From:	Stephen Delear <c715591@******.MISSOURI.EDU>
Subject:	Re: [OT] Just space needed? (was: Mages and Space)
Date:	Fri, 1 May 1998 13:42:10 -0500

>
>> However much technology advances, I'm not sure about it's being able to
speed up the process
>> significantly of turning a planet with a disgustingly heavy atmosphere
and even hotter
>> weather into something we could survive on. -Maybe-... just -maybe- Mars
could be done... it
>> does have an atmoshphere of sorts, and I guess that atmosphere could be
changed... though
>> I'm not sure where'd we'd get the necessary gas.... but whatever the
case, altering the soil
>> and atmosphere of an entire planet would take several centuries...
>
>I've read a (more or less) theoretical book about terraforming. There it
>says you can build up small atomic plants for chemistry factories that
>pump CF3 and SOF6 into the atomsphere to create a greenhouse effect that
>should heat the planet and melt the frozen water to create 02. And so
>on. There are many other (possible) things to do too to fasten the
>process.

Hum I wonder if you could g-engineer a micro-organism to do this. Nah
you'd have better luck getting the sulfter and CO2 out of venuses
atmosphere. Of course you'd still have to lock away a good portion of the
atmosphere and I expect at some point you'd probably need nanotech to take
care of the sulfer on the ground. Of course the real problem is speading
the planet up...

SteveD
>
>> I've some faith in science... I just don't think it will continue to
exponentialy expand...
>> and I don't beleive in the all-powerfulness of technology. All roads
have an end. :)
>> Stonebow
>
>So then my road seems a bit longer than yours. :)
>
>
> NT
>-----------------------------------
>
>Darkness is just abscnece of light!
>
>-----------------------------------
>
Stephen Delear
University of Missouri-Columbia
Check out my Photo Message Board at http://www.missouri.edu/~c715591
"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click
the shutter" Ansel Adams