average surface temperature is between lution we’re talking about. We have a lot of expethe hottest planet in the solar mans on more than one planet apart by gravitational minus 140° C and minus 60° C. The concept calls for 300 reflective balrience in releasing tons of greenhouse gases into our atmossystem. The temperature can would better ensure the survival forces leading to the creloons, each 150 metres across, arranged side by side to create a 1.5-kmphere – a factor that is leading to a rapid increase in Earth’s average reach up to 460 degrees Celsius. of our species in the years to ation of a ring that That is roughly 410 degrees hotcome. Robert Zubrin, Aerospace wide mirror in orbit around Mars. If attempted, it will indeed be a Herculean surface temperature. The same heating effect could be reproduced on ter than the hottest deserts on engineer, author and president could last up to 100 task. Nonetheless, once in place, at an altitude of nearly 133,000 miles above Mars by setting up hundreds of solar-powered, greenhouse-gas producing our planet and the cherry on top and founder of the Mars Socithe surface, the energy directed by mirrors back on Mars would be enough to factories. Their sole purpose would be to pump out CFCs, methane, carbon comes in the form of occasionety said in an interview, “ Earth melt the ice on polar caps and release the CO2 that is believed to be dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. al bouts of acid rain. On Venus, is not the only world. And if we a day lasts 5,832 hours. It comes go to Mars, we’re beginning hutrapped inside the ice. Over a period of hundred of years, the Whether the raw material required for the construction of to 243 Earth days. Mercury too manity’s career as a multi-planrise in temperature would release greenhouse gases, factories is sourced from Mars or transported from is ruled out because like Venus et, space-faring species.” which are essential to warm the planet. Earth is a question that could be answered later. it’s too very hot.
F U N FA C T S A B O U T M A R S
ORBITAL MIRRORS
1
SMASH ASTEROIDS ON ITS SURFACE
2
One of the most widely accepted theories is that the building blocks of life and much of Earth’s water arrived on asteroids. Scientists say that asteroids and comets were also instrumental in forming Mars’ previously warm and wet climate. Scientists have contemplated attaching rocket engines on an asteroid and redirecting it so that it crashed into one of the Martian poles. If two asteroids hit both the poles, that would be an ideal situation. The impact would vaporise the carbon dioxide gas that lies frozen at the Martian poles and spread it around the planet. This, in turn, would the trigger greenhouse effect. The asteroid impact would also release water trapped in the poles and create lakes and streams.
MARS SPECIAL
GREENHOUSE GAS FACTORIES
3
HUMAN-ENGINEERED MICROBES
How Terraforming Mars will work
4
JUHI BHANOT, class XII, Maharaja Agrasen Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad Terraforming is the process of transforming a hostile environment into one that is suitable for human life. Once just the subject of science fiction, it is now becoming a viable research area. But Terraforming Mars will be a huge exercise. The process of making the red planet conducive to human life life will take thousands of millennia and require enormous resources. Here are some of the terraforming methods that have been proposed by experts:
Instead of towing an asteroid or setting up factories, the best option might be to simply engineer micro organisms to do all the terraforming of Mars for us. US defence scientists are planning to use genetically engineered algae, bacteria and plants to radically transform the climate of Mars by converting the CO2 into breathable oxygen. They will be able to withstand severe cold, dryness and radiation. A team of researchers is also working on a bacteria that could extract minerals from Martian sediment to support a human colony. So, what is the time frame for terraforming Mars? Not anytime soon. We will set foot on Mars by 2040. Therefore, we have to wait till the mid-22nd century before terraforming can be considered seriously.
Dark streaks on Mars may indicate flowing water: Study Recurring slope linae, dark streaks that change seasonally, on Martian slopes indicate presence of flowing water, claims a new study...
S
tunning new images of giant canyons on Mars have reignited the debate over whether water still flows on the red planet. Puzzles persist about possible water at seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes — and the new study of thousands of such features in the Red Planet's largest canyon system. Some of the sites displaying the seasonal flows are canyon
The possibility of liquid water at or near the surface of Mars carries major ramifications for studying whether life exists on Mars, since all known life relies on liquid water ridges and isolated peaks, ground shapes that make it hard to explain the streaks as resulting from underground water directly reaching the surface. Water pulled from the atmosphere by salts, or
mechanisms with no flowing water involved, remain possible explanations for the features at these sites. These features are called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, a mouthful chosen to describe them
without implying how they form. Since their discovery in 2011, Martian RSL have become one of the hottest topics in planetary exploration, the strongest evidence for any liquid water on the surface of modern Mars, even if transient. They appear as dark lines extending downslope during a warm season, then fading away during colder parts of the year, then repeating the progression in a following year.
FROM TIMES NIE ARCHIVES
“I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space” Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist, cosmologist & author
Can we turn
Mars into Earth Earth 2.0? This question, posed by Rhea Parameshwaran, a student, forms the basis of this feature. DHEERAJ JANGRA finds out whether the red planet can really become an Earth-like dwelling...
RHEA PARAMESHWARAN, class VIII, Sishu Griha High School, Bengaluru
Why not any other planet/celestial body? SHREYAS KUMAR, class IX, St Mira's High School, Bengaluru
What makes Mars so special?
But why should we leave Earth?
AMAN SARAF, class X, The Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai Though Mars has its own share of challenges but compare to other nearby celestial bodies, it’s a paradise! Let’s delve a little deeper into mars composition. Mars was once a hospitable planet. It has water, frozen underground and at the polar caps. There is evidence that this water has, in the past and present, flooded the surface in liquid form. Its gravity is 38%
that of our Earth’s, which is believed by many to be sufficient for the human body to adapt to. A day on Mars is approximately 24.5 hours long. Though Mars is one third the size of Earth, its land area equals to the land mass of our seven continents combined. There is also an abundance of rare metals on Mars such as platinum, gold, silver, and others.
PRACHI BHARTI, class VIII, Ryan Intl-K, Bengaluru
The first question that Establishing a permapops in our mind: Why nent colony of huMars, why not other cemans on Mars is a nelestial bodies — like cessity! This is what Moon, Venus or Mercury— some of the most innovative which are much closer to Earth? and intelligent minds of our age What makes Mars different from — Buzz Aldrin, Stephen Hawkthe rest? Consider this: Out of ing, Elon Musk, Bill Nye, and the remaining seven planets in Neil deGrasse Tyson — are saymillion years. solar system: Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, ➤ Mars and Earth our Solar System, we need a ing. But why? Do you rememworld that is not too hot, not ber what Matthew Mcis 21 km high and 600 km in diameter. have approximately ➤ Mars is the only made of gas (Jupiter, Saturn, Conaughey’s character said in the same landmass: planet besides Earth Neptune, and Uranus), nor so 2014 release, ‘Interstellar’: ➤ Mars has the largest dust storms in the But Mars has only 15% far away from the Sun that it is “Mankind was born on Earth. that has polar ice caps: solar system: they can last for months and of Earth’s volume and too cold. Mars qualifies on these It was never meant to die here.” The northern cap is cover the entire planet. The seasons are counts. Let’s take the example His concern for the future of just over 10% of called Planum Boreum, extreme because its elliptical (oval-shaped) of two celestial bodies in orbit humanity is based on facts. Earth’s mass with Planum Australe in near the Earth – Moon and Venus. Moon, as we know, has negligible Through the course of history Earth has repeatedly gone through orbital path around the Sun is more elonthe south. atmosphere. As a result its temperature varies greatly between day periods of “large scale cleansing”. Take the case of dinosaurs: these ➤ Mars is home to the gated than most other planets in the and night. The average temperature on the Moon varies from minus giants roamed the Earth for 165 million years. But a colossal astertallest mountain in the solar system. 183 degrees Celsius, at night, to oid — according to the most pop106 degrees Celsius during the ular theory — wiped them out. ➤ One day Mars will have a day. The moon is 1/4 the size of The same could happen to us. Earth, so the moon’s gravity is Biologists suspect we’re living ring: In the next 20-40 much less than Earth’s, 83.3% through the sixth major mass million years, the planThere is a consensus among the scientific community that the Is it possible to make the one thing that is less to be precise. Its long-term extinction. Earth has witnessed et’s largest moon, temperature of the red planet must be raised to turn it into an destroying our planet work in our favour? It’s poleffects on our health could be five – when more than 75% of Phobos, will be torn detrimental. Venus is worse. It’s species disappeared. Putting huEarth-like planet. Mars’ average surface temperature is between lution we’re talking about. We have a lot of expethe hottest planet in the solar mans on more than one planet apart by gravitational minus 140° C and minus 60° C. The concept calls for 300 reflective balrience in releasing tons of greenhouse gases into our atmossystem. The temperature can would better ensure the survival forces leading to the creloons, each 150 metres across, arranged side by side to create a 1.5-kmphere – a factor that is leading to a rapid increase in Earth’s average reach up to 460 degrees Celsius. of our species in the years to ation of a ring that That is roughly 410 degrees hotcome. Robert Zubrin, Aerospace wide mirror in orbit around Mars. If attempted, it will indeed be a Herculean surface temperature. The same heating effect could be reproduced on ter than the hottest deserts on engineer, author and president could last up to 100 task. Nonetheless, once in place, at an altitude of nearly 133,000 miles above Mars by setting up hundreds of solar-powered, greenhouse-gas producing our planet and the cherry on top and founder of the Mars Socithe surface, the energy directed by mirrors back on Mars would be enough to factories. Their sole purpose would be to pump out CFCs, methane, carbon comes in the form of occasionety said in an interview, “ Earth melt the ice on polar caps and release the CO2 that is believed to be dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. al bouts of acid rain. On Venus, is not the only world. And if we a day lasts 5,832 hours. It comes go to Mars, we’re beginning hutrapped inside the ice. Over a period of hundred of years, the Whether the raw material required for the construction of to 243 Earth days. Mercury too manity’s career as a multi-planrise in temperature would release greenhouse gases, factories is sourced from Mars or transported from is ruled out because like Venus et, space-faring species.” which are essential to warm the planet. Earth is a question that could be answered later. it’s too very hot.
F U N FA C T S A B O U T M A R S
ORBITAL MIRRORS
1
SMASH ASTEROIDS ON ITS SURFACE
2
One of the most widely accepted theories is that the building blocks of life and much of Earth’s water arrived on asteroids. Scientists say that asteroids and comets were also instrumental in forming Mars’ previously warm and wet climate. Scientists have contemplated attaching rocket engines on an asteroid and redirecting it so that it crashed into one of the Martian poles. If two asteroids hit both the poles, that would be an ideal situation. The impact would vaporise the carbon dioxide gas that lies frozen at the Martian poles and spread it around the planet. This, in turn, would the trigger greenhouse effect. The asteroid impact would also release water trapped in the poles and create lakes and streams.
MARS SPECIAL
GREENHOUSE GAS FACTORIES
3
HUMAN-ENGINEERED MICROBES
How Terraforming Mars will work
4
JUHI BHANOT, class XII, Maharaja Agrasen Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad Terraforming is the process of transforming a hostile environment into one that is suitable for human life. Once just the subject of science fiction, it is now becoming a viable research area. But Terraforming Mars will be a huge exercise. The process of making the red planet conducive to human life life will take thousands of millennia and require enormous resources. Here are some of the terraforming methods that have been proposed by experts:
Instead of towing an asteroid or setting up factories, the best option might be to simply engineer micro organisms to do all the terraforming of Mars for us. US defence scientists are planning to use genetically engineered algae, bacteria and plants to radically transform the climate of Mars by converting the CO2 into breathable oxygen. They will be able to withstand severe cold, dryness and radiation. A team of researchers is also working on a bacteria that could extract minerals from Martian sediment to support a human colony. So, what is the time frame for terraforming Mars? Not anytime soon. We will set foot on Mars by 2040. Therefore, we have to wait till the mid-22nd century before terraforming can be considered seriously.
Dark streaks on Mars may indicate flowing water: Study Recurring slope linae, dark streaks that change seasonally, on Martian slopes indicate presence of flowing water, claims a new study...
S
tunning new images of giant canyons on Mars have reignited the debate over whether water still flows on the red planet. Puzzles persist about possible water at seasonally dark streaks on Martian slopes — and the new study of thousands of such features in the Red Planet's largest canyon system. Some of the sites displaying the seasonal flows are canyon
The possibility of liquid water at or near the surface of Mars carries major ramifications for studying whether life exists on Mars, since all known life relies on liquid water ridges and isolated peaks, ground shapes that make it hard to explain the streaks as resulting from underground water directly reaching the surface. Water pulled from the atmosphere by salts, or
mechanisms with no flowing water involved, remain possible explanations for the features at these sites. These features are called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, a mouthful chosen to describe them
without implying how they form. Since their discovery in 2011, Martian RSL have become one of the hottest topics in planetary exploration, the strongest evidence for any liquid water on the surface of modern Mars, even if transient. They appear as dark lines extending downslope during a warm season, then fading away during colder parts of the year, then repeating the progression in a following year.
