![]() ![]() Initiation of Snowball Earth with volcanic sulfur aerosol emissions. Principles of Planetary Climate (Cambridge Univ. Solid-state greenhouse and their implications for icy satellites. ![]() Statistics: a Guide to the Use of Statistical Methods in the Physical Sciences, Vol. Visible, near-infrared and infrared optical properties of silica aerogels. Time-resolved spectra of solar simulators employing metal halide and xenon arc lamps. A new analysis of Mars ‘special regions’: findings of the second MEPAG Special Regions Science Analysis Group (SR-SAG2). Beyond micromachining: the potential of diatoms. Diatoms-from cell wall biogenesis to nanotechnology. Skeleton of Euplectella sp.: structural hierarchy from the nanoscale to the macroscale. Locally targeted ecosynthesis: a proactive in situ search for extant life on other worlds. Modeling the Martian dust cycle and surface dust reservoirs with the NASA Ames general circulation model. Exposed subsurface ice sheets in the Martian mid-latitudes. Radar evidence for ice in lobate debris aprons in the mid-northern latitudes of Mars. Evidence for recent climate change on Mars from the identification of youthful near-surface ground ice. Evidence for indigenous nitrogen in sedimentary and aeolian deposits from the Curiosity rover investigations at Gale crater, Mars. Tailoring mechanical properties of aerogels for aerospace applications. Cross-linking amine-modified silica aerogels with epoxies: mechanically strong lightweight porous materials. Stability against freezing of aqueous solutions on early Mars. Development of a thermal control architecture for the Mars Exploration Rovers. Silica aerogel synthesis, properties and characterization. (ed.) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 81st edn (CRC Press, 2000).ĭorcheh, A. Thermal effects of insolation propagation into the regoliths of airless bodies. Messungen des Wärmeumsatzes über schneebedecktem Boden. Experimental investigation of insolation-driven dust ejection from Mars’ CO 2 ice caps. Dark spots and cold jets in the polar regions of Mars: new clues from a thermal model of surface CO 2 ice. Pilorget, C., Forget, F., Millour, E., Vincendon, M. CO 2 jets formed by sublimation beneath translucent slab ice in Mars’ seasonal south polar ice cap. A model of radiative and conductive energy transfer in planetary regoliths. Inventory of CO 2 available for terraforming Mars. Keeping Mars warm with new super greenhouse gases. 29th Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit AIAA-93-2005 (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1993). Technological requirements for terraforming Mars. The Martian subsurface as a potential window into the origin of life. The ultraviolet environment of Mars: biological implications past, present, and future. Improved general circulation models of the Martian atmosphere from the surface to above 80 km. The modern near-surface Martian climate: a review of in-situ meteorological data from Viking to Curiosity. In addition, it can be developed systematically, starting from minimal resources, and can be further tested in extreme environments on Earth today. This regional approach to making Mars habitable is much more achievable than global atmospheric modification. Placing silica aerogel shields over sufficiently ice-rich regions of the Martian surface could therefore allow photosynthetic life to survive there with minimal subsequent intervention. Specifically, we demonstrate via experiments and modelling that under Martian environmental conditions, a 2–3 cm-thick layer of silica aerogel will simultaneously transmit sufficient visible light for photosynthesis, block hazardous ultraviolet radiation and raise temperatures underneath it permanently to above the melting point of water, without the need for any internal heat source. We show that widespread regions of the surface of Mars could be made habitable to photosynthetic life in the future via a solid-state analogue to Earth’s atmospheric greenhouse effect. Here, we present a new approach to this problem. Several ideas for making the Martian surface more habitable have been put forward 5, 6, 7, 8, but they all involve massive environmental modification that will be well beyond human capability for the foreseeable future 9. The low temperatures 1, 2 and high ultraviolet radiation levels 3 at the surface of Mars today currently preclude the survival of life anywhere except perhaps in limited subsurface niches 4. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |