Alternate Earths!

[leo knight]

I had found this website a while ago. The artist had tinkered with Earth, raising sea levels, flipping water for land, and even adding water to Mars and Venus. I thought it might give some inspiration and amusement:

http://www.worlddreambank.org/P/PLANETS.HTM

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Awesome!

This most def hit the bookmarks, thanks a lot. *bows* Good find, Gentlebeing.

 

[Rover]

Very Cool, Thanks!

 

[BlackBat242]

Bookmarks!!! Bahh!!!

Bookmarks are easily lost when your computer hiccups.

I "copy/paste"ed it into my "assorted links" doc in my Traveller folder.

I make a CD copy of all my files monthly, so I always have them regardless of what the computer does.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Dangit BB242.

Bookmarks!!! Bahh!!!

Bookmarks are easily lost when your computer hiccups.

I "copy/paste"ed it into my "assorted links" doc in my Traveller folder.

I make a CD copy of all my files monthly, so I always have them regardless of what the computer does.

Look you ...*stops, puts out flames*...

Look, I have a Firewire external drive, (perhaps you've seen one, they are white and like to mimic high end Portable Media Players) that I don't back up enough, but my problem currently is the power management unit, not the drive...geeez it old...but is still a Mac.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I had found this website a while ago. The artist had tinkered with Earth, raising sea levels, flipping water for land, and even adding water to Mars and Venus. I thought it might give some inspiration and amusement:

http://www.worlddreambank.org/P/PLANETS.HTM

It's an interesting site. On Venus though; isn't it essentially a molten world? From what I understand the crust averages 500 meters thicke, which partially explains the greenhouse effect, as the heat from the molten rock radiates up through the crust. The other part of course being the heat trapped by the opaque layer of sulfurous clouds. trapping the suns rays.

Still, throwing a few thousand amonia comets at it might make for a balmy Venus.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Just point them out....

It's an interesting site. On Venus though; isn't it essentially a molten world? From what I understand the crust averages 500 meters thicke, which partially explains the greenhouse effect, as the heat from the molten rock radiates up through the crust. The other part of course being the heat trapped by the opaque layer of sulfurous clouds. trapping the suns rays.

Still, throwing a few thousand amonia comets at it might make for a balmy Venus.

A few thousand ammonia comets, huh? I know a dude who has this faded, short answer: Robots. |:alpha:

 

[CosmicGamer]

Bookmarks!!! Bahh!!!

Bookmarks are easily lost when your computer hiccups.

I "copy/paste"ed it into my "assorted links" doc in my Traveller folder.

I make a CD copy of all my files monthly, so I always have them regardless of what the computer does.

I back up my bookmarks every time I backup my other files...

 

[coliver988]

I back up my bookmarks every time I backup my other files...

you back up?!

 

[Agemegos]

On Venus though; isn't it essentially a molten world?

No, it's no more molten than Earth is. Less, in fact.

From what I understand the crust averages 500 meters thicke, which partially explains the greenhouse effect, as the heat from the molten rock radiates up through the crust.

Nope, that is neither true not related in any way to the Greenhouse Effect, which is an atmospheric phenomenon.

The other part of course being the heat trapped by the opaque layer of sulfurous clouds. trapping the suns rays.

Well, the important part is that the clouds are more opaque to thermal IR than they are to sunlight, but that is what we call "the Greenhouse Effect", not just part of it.

Still, throwing a few thousand amonia comets at it might make for a balmy Venus.

No, that wouldn't tend to cool it any.

 

[aramis]

while the comets would add loads of chemicals, they also would add a LOT of heat in reentry.

No, the only viable ways to "cool venus" would be to get something that can: (1) survive the sulfuric acid, (2)survive the 400°+ F temps, (3) remove CO2 from the atmosphere and replace it with O2.

In short, it's a job for photosynthetic microbes.

 

[Icosahedron]

What do you all think is the most likely way for humanity to progress beyond this ball of rock in the (relatively) short term - the most likely Alternate Earth - terraforming planets within our solar system, or sending generation ships to the stars - ie which is the least 'far-fetched' in the absence of breakthrough tech such as cold sleep or FTL?

 

[aramis]

Lacking FTL?

Terraforming Venus and domes on Mars and Luna. Possibly O'neil type cylinder colonies.

Venus is still gonna suck, due to the day length...
Mars is not gonna hold a comfy atmosphere, due to the lack of magnetic field, but if we carefully deorbit enough comets, we might make something approximating breathable.

Luna is a Rock, but it's a rock that's close enough to matter.

Neoluna is likely to also be a happening... eventually... move a largeish asteroid into L4 or L5, or the Trojan points. Use it as a core for more habs. But that presumes both fusion and powerful drives, and plenty of time.

 

[far-trader]

In the relative short time (i.e. reasonably foreseeable and without science-fiction) it will be Lunar habitats as a stepping off point to Martian habitats. Space stations don't make any sense without a Lunar base, and once you have that Mars is the better investment.

The biggest I can imagine us doing there without a significant technology breakthrough is enclosing a section of Valles Marineris and making it a habitation. In places it's big enough, and given the lighter gravity doable enough, to 'dome' huge volumes. But that would probably take us a century, or longer (as in never), the rate we're going.

Greening Mars is impossible* without some kind of magic technology and/or a very long time, several centuries at least. And there's no way I see us developing that kind of long term outlook without some other science-fiction invention, like immortality.

* and Mars is the easiest world in the solar system to terraform... barring the microbe terraforming of Venus idea aramis mentioned, which has it's own problems

 

[aramis]

Well, I read that someone discovered microbes that can survive the acid, heat, and pressure, but they are chemosynthetic, and eat "rock"... they do bind carbon, however. (They were discovered in the kimberlite pipes in S. Africa, in the deepest diamond mine areas. Y'know, the ones A/C'd down to only 50°C...)

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Iirc.

Well, I read that someone discovered microbes that can survive the acid, heat, and pressure, but they are chemosynthetic, and eat "rock"... they do bind carbon, however. (They were discovered in the kimberlite pipes in S. Africa, in the deepest diamond mine areas. Y'know, the ones A/C'd down to only 50°C...)

Actually I also think they found them in other places too, pretty much the only place we haven't some sorta micro life is space, and who knows maybe we aren't looking correctly.

 

[Blue Ghost]

No, it's no more molten than Earth is. Less, in fact.


Nope, that is neither true not related in any way to the Greenhouse Effect, which is an atmospheric phenomenon.


Well, the important part is that the clouds are more opaque to thermal IR than they are to sunlight, but that is what we call "the Greenhouse Effect", not just part of it.


No, that wouldn't tend to cool it any.

I still say it would work.

 

[JimMarn]

Actually I also think they found them in other places too, pretty much the only place we haven't some sorta micro life is space, and who knows maybe we aren't looking correctly.

The geysers in Yellowstone Park.