The more extensively planets are studied and understood, the more likely it appears that inhabiting them may be an impractical goal. Mars, for instance, is the nearest celestial body to Earth in terms of distance, yet data indicates that its conditions are extremely inhospitable for life.
Despite these challenges, NASA has plans to dispatch astronauts to Mars, and Elon Musk is a vocal advocate for establishing a human presence on the Red Planet. In the near term, colonizing Mars would require constructing specialized enclosed habitats. In the long term, however, some propose a more ambitious strategy: terraforming Mars, or altering the planet to acquire Earth-like characteristics.
Scientists acknowledge that any proposals for terraforming Mars are decades away, but calculations are already in progress to evaluate how such a colossal undertaking might be feasible. Leszek Czechowski, a professor at the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, has proposed a method to transform Mars into a place where humans can walk without spacesuits. His idea involves bombarding the planet with asteroids from distant parts of the solar system.
Mars is a desert planet lacking oxygen, with an atmosphere so thin that liquid water cannot accumulate on its surface. Addressing the lack of atmospheric pressure is critical to changing any of these characteristics. Without protection, an individual on Mars would not die from suffocation or freezing but from their blood boiling almost instantly due to the thin atmosphere.
On Earth, atmospheric pressure results from the total mass of gases in its dense atmosphere, with sea level pressure equivalent to 101,325 pascals. In contrast, Mars’ atmospheric pressure is approximately 600 pascals, a fraction of Earth’s pressure. Therefore, to begin the terraforming process, scientists must first increase the Martian atmosphere’s density. Addressing other major challenges, such as extreme temperatures, solar radiation protection, and water availability, would follow in subsequent phases.
Scientists exploring the terraforming of Mars agree that the planet lacks sufficient material to alter its atmosphere, and any endeavor to transport elements there would require unprecedented energy expenditure.
Czechowski suggests solving this problem by bombarding Mars with asteroids. His proposal involves directing a large asteroid at Hellas Planitia, a significant impact crater in the planet’s southern hemisphere. According to this theory, an asteroid’s impact, containing necessary elements for habitability, would heat Mars and thicken its atmosphere.
However, not just any asteroid would be suitable; it must be rich in water and nitrogen. This requirement excludes candidates from the solar system’s asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. Instead, large rocks from the Kuiper belt, which is populated with frozen objects and primordial water, would be needed.
