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Question
hi philip.why doesn,t nasa set off a nuclear bomb on mars to heat the planet up so maybe some day to substained life?
what kind of air is mars?
greg
Hello,
Setting off a nuclear bomb on Mars - say a 10 MT bomb- would accomplish nothing other than render the planet much COLDER.
What happens on detonation, is that millions of tons of dust from the surface are hurled into the atmosphere and create a blanket that prevents even the small bit of sunlight existing already from getting through. We call this "nuclear winter" - and it is the last thing Mars needs. (Or, rather that humans need if they plan to one day make a colony on Mars).
To make Mars a warmer world requires much more time, not merely an expedient bomb. It requires altering the ecology of that world to one more closely approaching Earth. You can find out a lot more about this by googling the term:
"Terraforming"
Or
"Terraforming Mars"
As for "air" (defined as a mix of nitrogen and oxygen in the ratio of about 4:1, Mars has none. It's atmosphere consists mainly of CO2 (90% or more).
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Answers by Expert:
Philip Stahl
Expertise
I have forty years of experience in Astronomy, specifically solar and space physics. My specialties include the physics of solar flares, sunspots, including their effects on Earth and statistics as applied to astronomical investigations.
Experience
Astronomy: more than forty years experience starting with construction of my own simple telescopes. Worked at university observatory in college, doing astrographic measurements. M.Phil. degree in Physics/Solar Physics and more than ten years as researcher.
Organizations
American Astronomical Society (Solar Physics and Dynamical Astronomy divisions), American Mathematical Society, American Geophysical Union
Publications
Solar Physics (journal), The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, The Proceedings of the Meudon Solar Flare Workshop (1986), The Proceedings of the Caribbean Physics Conference (1985). Books: 'Selected Analyses in Solar Flare Plasma Dynamics', 'Physics Notes for Advanced Level'.
Education/Credentials
B.A. Astronomy, M. Phil. Physics
Awards and Honors
American Astronomical Society Studentship Award (1984), Barbados Government Award for Solar Research
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