The pricipal reason given to pursue terraforming is the creation of worlds suitable for habitation by human beings and an ecology to support them. However, some researchers believe that space stations will be a more economical means for supporting space colonization. |
Today the most feasible planet for terraforming appears to be Mars. A well elaborated plan was presented by Robert Zubrin, the founder of the Mars Society. He wants to start with a Mars return mission called Mars Direct. |
If research in nanotechnology continues apace, it may become feasable to terraform planets in weeks rather than centuries. On the other hand, it may become reasonable to modify humans so that they don't require an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere in a 1G gravity field to live comfortably. That would then completely obviate the need to terraform worlds. |
The pricipal reason given to pursue terraforming is the creation of worlds suitable for habitation by human beings and an ecology to support them. However, some researchers believe that space stations will be a more economical means for supporting space colonization. If research in nanotechnology continues apace, it may become feasible to terraform planets in weeks rather than centuries. On the other hand, it may become reasonable to modify humans so that they don't require an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere in a 1G gravity field to live comfortably. That would then completely obviate the need to terraform worlds. |