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When I was in middle school, my biology teacher showed our class the sci-fi movie \u201cStar Trek III: The Search for Spock<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The plot drew me in, with its depiction of the \u201cGenesis Project<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a new technology that transformed a dead alien world into one brimming with life.<\/p>\n After watching the movie, my teacher asked us to write an essay about such technology. Was it realistic? Was it ethical? And to channel our inner Spock: Was it logical? This assignment had a huge impact on me.<\/p>\n Fast-forward to today, and\u00a0I\u2019m an engineer and professor<\/a>\u00a0developing technologies to extend the human presence beyond Earth.<\/p>\n For example: I\u2019m working on advanced propulsion systems to take spacecraft beyond Earth\u2019s orbit. I\u2019m helping to develop lunar construction technologies to support NASA\u2019s goal of\u00a0long-term human presence on the Moon<\/a>. And I\u2019ve been on a team that showed\u00a0how to 3D-print habitats on Mars<\/a>.<\/p>\n To sustain people beyond Earth will take a lot of time, energy and imagination. But engineers and scientists have started to chip away at the many challenges.<\/p>\n After the Moon, the next logical place for humans to live beyond Earth is Mars.<\/p>\n But is it possible to terraform Mars \u2013 that is, transform it to resemble the Earth and support life? Or is that just the musings of science fiction?<\/p>\n To live on Mars, humans will need liquid water, food, shelter and an atmosphere with enough\u00a0oxygen to breathe<\/a>\u00a0and thick enough to retain heat and protect against radiation from the Sun.<\/p>\n But\u00a0the Martian atmosphere<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0almost all carbon dioxide<\/a>, with virtually no oxygen. And it\u2019s very thin \u2013 only about 1% as dense as the Earth\u2019s.<\/p>\n The less dense an atmosphere, the less heat it can hold on to. Earth\u2019s atmosphere is thick enough to retain enough heat to sustain life by what\u2019s known\u00a0as the greenhouse effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n But on Mars, the atmosphere is so slight that the nighttime temperature drops routinely to 150 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (-101 degrees Celsius).<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the best way to give Mars an atmosphere?<\/p>\n Although Mars has no active volcanoes now \u2013 at least as far as we know \u2013 scientists could trigger volcanic eruptions via nuclear explosions. The gases trapped deep\u00a0in a volcano<\/a>\u00a0would be released and then\u00a0drift into the atmosphere<\/a>. But that scheme is a bit harebrained, because the explosions would also introduce deadly radioactive material into the air.<\/p>\n A better idea: Redirecting water-rich comets and asteroids to crash into Mars. That too would release gases from below the planet\u2019s surface into the atmosphere while also releasing the water found in the comets. NASA has already demonstrated that\u00a0it is possible to redirect asteroids<\/a> \u2013 but relatively large ones, and lots of them, are needed to make a difference.A partial checklist: Food, water, shelter, air<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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