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University of Central Florida

HIM 1990-2015

2014

Albedo; Atmosphere; Mars; Planetary engineering; Planetary science; Solar system; Space; Terraforming; Thermodynamics

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The Thermodynamics Of Planetary Engineering On The Planet Mars, Christopher Barsoum May 2014

The Thermodynamics Of Planetary Engineering On The Planet Mars, Christopher Barsoum

HIM 1990-2015

Mars is a potentially habitable planet given the appropriate planetary engineering efforts. In order to create a habitable environment, the planet must be terraformed, creating quasi-Earth conditions. Benchmarks for minimum acceptable survivable human conditions were set by observing atmospheric pressures and temperatures here on Earth that humans are known to exist in. By observing a positive feedback reaction, it is shown how the sublimation of the volatile southern polar ice cap on Mars can increase global temperatures and pressures to the benchmarks set for minimum acceptable survivable human conditions. Given the degree of uncertainty, utilization of pressure scale heights and …