Terraforming Mars is a dream of many people. Mars has a lot going for it. Its day is about the same length as Earth's, it has plenty of frozen water just under its surface, and it could be given a breathable atmosphere in time.
It lacks a strong magnetic field. If we want to make Mars a second Earth, we have to give it an artificial one.
Magnetic fields can protect a planet from solar wind and particles. The magnetic field on Earth prevents high-energy charged particles from reaching the surface. They are not from Earth, but from the ground.
The magnetic field helps keep solar winds from stripping Earth's atmosphere. Early Mars had a thick, water-rich atmosphere, but it began to deplete without the protection of a strong magnetic field.
We can't recreate Earth's magnetic field on Mars. Our field is created by the interplay of iron and magnetism in Earth's core.
The interior of Mars is cooler and smaller than the rest of the planet. A recent study shows how we can create an artificial magnetic field.
The idea of generating a Martian magnetic field has been proposed before, and usually involves either ground-based or orbital solenoids that create some basic level of magnetic protection.
You can see a couple of scenes in The Expanse. The study acknowledges that it might work, but it proposes a better solution.
A good planetary magnetic field can only be achieved by a strong flow of charged particles, either within the planet or around the planet. The team looks at the former since it isn't a good option for Mars.
It turns out you can make a ring of charged particles around Mars thanks to Phobos.
A torus of charged particles could give Mars a magnetic field. Ruth Bamford.
The larger of the two Martian moons is Phobos. It travels around Mars every 8 hours. The team wants to create a plasma torus by using ionizing particles from Phobos' surface.
The magnetic field would be strong enough to protect Mars.
The engineering hurdles would be significant, and it's a bold plan. The authors say that this is the time for ideas.
When we reach Mars, we will be ready to put the best ideas to the test because we will be thinking about the problems we need to solve.
The article was published by Universe Today. The original article can be found here.
