An Artificial Magnetic Shield Could Make Mars Habitable (Again)

[Cripplecreek]

The Martian atmosphere is a decimated shred of what it once was, thanks to the fact that a disappearing magnetic field allowed solar winds to pummel the red planet’s skies over millions of years. So naturally, one solution to making Mars more habitable may be to resurrect its magnetosphere — and it’s a crazy idea NASA scientists are actually looking into.

At Wednesday’s Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop at the NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., NASA’s Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green spoke about how this magnetic shield would work.

“It may be feasible that we can get up to these higher field strengths that are necessary to provide that shielding,” Green said. “We need to be able then to also modify that direction of the magnetic field so that it always pushes the solar wind away.”

https://www.inverse.com/article/28574-nasa-mars-magnetic-shield-solar-winds

Some of us talked about this in one of the mars threads just the other day. Creating an artificial magnetic field in orbit is far better and more feasible than fanciful ideas of re starting it at mars core.

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[sneakypete]

I'm no scientist and I don't even play one on teebee,but wouldn't it be helpful if they figured out why the original magnetic field disappeared before they try to create another one?

[Elderberry]

Some of us talked about this in one of the mars threads just the other day. Creating an artificial magnetic field in orbit is far better and more feasible than fanciful ideas of re starting it at mars core.

Has anyone estimated how much energy the magnetic field generator would require?

[DB]

I'm no scientist and I don't even play one on teebee,but wouldn't it be helpful if they figured out why the original magnetic field disappeared before they try to create another one?

They believe they know why. The core of the planet cooled off and solidified so there is no longer an active generator to create the field. The circulating electrically conductive molten core is what originally generated the magnetic field. That is the theory anyway...

[Cripplecreek]

Has anyone estimated how much energy the magnetic field generator would require?

I'm not so sure it would require much energy if done right.

I wonder if you could set a cloud of iron fragments rotating opposite another cloud of iron fragments and generate a magnetic field that casts a magnetic shadow over mars. Our own moon is periodically protected when it passes through earth's magnetic shadow.

It doesn't need to be a strong magnetic field, just large. Your average refrigerator magnet is 10s of thousands of times stronger than the earth's magnetic field. Earth's magnetic field strength is about 1/30,000 of a Tesla. Speaker magnets typically generate field strengths of 1 to 2.5 Teslas.

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-magnetic-field-strength.htm

[Elderberry]

I found this site where they calculated the energy to be in Earth's magnetic field to be 10²⁶ ergs. A sizeable amount.

http://ajp.dickinson.edu/Readers/Purcell/June1983-Problem1.pdf

[DB]

I found this site where they calculated the energy to be in Earth's magnetic field to be 10²⁶ ergs. A sizeable amount.

http://ajp.dickinson.edu/Readers/Purcell/June1983-Problem1.pdf

Thank you for finding that. To build up the initial field on a planetary scale takes a lot of energy period.

[DB]

Thank you for finding that. To build up the initial field on a planetary scale takes a lot of energy period.

That's about 3.17 Giga Watts of power continuously for a year (total energy).

[DB]

That's about 3.17 Giga Watts of power continuously for a year (total energy).

And to put that in better perspective, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California is capable is generating about 2.2 gigawatts of power. It would have to run continuously for 1.44 years to generate that amount of energy.

[geronl]

And to put that in better perspective, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California is capable is generating about 2.2 gigawatts of power. It would have to run continuously for 1.44 years to generate that amount of energy.

We will build hydro-power plants all up and down all those Martian canals!

[sneakypete]

They believe they know why. The core of the planet cooled off and solidified so there is no longer an active generator to create the field. The circulating electrically conductive molten core is what originally generated the magnetic field. That is the theory anyway...

@DB

Thanks,I didn't know that.

My question now is "What can they do to reverse this so they aren't wasting their time trying to "push a boulder up a hill"?

[geronl]

@DB

Thanks,I didn't know that.

My question now is "What can they do to reverse this so they aren't wasting their time trying to "push a boulder up a hill"?

I doubt it can be reversed short of changing the orbit of Mars by a few million miles

[Idaho_Cowboy]

That's about 3.17 Giga Watts of power continuously for a year (total energy).

That's not so bad. For comparison google tells me NY City used 60 thousand gigawatt-hours last year.

[sneakypete]

I doubt it can be reversed short of changing the orbit of Mars by a few million miles

@geronl

Well,if they can't reverse whatever it was that caused Mars to lose it's magnetic field,they are wasting their time trying to create a new magnetic field.

[sneakypete]

That's not so bad. For comparison google tells me NY City used 60 thousand gigawatt-hours last year.

@Idaho_Cowboy

Hard to believe that about a place with the majority of the residents living the dark,ain't it?

[geronl]

@geronl

Well,if they can't reverse whatever it was that caused Mars to lose it's magnetic field,they are wasting their time trying to create a new magnetic field.

Just build bigger domes. or any domes.

[sneakypete]

Just build bigger domes. or any domes.

@geronl

How would that reverse the effects of what is happening within the planet?

Asking because I really don't know,not because I'm trying to be a smart-ass.

[Elderberry]

That's about 3.17 Giga Watts of power continuously for a year (total energy).

1 erg = 1.0E-7 WattSeconds.  So wouldn't 10E26 ergs  be 10E19 WattSeconds ?

[geronl]

@geronl

How would that reverse the effects of what is happening within the planet?

Asking because I really don't know,not because I'm trying to be a smart-ass.

Nothing will. That doesn't mean we can't still live there. The habitats will simply need to be much tougher to withstand solar radiation.

[Cripplecreek]

That's not so bad. For comparison google tells me NY City used 60 thousand gigawatt-hours last year.

I'm not so sure its a matter of how much energy is available anyway. Basically they're talking about placing something big and magnetic at the lagrange point between mars and the sun and passively casting a magnetic shadow.

[geronl]

Whatever happens, never ever allow an HOA on Mars!

[DB]

1 erg = 1.0E-7 WattSeconds.  So wouldn't 10E26 ergs  be 10E19 WattSeconds ?

I think we both slipped some decimal points... The original post was 10²⁶ ergs which is 1E26 not 10E26... So 1E26 * 1E-7 / 31.54E6 = 317 Giga Watts for a year... Oh well...

[sneakypete]

Whatever happens, never ever allow an HOA on Mars!

@geronl

I disagree. While the surface of the sun would be a better place for them,I could live with them all being sent to Mars.

[Elderberry]

I think we both slipped some decimal points... The original post was 10²⁶ ergs which is 1E26 not 10E26... So 1E26 * 1E-7 / 31.54E6 = 317 Giga Watts for a year... Oh well...

That's right! I'm just not used to seeing power as watt-years.