Astronomer Explains How Mars Could Support Life Beyond Earth

An astronomer explained how Mars could be turned into a second home planet for humans. According to the astronomers, the Red Planet can be terraformed for humans by using its natural resources.

Numerous scientific studies have suggested the idea that Mars once had the ideal conditions to support life. This is one of the main reasons why various space agencies such as NASA are scrambling to send exploration missions to the Red Planet.

Due to its promising past, many scientists believe that Mars can still be an ideal location for a human outpost in space. One way to establish an outpost on Mars is by building underground facilities using the planet’s lava tubes.

Another method involves terraforming the entire planet to make it habitable for humans. Although this idea seems very far-fetched for now, astronomer Abhay Deshpande believes this can be achieved using the planet’s natural resources.

Deshpande, the honorary secretary for the scientific organization Khagol Mandal, explained that Mars could be turned into a habitable planet by increasing the CO2 content in its atmosphere. This can be done by releasing the trapped CO2 in Mars’ soil and polar regions.

“If we are able to increase the pressure on the planet, then there may be a chance that water can exist on the planet in the future,” Deshpande told The Weather Channel. “Also, if we increase the total content of CO2, then the greenhouse effect may further increase leading to better conditions to stay on the planet.”

As explained by the astronomer, the sudden increase of CO2 would offset the planet’s atmospheric pressure. It would also trigger a greenhouse effect that could alter Mars’ environmental conditions. Theoretically, these changes could allow liquid water to exist on the Red Planet, which is considered a vital aspect that could help sustain a human outpost on Mars.

“We can use explosives to evaporate the caps and CO2 will be released to the atmosphere,” Deshpande explained. “If entire caps are melted to get maximum CO2, the pressure will increase to double the current pressure.”

Of course, further studies are yet to be conducted on Mars to determine if the planet’s CO2 content is enough to change its environmental conditions. Also, experiments are still needed to be done to determine if Mars can be terraformed properly.