Living on Mars is of the realm of sci-fi fantasy, but one Nasa scientist has an idea that could make it possible in a matter of years.
Speaking at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop at the Nasa ce Vision 2050 Workshop at the Nasa headquarters in Washington, Nasa's Planetary Science Division Director James Green presented the extraordinary idea of putting a magnetic shield around Mars to restore its atmosphere, which eventually could make it habitable.
The workshop was aimed at discussing ambitious space projects that could be implemented or at least started by 2050. Speakers included a range of experts on space technology, who set out their vision for what planetary science may look like in the future.
Green said that launching a "magnetic shield" to a stable orbit between Mars and the sun could shield the planet from high-energy solar particles. Mars once had a significant amount of water before the planet lost between 80 and 90% of its atmosphere over its lifetime.
According to science blog Phys.org, the beginning of this loss can be traced back roughly 4.2 billion years ago, when Mars' magnetic field suddenly disappeared and caused its atmosphere to slowly be lost to space. Over the next 500 million years, Mars went from being a warmer, wetter environment to the cold, uninhabitable place we know today.
According to Green, the artificial shield he envisages would consist of a large dipole, which is a close electric circuit powerful enough to generate an artificial magnetic field, `Popular Mechanics' reports.
"In the future, it is quite possible that an inflatable structure(s) can generate a magnetic dipole field at a level of perhaps 1or 2 Tesla (or 10,000 to 20,000 Gauss) as an active shield against the solar wind," Green said.
The shield would allow Mars to slowly restore its atmosphere. Green's modelling of the shield found that the structure could enable Mars to build up half the atmospheric pressure of the Earth in a matter of years.
The shield would protect the planet from solar winds and the greenhouse effect would start to heat the planet and eventually melt the ice under its poles. "Perhaps one-seventh of the ancient ocean could return to Mars... The solar system is ours, let's take it. That, of course, includes Mars and for humans to be able to explore Mars, together, with us doing science, we need a better environment," he said.
If the theory proves true, it could bring us one step closer towards transforming Mars into a habitable planet.
Speaking at the Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop at the Nasa ce Vision 2050 Workshop at the Nasa headquarters in Washington, Nasa's Planetary Science Division Director James Green presented the extraordinary idea of putting a magnetic shield around Mars to restore its atmosphere, which eventually could make it habitable.
The workshop was aimed at discussing ambitious space projects that could be implemented or at least started by 2050. Speakers included a range of experts on space technology, who set out their vision for what planetary science may look like in the future.
Green said that launching a "magnetic shield" to a stable orbit between Mars and the sun could shield the planet from high-energy solar particles. Mars once had a significant amount of water before the planet lost between 80 and 90% of its atmosphere over its lifetime.
According to science blog Phys.org, the beginning of this loss can be traced back roughly 4.2 billion years ago, when Mars' magnetic field suddenly disappeared and caused its atmosphere to slowly be lost to space. Over the next 500 million years, Mars went from being a warmer, wetter environment to the cold, uninhabitable place we know today.
According to Green, the artificial shield he envisages would consist of a large dipole, which is a close electric circuit powerful enough to generate an artificial magnetic field, `Popular Mechanics' reports.
"In the future, it is quite possible that an inflatable structure(s) can generate a magnetic dipole field at a level of perhaps 1or 2 Tesla (or 10,000 to 20,000 Gauss) as an active shield against the solar wind," Green said.
The shield would allow Mars to slowly restore its atmosphere. Green's modelling of the shield found that the structure could enable Mars to build up half the atmospheric pressure of the Earth in a matter of years.
The shield would protect the planet from solar winds and the greenhouse effect would start to heat the planet and eventually melt the ice under its poles. "Perhaps one-seventh of the ancient ocean could return to Mars... The solar system is ours, let's take it. That, of course, includes Mars and for humans to be able to explore Mars, together, with us doing science, we need a better environment," he said.
If the theory proves true, it could bring us one step closer towards transforming Mars into a habitable planet.