Its Time to Terraform Mars :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to Terraform Mars "Earth is Heaven. Venus is Hell. Mars is neither, yet." K.G.M. Paterson Introduction Our solar system began to form 4.6 billion years ago from a swirling mass cloud. Give or take a couple of million years, the gas cooled and joined to form large bodies called â€Å"protoplanets,† which later became the planets we know today. Whatever was left after the planets formed became comets or asteroids, strewn about all over the solar system. After 100 million years, the enormous ball of gas at the center of this swirling mass cloud overheated and exploded in a huge nuclear reaction. This reaction gave birth to the sun we know today. This sun has enough energy to provide for nine planets, and just the right mix of masses and orbits to provide Earth with the right ingredients to support life. Of course, after many more millions of years, these right ingredients led to the recipe for human life; soon people of the ancient world observed the movements of the planets. The ancient Greeks thought they were wandering stars, and gave them the name planetes, or wanderers . Of course, the Romans conquered the Greeks, and renamed the planets after their gods. Earth is the only planet whose name doesn’t derive from ancient Greek or Roman mythology. Earth comes from the Old English word Gaia; but the Romans called our planet Terra, hence Terra Firma. Mars was said to be named after the god of war because of its angry red color; but early on Mars was worshipped as a god of growth and fertility. Earth This third rock from the sun has just the right mix of variables to encourage and sustain life on it for so many years. But why here and no where else you ask? Most of it has to do with the fact that it is the third rock from the sun. The distance from the sun (150 million km) is just the right distance to allow for water to exist as a liquid, an important ingredient to sustain life. With over 2/3 of the planet covered with water, the Earth’s oceans are perfect for regulating the temperature of the planet at a consistent 22 °C, another important ingredient to allow life to survive. With a powerful magnetic field