Comments on: It's Snowing on Mars! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: DWhit http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2265 DWhit Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:30:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2265 Of course it needs nitrogen if you ever want a biosphere that is self sustaining. Most plants need a good deal of nitrogen. If you want plants to do the work of growing, making food, and processing gases... then you need nitrogen. On earth most of the nitrogen is in the atmosphere, which is not useable by plants. So the soil and the roots of many plants have bacteria that "fixes" atmospheric nitrogen into a form that the plant can use. Of course it needs nitrogen if you ever want a biosphere that is self sustaining. Most plants need a good deal of nitrogen. If you want plants to do the work of growing, making food, and processing gases… then you need nitrogen. On earth most of the nitrogen is in the atmosphere, which is not useable by plants. So the soil and the roots of many plants have bacteria that “fixes” atmospheric nitrogen into a form that the plant can use.

]]> By: BCL http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2264 BCL Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:53:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2264 What are you talking about? The Martian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. It doesn't need nitrogen for terraforming. The problem is increasing temperature and pressure. This can be done by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide. What are you talking about? The Martian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide. It doesn’t need nitrogen for terraforming. The problem is increasing temperature and pressure. This can be done by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide.

]]> By: Lou http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2263 Lou Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:07:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2008/09/30/its-snowing-on-mars/#comment-2263 This is great. We have water on Mars! Great. There are two long term issues we need to be explore with regard to mars and one will greatly help up here on earth. The first is how do we increase the nitrogen levels on Mars? The second is how do we find an organism to lock up carbon and release oxygen so that martian oxgen changing the planet from 95% carbon monoxide to 75% carbon monoxide and 20% oxygen and get 20% captured as it is on earth in rock, plant and animal life. It seems the biggest secret is getting carbon and oxygen captured on Mars surface and introduce more nitrogen. I dont know about anyone else but I dont want to continue exploring but I also want to use life on earth to terraform Mars knowing that whatever life we have and/or will introduce will take centuries to have an impact on the entire atmosphere. This is great. We have water on Mars! Great.

There are two long term issues we need to be explore with regard to mars and one will greatly help up here on earth.

The first is how do we increase the nitrogen levels on Mars?

The second is how do we find an organism to lock up carbon and release oxygen so that martian oxgen changing the planet from 95% carbon monoxide to 75% carbon monoxide and 20% oxygen and get 20% captured as it is on earth in rock, plant and animal life.

It seems the biggest secret is getting carbon and oxygen captured on Mars surface and introduce more nitrogen.

I dont know about anyone else but I dont want to continue exploring but I also want to use life on earth to terraform Mars knowing that whatever life we have and/or will introduce will take centuries to have an impact on the entire atmosphere.

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