1. Bringing Life to Mars, and Mars to Life

2. Terraforming defined Genesis of term Basic definition –"...a process of planetary engineering, specifically directed at enhancing the capacity of an extraterrestrial planetary environment to support life. The ultimate in terraforming would be to create an uncontained planetary biosphere emulating all the functions of the biosphere of the Earth–one that would be fully habitable for human beings.” - Martyn J. Fogg Ecopoesis – partial terraforming Biospheres and Terran ecosystem services

3. Exploration/colonization ISS vs. Terran biospheres –Materials imports and exports Lunar and Martian outposts –Closed loop systems –In-situ resource utilization –Economic & political pressures

4. Earth-like Mars Ecosystem size, complexity and stability Interest in terraforming Mars Day length Year length and seasonality Land surface Surface gravity

5. Alien Mars Mars is cold (-63 o C vs. 15 o C) (heat budget) (heat budget) The air is thin (6.4 mb) and ‘unbreathable’ (95% CO 2, N 2, Ar, O 2 ) No liquid water No global magnetic field

6. Earth and Mars history Warm, wet, anaerobicWarm, wet, anaerobic? Early life Climatic cycles, Plate techtonics Atmospheric O 2 Multicellular life Early life???? Core cooling Magnetosphere loss Techtonic shutdown H 2 O loss CO 2 sequestration Cold, dry planet Extant life???

7. Mars today, re-examined Flotilla: Pathfinder, MGS, Odyssey, Mars Express, MER Spirit & Opportunity Polar icecaps: water ice and CO 2Polar icecaps Subsurface water, Surface water(??)Subsurface waterSurface water Implications for current water cycle Cycles of climate change Search for carbonates

8. Mars terraforming goals Raised surface temperature (~ 60 o C) Increased mass of the atmosphere Availability of liquid water Protection from UV and cosmic rays ===== Composition of atmosphere

9. Runaway greenhouse effect CO 2 and H 2 O reserves Polar CO 2 dynamicsPolar CO 2 dynamics Positive feedback mechanism to raise T and P a Impacts on water cycle Unknowns: reserve levels and formats, time constants

10. Triggering the runaway Artificial greenhouse gas productiongreenhouse Initial interest in CFC’s Search for designer greenhouse gasses Unknowns: effectiveness, lifespan, in-situ resource utilization issues CF 3 CF 2 CF 3, CF 3 SCF 2 CF 3, SF 6, SF 5 CF 3, SF 4 (CF 3 ) 2

11. Change albedo of icecaps Orbital mirrors Cometary bombardment Nuclear explosions in regolith Other triggers

12. Atmospheric composition Results of greenhouse runaway How to oxygenate the atmosphere? –Carbon cycle – carbon sequestration neededCarbon cycle Candidate primary producers for ecosystemCandidate primary producers How to build functional ecosystems??functional ecosystems Time to build up O 2 : 1000’s of years Nitrogen issues

13. Mars terraforming possibilities Planet can be warmed and the atmosphere thickened –Easier to work outside and harvest resources Replicating Terran biospheres is much more difficult, and will not happen soon

14. Environmental ethics

15. Discussion time

16. Environmental ethics concepts Obligations and restrictions Moral standing and moral agents Intrinsic vs. instrumental values Anthropocentrism Biocentrism Ecocentrism

17. End of show

18. Atmospheric heat budget

19. Polar icecaps

20. Subsurface water

21. Recent surface water?

22. Polar CO 2 dynamics Relationships between P a, T and P v Stable and unstable equilibrium points

23. Carbon Cycle Deep ocean burial of C

24. Extremophiles Cyanobacteria Cryptoendoliths

25. Ecosystems