Manuelito C.

Bagasina II February 17,2017

English 12 R66 Jasmine Cruz

Terraforming Mars: Can we and Should we?

I. Introduction of topic
A. Thesis Statement
If we are, it’s gonna take a lot of time, money, and ethics.

B. Definition of Terms
1. Terraforming- Humans of Earth manipulating the atmosphere or ecology of a
planet to make it more Earth-like or habitable for humans
2. Can - We have the capabilities to undergo this project
3. Should - Is there a need to terraform and if so, are we allowed to do so?
4. We - Collective humanity or a private organization will fund and create a Mars
Terraforming project.

C. Background of Topic
Humans are a curious species, we want to study and learn new things constantly by
exploring. Though landing in the moon didn’t raise the GDP of the USA that much, it still used
25 Billion Dollars. We’ve spent 4 Billion dollars just exploring Mars. We need 3 trillion to even
begin to terraform it. Why mars? It’s somewhat inhabitable, we just have to adjust the
atmosphere and temperature plus it has possible water and evidence that life one existed in Mars.
We might need to colonize planets one day, if Earth fails.

II. Body
A. We can
1. It will take milleniums to fully terraform Mars. We can live in Martian caves and
make small colonies if we make biodomes that protect us from radiation and
storms.
2. We only need to heat up Mars, it has Carbon Dioxide underneath the surface. This
may jumpstart the first step to terraform Mars because heat will melt ice and
release water. We can heat up Mars by throwing meteors at it or focus light on the
“ice caps” of Mars
B. Is there a need?
1. Earth will die in 5 Billion years when our sun starts dying, so there’s no rush.
But, we eventually have to find the answers. Our moon is too unstable for long-
term colonization so Mars is the nearest thing to practice terraforming.
2. For the art and science of it, our curiosity must be satisfied when it comes to the
question of “Can we do this….and should we?”. It’s also worth noting that
 terraforming Mars can create many economic opportunities, especially if the
Earth’s population continues growing.
C. Nature vs Life
1. Life is precious, it is our duty to spread life in this empty universe. There is no
solid evidence that there is life on Mars, at least on the surface. We’re not
displacing anything.
2. If there is life, in caves or underground, humanity must come first. If there is
discovered life, we must study it then leave it be. We can just make our colonies
on the surface.

III. Conclusion
A. It’s gonna take a lot of money, time, and ethics if we really want to Terraform Mars.
B. There are two sides on the ethics of Terraforming. The anthropocentric side of Robert
Zubrin and biocentric side of Christopher Mckay. It’s all about if Man should be priority in this
universe or if every living thing has intrinsic value. As for the logistics in terraforming Mars,
it’s actually quite cheap since we have plenty of time to gather the budget.

Sources
http://www.universetoday.com/113346/how-do-we-terraform-mars/
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humbio01/s_papers/2001/budzik.pdf
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/so-you-want-to-terraform-mars/
https://www.academia.edu/4178355/Terraforming_Mars._Scientists_discuss_the_feasibility_of_
making_Mars_habitable
http://www.universetoday.com/91920/should-we-terraform-mars/
http://www.space.com/190-terraforming-mars-experts-debate.html
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/19/terraforming-mars-may-be-less-expensive-than-climate-
change-mitigation/