Terraforming

There is a term which science fiction enthusiasts are familiar with called 'terraforming', which is to make a hostile orb in space (such as the Moon or Mars) more earth-like, and more suitable for wide-scale human habitation. Long before mankind moves off the earth in a big way, the grand ideas of terraforming and colonization may get exercised on the various large expanses of the globe where humans currently avoid. Three regiemes come immediately to mind - the oceans, the tundra, and the deserts.

One recent book, the Millenial Project by Marshall Savage, details a plan to make the oceans into a suitable habit for large-scale human settlements. Other popular media with this as a backdrop include the TV show SeaQuest. The Deep Blue scenario would benefit from the rich aquaculture which is possible therein, but suffers from the technical difficulty of creating large tracts of floating "land".

The Great White North is a term for the wide-scale settlement of the tundra. It promises to open up vast territory, including large areas of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, which are contiguous to currently settled regions. On the other hand, it must battle the extreme cold and weather often visted upon these regions. There are several known examples which demonstrate that this is possible, and technical innovations in the coming decades will make it even more so.

However, the easiest of the three terrestrial scenarios has to be Greater Las Vegas (Phoenix, San Diego, and even Los Angeles might also be good candidates). Terraforming the desert (be it Nevada or the Sahara), though challenging, is something America has been practicing for several decades. I like to say that it requires water, people, and jobs. And in a desert the hardest of these to find is obviously water.

As we progress off-planet, three more scenarios present themselves as possibilities for terraforming. The Moon is close by, lifeless and gray. Asteroids, both near-Earth and those of the Asteroid Belt, are additional possibilities. And most prominent of all is our sister planet, Mars. A world that once perhaps supported life might be able to support life once again, if we play our cards right.

Links

• SpaceRef's Terraforming Page
• Mark Prado's PERMANENT site
• Jennings, Lutz, and Victor
• What about Venus?