Terraform Moon With Earths Excess Co2

[cyclonebuster]

Shoot dry ice inside projectiles to the Moon with Rail Gun Technology to lower atmospheric Co2 on Earth to that of pre- industrial revolution values of 250ppm. If the 1/6 gravity of the moon can hold the Co2 to the Surface then an atmosphere can be formed and then seeds,water and nutrients can be added to start growing plants to make oxygen.

 

 

My link

[Qfwfq]

If the 1/6 gravity of the moon can hold the Co2 to the Surface then an atmosphere can be formed and...

The reason it has almost no atmosphere is because its gravity isn't sufficient.

[cyclonebuster]

I heard somewhere if we shot a trillion tons of Co2 there it would take a million years for the solar wind to move it all to space. That may be plenty of time to grow some plant life there and make some oxygen. What gets moved to space we can replace with new.

[JMJones0424]

Let's ignore the fact that it would likely be cheaper to stop burning fossil fuels than to transfer a trillion tons of carbon dioxide to the moon. Carbon dioxide alone is not all that is required for plant growth. Notably, you also need the correct atmospheric pressure. Mars, with an atmosphere that is almost exclusively carbon dioxide, has more than 26 times more carbon dioxide than you plan to relocate to the moon, and even at twice the moon's gravity, there is insufficient atmospheric pressure, by a long shot, to support terrestrial plant life on Mars.

[cyclonebuster]

Let's ignore the fact that it would likely be cheaper to stop burning fossil fuels than to transfer a trillion tons of carbon dioxide to the moon. Carbon dioxide alone is not all that is required for plant growth. Notably, you also need the correct atmospheric pressure. Mars, with an atmosphere that is almost exclusively carbon dioxide, has more than 26 times more carbon dioxide than you plan to relocate to the moon, and even at twice the moon's gravity, there is insufficient atmospheric pressure, by a long shot, to support terrestrial plant life on Mars.

 

The Moon is in the Goldilocks zone Mars isn't.

[JMJones0424]

I'm sorry, I fail to see the relevance. It doesn't matter what zone you call it, 1 teraton of CO2 on the moon is insufficient to provide a dense enough atmosphere for terrestrial plant growth.

[cyclonebuster]

I'm sorry, I fail to see the relevance. It doesn't matter what zone you call it, 1 teraton of CO2 on the moon is insufficient to provide a dense enough atmosphere for terrestrial plant growth.

 

How do we know that? Life can find a niche in some pretty harsh environments here on Earth.

[Nitack]

How do we know that? Life can find a niche in some pretty harsh environments here on Earth.

This is true. But what you are suggesting is to transplant life that has evolved for the conditions here on earth to a much different environment. Constant variables on earth that we don't necessarily think of as relevant to life have a profound impact if changed. To name a few:

• 
   
  
• Gravity impacts many facets of how a life form operates.
  
• Solar radiation levels will be much higher on the moon than on the earth because the moon's magnetic field is only 1/100th the strength of earth's.
  
• Surface temperature on the moon is also way outside hospitable levels. That might change a bit with an appreciable atmosphere, but we can not shoot enough CO2 at the moon to bring the temperature into hospitable ranges.
  

 

Nice thought, but I'm not sure any life that developed on earth would be able to thrive or even survive on the lunar surface, even with a CO2 atmosphere.

[cyclonebuster]

This is true. But what you are suggesting is to transplant life that has evolved for the conditions here on earth to a much different environment. Constant variables on earth that we don't necessarily think of as relevant to life have a profound impact if changed. To name a few:

• 
   
  
• Gravity impacts many facets of how a life form operates.
  
• Solar radiation levels will be much higher on the moon than on the earth because the moon's magnetic field is only 1/100th the strength of earth's.
  
• Surface temperature on the moon is also way outside hospitable levels. That might change a bit with an appreciable atmosphere, but we can not shoot enough CO2 at the moon to bring the temperature into hospitable ranges.
  

 

Nice thought, but I'm not sure any life that developed on earth would be able to thrive or even survive on the lunar surface, even with a CO2 atmosphere.

Well with the recent discovery of water just beneath the surface how do know life doesn't exist there already?

[freeztar]

Well with the recent discovery of water just beneath the surface how do know life doesn't exist there already?

 

Well, we do not know 100%, but something like 99.999...%.

 

First of all, the water that has been found is in the form of ice in shadowed craters at the pole that are only there because it is not exposed to the sun. This ice most likely arrived from comets long ago. There are no signs whatsoever that any liquid water has ever flowed on its surface, unlike Mars.

 

Secondly, the lunar regolith is an unforgiving dust that would not make for any kind of good growing substrate for terrestrial plants.

 

The other factors mentioned above also make it exceedingly unlikely that any life is there.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like terraforming the moon will have to wait until Capt. Kirk can come along.and shoot "Genesis" at it. ;)

[cyclonebuster]

Well, we do not know 100%, but something like 99.999...%.

 

First of all, the water that has been found is in the form of ice in shadowed craters at the pole that are only there because it is not exposed to the sun. This ice most likely arrived from comets long ago. There are no signs whatsoever that any liquid water has ever flowed on its surface, unlike Mars.

 

Secondly, the lunar regolith is an unforgiving dust that would not make for any kind of good growing substrate for terrestrial plants.

 

The other factors mentioned above also make it exceedingly unlikely that any life is there.

 

Unfortunately, it looks like terraforming the moon will have to wait until Capt. Kirk can come along.and shoot "Genesis" at it. ;)

 

 

The chances just got better for life from 99.999% to 50.000% since Methane is associated with life forms.

 

CompositionThe elements sodium (Na) and potassium (K) have been detected using Earth-based spectroscopic methods, whereas the isotopes radon-222 and polonium-210 have been inferred from data obtained by the Lunar Prospector alpha particle spectrometer.[2] Argon-40, helium-4, oxygen and/or methane (CH4), nitrogen gas (N2) and/or carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) were detected by in-situ detectors placed by the Apollo astronauts.[3]

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_the_Moon

[freeztar]

The chances just got better for life from 99.999% to 50.000% since Methane is associated with life forms.

 

CompositionThe elements sodium (Na) and potassium (K) have been detected using Earth-based spectroscopic methods, whereas the isotopes radon-222 and polonium-210 have been inferred from data obtained by the Lunar Prospector alpha particle spectrometer.[2] Argon-40, helium-4, oxygen and/or methane (CH4), nitrogen gas (N2) and/or carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) were detected by in-situ detectors placed by the Apollo astronauts.[3]

 

 

http://en.wikipedia....ere_of_the_Moon

 

Methane does not mean that the unliklihood of life decreases by 49%.

 

Methane is a product of biological activity, but it is also found in places without life. In the case of the moon, it is outgassed from the surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane#Extraterrestrial_methane

 

Right after the section you quoted above, in the wiki article, it mentions concentrations of atoms per cm detected in the atmosphere. Would you consider those amounts sufficient for any type of terrestrial life as we know it?

[cyclonebuster]

Methane does not mean that the unliklihood of life decreases by 49%.

 

Methane is a product of biological activity, but it is also found in places without life. In the case of the moon, it is outgassed from the surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane#Extraterrestrial_methane

 

Right after the section you quoted above, in the wiki article, it mentions concentrations of atoms per cm detected in the atmosphere. Would you consider those amounts sufficient for any type of terrestrial life as we know it?

Not as we know it but who is to say we know what all life forms are in the universe. Bacteria could be living under the lunar regolith creating the methane and living off the water. It didn't mention methane concentration in the atmosphere in the wiki article that would be nice to know.

[Nitack]

Well with the recent discovery of water just beneath the surface how do know life doesn't exist there already?

You are kind of arguing in circles here. Your original premise was that we would colonize the moon with plant life from earth, which is not possible for MANY reasons, just a few of which were listed. Now you jumped the argument to the possibility of life already on the moon and evolved to that environment. Sticking to one premise at a time would be helpful.

[cyclonebuster]

You are kind of arguing in circles here. Your original premise was that we would colonize the moon with plant life from earth, which is not possible for MANY reasons, just a few of which were listed. Now you jumped the argument to the possibility of life already on the moon and evolved to that environment. Sticking to one premise at a time would be helpful.

Perhaps it could help the possible life that exists there already along by adding more Co2.The Co2 that is already there now may be caused by life. We breath out Co2. Who knows what strange organisms may do the same??? Perhaps, more Methane would start being produced with the addition of more Co2. Who knows what the effects may be especially if it takes a million years for the Co2 to dissipate. 99.999% NO may actually be 75% YES now with the finding of water beneath the regolith and known Methane/Co2 concentrations. I guess we need to explore the Moon more and dig down into the regolith a bit and see if any LIFE is there emitting these gasses.

[Nitack]

Perhaps it could help the possible life that exists there already along by adding more Co2.The Co2 that is already there now may be caused by life we breath out Co2 who knows what strange organisms may do the same??? Perhaps, more Methane would start being produced with the addition of more Co2. Who knows what the effects may be especially if it takes a million years for the Co2 to dissipate. 99.999% NO may actually be 75% YES now with the finding of water beneath the regolith and known Methane/Co2 concentrations. I guess we need to explore the Moon more and dig down into the regolith a bit and see if anything is there emitting these gasses.

Significantly changing the environment of any living organism almost always ends badly.

[cyclonebuster]

Significantly changing the environment of any living organism almost always ends badly.

 

Isn't that what GHGs are doing to us now?