What would be the logistics of creating a planet?
While Mars currently holds the best prospects for human colonization, it's still wildly unsuitable due too many factors like lack of gravity, radiation, extreme temperatures, etc.
What about making a planet from scratch? Is it completely unreasonable that scientists can figure out a way to construct a core and a custom atmosphere?
For now, let's put aside gathering enough rocks and other material to make a planet. Assuming we could harvest the quintillion tons of material needed to form a planet, do scientists have the knowledge to create one? Obviously, proximity to the sun and other planets will have to be factored. Or, rather than the monumental task of creating an actual planet-sized habitation, of what if we created Pluto or moon-sized planets?
Humans will one day become extinct when the sun expands and then explodes in a supernova. So eventually, this is something humans will may have to consider. It will at least by the human race enough time to figure out interstellar travel, which will also be needed one day to survive.
Perhaps mini planets the size of a country could be an option. The core would have to be dense enough to have sufficient gravity. But then creating an atmosphere would perhaps pose too much of a problem for such a tiny planet? Humans would protection from the sun and radiation, as well as protection from meteorites and other debris the earth constantly protects us from.
@vivify
Well there is this minor problem of how to actually MOVE said small planets to presumably crash into one another at a low enough velocity that stuff doesn't escape.
Do that about 1000 times and you might have Earthy mass, then you have to figure out water and air.
@vivify saidSeems unlikely that it would be a preferred option to terraforming an existing planet. But if you were set on that course going to where there is already enough planet building materiel such as an asteroid belt then finding some way to kickstart a planet to the point of critical mass and then let gravity do its job. It should be ready in time to take advantage of the expansion of the habitable zone.
What would be the logistics of creating a planet?
While Mars currently holds the best prospects for human colonization, it's still wildly unsuitable due too many factors like lack of gravity, radiation, extreme temperatures, etc.
What about making a planet from scratch? Is it completely unreasonable that scientists can figure out a way to construct a core and a cust ...[text shortened]... an race enough time to figure out interstellar travel, which will also be needed one day to survive.
Or are we talking about a really really big space station with a solar orbit.
@kevcvs57 saidAs mentioned in the OP, Mars seems to be the only realistic option for terraforming. As such, problems like radiation, weak gravity that will cause degradation of human muscle tissue, etc.
Seems unlikely that it would be a preferred option to terraforming an existing planet.
Here's an article on why colonizing Mars is a bad idea:
Here's an article on it is well:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/elon-musk-mars-colony-space-tesla-terraforming-a8479156.html
That's why I was wondering if humans could construct their own planet.
Or are we talking about a really really big space station with a solar orbit.
I can't imagine a space station big enough for the entire human race. It would be interesting if that's possible. Maybe that's something to look into, something like the Pixar movie Wall-E.
@Ponderable
If we get to the stage of being able to make room temperature superconductors, I calculated a few turns of superconducting cable wrapped around the equator as best as we can, about 50,000 amps flowing would keep flowing till solar storms interacted with the generated field and require inserting more energy into the superconductive coil. That setup would give a magnetic field about the same as Earth. It would protect as long as there is no solar storm🙂
So there would have to be a means of inducing currents into the superconductor because when a solar storm hits, it tends to drive the magnetic field near to ground. That generates reverse current countering the current in the wires which if left alone would run the power out of the wires, losing field strength but if some means was found to induce currents in the coil, it could be automatic compensation to keep up the field strength.
@sonhouse saidnobody better stand too close to this superconducting cable 🙂
@Ponderable
If we get to the stage of being able to make room temperature superconductors, I calculated a few turns of superconducting cable wrapped around the equator as best as we can, about 50,000 amps flowing would keep flowing till solar storms interacted with the generated field and require inserting more energy into the superconductive coil. That setup would give a ...[text shortened]... nd to induce currents in the coil, it could be automatic compensation to keep up the field strength.
@sonhouse saidAnd if we are on Mars, much lower temperature would suffice. Indeed I think you nailed that one, from here on it is "just" technological development. 🙂
@Ponderable
If we get to the stage of being able to make room temperature superconductors, I calculated a few turns of superconducting cable wrapped around the equator as best as we can, about 50,000 amps flowing would keep flowing till solar storms interacted with the generated field and require inserting more energy into the superconductive coil. That setup would give a ...[text shortened]... nd to induce currents in the coil, it could be automatic compensation to keep up the field strength.