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Venus vs Mars: which planet would you rather have terraformed?

Which planet should humanity terraform first?


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GovtPlates

Neo Member
Mars' day is 24 hours and 40 minutes long where Venus' is 243 Earth days, which is 5,832 hours, meaning if you built a city nearly anywhere on Venus it would be daytime for fucking ever.
 

gutshot

Member
Yeah, because the atmospheric pressure is 90 times higher and no heat can escape the thick wall of gasses surrounding the planet.

But we're talking about a terraformed Venus, so, that's all quite irrelevant.

We are! So basically your post was a long way to say that the answer is Venus. :)

I didn't read the OP that way. It seemed it was asking which planet is a better candidate for terraforming now, not 1,000 years from now (why else reference current space-related events?).

We have the technology to terraform Mars right this instant. So my answer to the OP's question is Mars.
 

commedieu

Banned
In theory we could hit Mars with a big rock. That would melt the core thus kickstarting the magnetic field

There we go. I've been reading some stuff about kickstarting it.. But its something to definitely factor in, for when we decide to move there.

I figure it had to have existed at one point a strong magnetic field, now with the water evidence of flowing water, it would have had to have been a point to where the atmosphere/magnetic field were strong enough to sustain flowing water all around the planet sculpting the terrain for thousands of years.

But it seems that it would be an essential part of the process, if its a serious effort.
 
In theory we could hit Mars with a big rock. That would melt the core thus kickstarting the magnetic field

A big rock? But where the hell are we going to find a big rock in outer space? I mean, it would have to be the size of...oh, dear god...the size of Pluto...the pieces are all falling in to place.
 

commedieu

Banned
A big rock? But where the hell are we going to find a big rock in outer space? I mean, it would have to be the size of...oh, dear god...the size of Pluto...the pieces are all falling in to place.

1-12-14-Neil-deGrasse-Tyson-inside-main-ftr.jpg

..

I man as far fetched as that movie "The core" was maybe something could be done with some sort of Radiation or device that could tap the core and heat it, or get it spinning again. Not literally drilling, but using some sort of spectrum of energy to hit the core.

I mean are we to assume that the core of mars is solid non-spinning... thus the weak field?
 

cdyhybrid

Member
Earth, then Mars.

Mars will last longer than Venus when the sun blows up. Gotta be forward thinking with our investments ;)
 

VariantX

Member
Mars. You know because you wouldn't be incinerated, crushed, or dissolved on the way down to the surface of Venus. We could possibly eventually figure out how to warm up Mars at some point
 
Mars. When the sun starts entering its death phase it'll swallow up Venus and Earth. Mars has a better chance of surviving.

You're a forward thinking man. I like that. Now we just wait a measly 5 or so billion years for that to happen and then boom, bap, the little red planet with the giant red star.
 
Mars.

Although Titan/Europa is where it's at.

We'll have space colonies a la Gundam before we have completely terraformed planets/moons tho.
 
Yeah, because the atmospheric pressure is 90 times higher and no heat can escape the thick wall of gasses surrounding the planet.

But we're talking about a terraformed Venus, so, that's all quite irrelevant.

We are! So basically your post was a long way to say that the answer is Venus. :)

Oh, so you want to skip the discussion and just have one word answers?

Venus
Mars
Mars
Mars
Venus
...

Very compelling.
 
L

Lord Virgin

Unconfirmed Member
Teraforming just doesn't even seem possible.

Zod was going to do it. But Superman saved us.

This thread is a great read while the Interstellar OST is playing in the background.

I choose both, better yet: terraform every planet we can find. Every country gets its own planet.
 

JayTapp

Member
Terraforming Venus is a far better idea.

1- It's closer than Mars.
2- It's relative same size / mass than earth. The gravity on Venus is 0.907 x Earth. Compared to Mars 0.377. Which would cause long term health problem to any humans.

Most of Venus massive atmospheric pressure is due to the air density. Assuming we can terraform planets, we could live there in massive floating city above the sulfuruic clouds while we terraform the atmosphere. one we get rid of the massive green gas, the air pressure could return to normal.

but then again, ongoing temperature problems, irregular planetary rotation, and the lack of a magnetospher aren't solved in any ways.


Our best guess, I think, is to start taking care of the only place in the universe that we know and can reach that can sustain human life.
 

Jme

Member
Cloud City Venus anyday over Mars.
It's even a shorter trip, in addition to the many other positive features (closer gravity, atmosphere, etc.) Plus, fucking cloud cities!
 
Terraforming Venus is a far better idea.

1- It's closer than Mars.
2- It's relative same size / mass than earth. The gravity on Venus is 0.907 x Earth. Compared to Mars 0.377. Which would cause long term health problem to any humans.

Most of Venus massive atmospheric pressure is due to the air density. Assuming we can terraform planets, we could live there in massive floating city above the sulfuruic clouds while we terraform the atmosphere. one we get rid of the massive green gas, the air pressure could return to normal.

but then again, ongoing temperature problems, irregular planetary rotation, and the lack of a magnetospher aren't solved in any ways.


Our best guess, I think, is to start taking care of the only place in the universe that we know and can reach that can sustain human life.

Don't forget the near constant volcanic activity. I read somewhere once that it's going to settle eventually, but that's a long way away.

Venus very much matches the classical description of hell.
 
Venus has comparable gravity and is still geologically.

Yet Mars has a more conducive atmosphere, temperature, and day cycle.


Mars seems to be the most feasible for our first go at terraforming.
 

embalm

Member
Mars because of Interplanetary Trade
We can actually build a space elevator there because of the lower gravity. This would allow them to easily move things into the lower atmosphere so that they can be picked up and shipped back to earth. We can actually start interplanetary trade.

This means that space technology is actually useful and profitable. Which will snowball towards are Star Trek inspired future!
 

besada

Banned
I suspect that long before we begin terraforming any planet, we'll just go live there, sealed in hermetic bubbles from the danger. The obvious solution to Mars' lack of a magnetosphere is to build underground to shield colonists from radiation, rather than attempting to create an atmosphere that's eventually going to escape anyway.

In the long run, it seems more likely that we'll modify ourselves, since that's considerably cheaper in terms of resources and time than flinging comets around the solar system to get the required volatiles and heat needed to terraform a planet like Mars.

So, since I think we're going to live in underground dwellings anyway, I submit Mercury. It's got roughly the same gravity as Mars, has existing volatiles in craters, and actually has a shit ton of material we want that could be mag launched from the surface of Mercury to anywhere else in the system. It's also got massive amounts of free solar power available (about six times as much available as the Earth gets).
 
I really think I'd go with Mars. It's in the habitable zone, and it would be easier to put up settlements there than Venus WHILE it was being terraformed.

Less risky, anyway. Something about floating over an air-sea consisting of sulfuric acid sounds like it wouldn't end well at all.
 

Bodacious

Banned
is that a threat!? Maybe we could land a submarine.... or drones.. Isn't it Frozen up top? Ocean underneath...

Drones to drill holes...

Nobody else is picking up on it so just so you don't think I've gone bonkers it's a 2010 (Arthur C Clarke) reference. Too obscure maybe.

wtf yer Avatar :(

You'll get used to it. Then I'll change it again.
 

Sephzilla

Member
Mars has a chance of not being swallowed by the sun when it turns into a red giant. Venus has no chance.

I feel like this is a pointless.... point? By the time our sun goes into its red giant phase we'll have either gone extinct or have developed a way to travel out of our own solar system. So the red giant phase of our sun will likely have little effect on us.
 

Arkos

Nose how to spell and rede to
Mars has its own problems too. Namely, it can't hold onto its atmosphere or keep out radiation due to the fact that its core has cooled and is solid.

Nobody ever talks about the radiation. I feel like that's the biggest hurdle to "doing anything" on Mars
 

Regulus Tera

Romanes Eunt Domus
why is Mercury even an option
I suspect that long before we begin terraforming any planet, we'll just go live there, sealed in hermetic bubbles from the danger. The obvious solution to Mars' lack of a magnetosphere is to build underground to shield colonists from radiation, rather than attempting to create an atmosphere that's eventually going to escape anyway.

In the long run, it seems more likely that we'll modify ourselves, since that's considerably cheaper in terms of resources and time than flinging comets around the solar system to get the required volatiles and heat needed to terraform a planet like Mars.

So, since I think we're going to live in underground dwellings anyway, I submit Mercury. It's got roughly the same gravity as Mars, has existing volatiles in craters, and actually has a shit ton of material we want that could be mag launched from the surface of Mercury to anywhere else in the system. It's also got massive amounts of free solar power available (about six times as much available as the Earth gets).
The thing is way too close to the Sun for anyone to survive there unless they are constantly shifting to the dark side. And then you have to deal with the freezing temperatures.
 

sphinx

the piano man
I voted Mercury in the poll because if we were able to wander around in Mercury protected from all the things coming from the sun that can hurt or destroy us but still see it, that would be a sight to behold.
 
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