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“Even in a nuclear apocalypse, the earth would be a paradise compared to Mars”

Elon Musk wants to turn humanity into a multi -purpose species, with Mars as a second home and our “lifeboat”, in the event that a catastrophe occurs on earth. Musk’s vision is the engine after the Starship program, which mobilizes billions of dollars with the aim of building a rocket capable of taking us to the red planet.

Adam Becker’s three scenarios

Some scientists still do not see clear Elon Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars. And not because the Starship has exploded four times in a row. After all, it is an experimental rocket. “There are many reasons why it is a bad idea,” says astrophysicist Adam Becker. “I do not mean that ‘we will never have the technology to live on Mars’. What I say is that the earth will always be a better option, what happens to the earth.”

In a blunt Interview with Rolling StoneBecker doubts some of the “messianic fantasies” of technological oligarchs, starting with Elon Musk’s Martian dream. His argument is as simple as devastating: no matter how bad things are put on our planet, the earth will always be a paradise compared to the icy hell that is Mars. In Becker’s words, Musk’s idea is “one of the most stupid things someone could say.”

To illustrate his point, the astrophysicist raises three apocalyptic scenarios: 1) The impact of an asteroid the size of the dipes extinguished. 2) The detonation of all the nuclear weapons of the planet. And 3) the worst possible climate change scenario. “Even then,” he says, “the Earth would remain more habitable. A superficial examination of Mars makes it very clear.”

Devastated land vs. Mars as it is

A pressurized room on Mars according to Spacex's vision
A pressurized room on Mars according to Spacex's vision

Let’s put the data on the table to understand the abysmal difference between a devastated earth planet and the Mars we know today. In order for an environment to be “habitable” for humans without a perfect and autonomous life support technology, basic conditions that we often take for granted are needed.

The atmosphere of the Earth would be contaminated, but it would remain dense, rich in nitrogen and oxygen, and with a pressure at the sea of ​​1 bar. On the current Mars, The atmosphere is extremely thin (0.6% that of the Earth) and is composed of 95% by carbon dioxide. It is disappointed and has a pressure on the surface of 0.006 bars, so that liquid water boils instantly (or rather it is sublimated, passing from solid to gas).

The Earth’s magnetic field would continue intact, diverting most of the cosmic and solar radiation. The atmosphere, even contaminated, would offer an additional layer. Mars lacks a global magnetic field. Its surface is constantly bombarded with a dose of radiation that becomes lethal for a long -term human.

On Mars, the average temperature is -63 ° C. All water is frozen in polar or underground caps. On earth, a nuclear winter or the impact of an asteroid would drastically cool the planet, but the oceans would act as a gigantic thermal regulator. The 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water would continue here. Contaminated and partially frozen, but accessible and treatable, assuming we had access to some technology.

The biosphere would be seriously damaged after a catastrophe, but the land of the earth would contain organic matter and the basic components for life. In addition, there would be geothermal and oceanic shelters, where microbial life would persist although other life forms would have disappeared. Martian soil is toxic. It contains high concentrations of perchlorates, dangerous chemical compounds for human health that complicate agriculture.

Can Mars be terraft?

Tesla Optimus robots on Mars
Tesla Optimus robots on Mars

Although Spacex renders show a gigantic pressurized base under the surface of Mars, Elon Musk has always fought his vision to the possibility of terrafting the red planet. So we already talk about transport millions of tons of load To build a city inhabited on Martian soil, but of a much more great project.

There are many (and very diverse) Ideas to terraphormate Mars, but engineering to Megaescala that would mean any of them presents not a few obstacles. The first step would be to raise the temperature of Mars. The proposals van From nuclear bombs to install gigantic orbital mirrors that concentrate sunlight at the poles. By heating polar caps, water ice and carbon dioxide would sublimize, swelling the atmosphere.

In theory, a densest atmosphere would catch more heat, which in turn would release more gas and soil gas. This positive feedback cycle would increase pressure and temperature until water could exist in a liquid state on the Martian surface. However, studies They doubt that Mars has sufficient CO2 To achieve this effect.

Even if we could release the entire CO2 accessible in polar caps and trapped in surface minerals, the atmospheric pressure of Mars would only increase to 7% of the thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere. In this context, the affirmation of the astrophysicist Adam Becker charges even more strength.

If transforming Mars into a habitable planet is practically impossible, living there would require a Total artificial habitat dependence incredibly complex and vulnerable. The logic dictates that any effort and resource would be better invested in preserving and, if necessary, repair the only life support system that we have and that works perfectly: the planet Earth.

In spite of everything, and seeing how the world is going, perhaps a plan B would not be bad, even if it were only for the children of the children of whom they would voluntarily live on a worse planet could return.

Images | Spacex

In Xataka | An American physicist has found a shortcut to get to Mars in 90 days. It is key to surviving radiation

In Xataka | China has just solved two problems for the conquest of Mars: you already know how to turn CO2 into electricity and batteries

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