Moving into a new home is not only exhilarating but horrifying at the same time.
With the unknown elements that can challenge our safety and survival, how sure are we that
humans will survive on Mars?
But the what-ifs, buts, maybes, and the horror that come with the unknown can not stop Elon
from pushing through his plan of colonizing Mars, and nuking the red planet is his first
step towards terraforming it.
Do you think he can beat the odds and transform the planet that has long been dead?
Welcome to Elon Musk Zone!
In today's video, we will get into Elon Musk’s plan to nuke Mars.
The atomic bomb, nuclear bomb, and nuke, whatever you call it, it all pertains to a nuclear
warhead.
It is still a nuclear weapon of mass destruction that has caused hundreds of thousands of injuries
and deaths during World War II, and the bomb's optimal destruction remains over months and
years.
It has taken lives afterlives, and the long-term effect of the radiation extends to an increased
risk of mental and physical diseases, even to the unborn.
And yet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk still pushed the idea of nuking Mars to make it a habitable
place for mankind.
But before we go further, let us get to know our beloved neighbor planet first.
Although, it is dubbed as the Red Planet due to its color that symbolizes, fire and hotness,
Mars, contrary to what many of us believed, is actually colder than what you can think
of.
One factor is the planet’s distance from the Sun.
Its average distance from the Sun is 142 million miles or 229 million km.
This means that the planet is not getting enough light nor heat to keep its temperature
warmer.
With an average temperature of negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit or negative 60 degrees
Celsius, the Red Planet is negative 12-degree Celsius colder than Earth’s Antarctica’s
average warmth.
And though there is zero evidence of biological life on the Red Planet, the planet used to
have essential elements that contribute to Mars' suitability for life.
In general, Mars and Earth have many similarities.
But unlike Earth, Mars is not capable of creating a greenhouse effect.
I know what you are thinking.
Yes, Mars is indeed composed mainly of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, but theories suggest
that most of the carbon dioxide has been long gone with some that have been absorbed onto
Mars’ surface particularly in its polar ice caps.
Thus, if you go to Mars and consider living there, you need to be extra clever and courageous
to endure the impossibilities.
If you have seen the movie The Martian, that is how it will look like when you go to space
without a wide-range life gear.
Also, with the planet’s thin atmosphere an artificial life-support system is undeniably
a necessity.
I know this is off-topic, but I wonder how our wardrobes and walk-in closets will look
like when we are already on the Red Planet.
Our spacesuits should be at least in different colors or different designs, right?
What do you think?
Let us know what you think.
Comment it down below.
Going back, unlike many of us, Elon Musk does not see Mars’ thin atmosphere nor the complex
support system as an issue.
Instead, he sees it as an opportunity to innovate and increase the chance to fulfill his goal
of bringing human civilization to Mars.
So, how is he going to transform Mars into a livable place?
Actually, there are a couple of ways to terraform Mars.
To terraform Mars means transforming the Red Planet into a livable system that can support
human life.
This means that the planet’s temperature and pressure need to be increased.
Though NASA said in 2018 that it is impossible to terraform Mars, Elon begged to disagree.
He strongly believes that Mars' current atmospheric condition can definitely be altered to be
habitable.
In 2019, Elon Musk revived his idea of nuking Mars again thinking that this is really the
simplest and the best way to change the planet’s climate.
I know.
What is running on your mind right now is actually right.
Terraforming Mars is complicated that it will take roughly a hundred years for Elon to completely
terraform Mars.
Still, Musk wants to give it a try by nuking the planet’s CO2 deposits.
Dropping a nuclear bomb on Mars’ polar ice caps that contain carbon dioxide deposits
will thicken the planet’s atmosphere and will increase Mars’s temperature.
This will lead to a greenhouse effect similar to Earth’s which will help block the harmful
ultraviolet radiation heat on the atmosphere.
The process will also an ideal chain reaction that would result in water existing.
By successfully using this method, Elon believed that Mars will be colonized by humans in 2050.
And to accomplish this, Musk needs roughly 10,000 – 15,000 nuclear warheads to nuke
the Red Planet.
But it is not like what you think.
He will not be bombing the entire planet, nor is he declaring any war against Mars yet.
He made it clear that he will specifically detonate the bombs in the atmosphere just
right above the Martian poles.
The successive non-radioactive explosions will then create an artificial heat like the
Sun’s.
From there, the artificial heat will melt the polar ice caps with a four-billion-year-old
carbon dioxide reserve.
If this will be perfectly done, if Musk will be able to alter and balance the atmospheric
condition on Mars, humans will definitely have the liberty to walk around the Red Planet
with much simpler gear.
The question now is not actually whether it is possible to nuke and terraform Mars but
are there enough elements to successfully perform the process?
AND not only that, issues and concerns arising for choosing to nuke Mars to start terraforming
the planet need to be addressed as well.
One issue that Musk should look into is the possibility that a nuclear winter may occur
after dropping the bombs.
Which is a serious and long-lasting cooling effect triggered by layers of smoke and dust
particles in the atmosphere that can possibly block the direct sunlight from reaching the
planet.
That is exactly the opposite of what we want to do.
We need to warm the planet, not cool it down.
If you are Elon, how are you going to prevent nuclear winter from happening?
Also, Musk needs to innovate and develop a machine that can detect and extract carbon
dioxide reserves on Mars' surface too.
That is if there is any.
Because if there is none or there’s not enough CO2 on Mars, terraforming will definitely
take thousands of years or more.
That’s close to impossibility.
It is not as simple as sending and exploding nuclear bombs to the polar ice caps.
Nevertheless, regardless of what method they will use to terraform Mars they still need
to figure out how to jumpstart the Red Planet’s core to create a stronger magnetic field.
They need to establish a magnetosphere to protect Mars’ atmosphere from the damaging
solar winds.
These solar winds are streams of charged particles released from the outermost atmosphere of
the Sun called the Corona.
They are too strong that the Sun’s gravity can not hold them down.
If a planet does not have a magnetic field, its atmosphere will be stripped over time.
And people living on that planet will be more exposed to radiation causing serious medical
issues.
Hence, after much consideration, Musk parked the plan of nuking Mars and welcomed the idea
of creating a human base instead.
This could be the best option for Musk for now.
Even if he can launch thousands of nukes simultaneously, there is still no guarantee if Mars has sufficient
CO2 reserves to create an atmosphere that can support human existence over time.
The idea of building an efficient geodesic dome that is made of glass and carbon fiber
frames was for the inhabitants to freely wander around the dome without worries.
The dome was said to have a balanced distribution of air and temperature inside.
However, the geodesic dome will limit the population on Mars.
It will as well limit the distance that people can wander around Mars.
Unless Elon will create a dome that will cover the entire planet.
And though the dome will support the first colony on Mars, Musk on the other hand, strongly
believed that the people who will go to Mars are more likely to die, too.
Still, the dome is beneficial to Musk’s team especially if they have plans to mine
and have industrial operations on Mars.
The geodesic dome will allow them to move around with lighter gear while doing research
and collecting data from Mars’ surface.
Now, if you are a bit confused about whether it is right to go and settle on Mars, so are
we.
But the main issue right now is actually the ticket’s cost.
So, if you want to see us visiting Mars soon, you can start showing us your support by clicking
that Subscribe button below, giving us a thumbs-up, and sharing this video with your friends and
families.
Do not forget to hit that notification bell too for more updates.
So, what is your take on Elon’s plans?
Is nuking the best, the easiest, and the fastest way to making Mars the second Earth?
Or is it right to establish a civilization on Mars through geodesic domes?
Will he be successful in venturing into uncharted waters?
Grab your coffee and let us talk.
Tell us your thoughts on the comment section below!
Thank you for watching ElonMuskZone!
See you at the next one.