Home Science The mysterious calculation behind Elon Musk’s proposal to ‘nuclear attack on Mars’

The mysterious calculation behind Elon Musk’s proposal to ‘nuclear attack on Mars’

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Billionaire Elon Musk is controversial about the idea of ​​​​making a series of nuclear explosions on Mars to renovate the Red Planet, is this proposal feasible?

The idea of ​​​​conquering Mars has been a dream of mankind for many years, this could be the first step towards realizing the dream of many science fiction scientists that is to explore outer space. Sending humans to another planet, even within the solar system, has the effect of reducing the risk of a global catastrophe that could destroy life, such as a large asteroid impact or nuclear war. Even in the future, the Red Planet could be an abundant source of resources. Obviously the ambition to travel to Mars is impressive, but there are many doubts and obstacles attached. Tech billionaire Elon Musk put forward the idea of ​​humans traveling to Mars on 1,000 rockets and creating land for 1 million inhabitants, this is clearly an extremely expensive and technologically difficult task. major barriers have been listed. First, Earth science has not yet been able to create spacecraft with the ability to send humans into distant space that is “immune” to deadly cosmic radiation. The solution to this problem could be to wrap lead plates, but that would increase the weight of the ship and reduce its carrying capacity. Engines for spaceships are now well beyond construction. Second, solar radiation is a big problem, the Red Planet is different from Earth in that it doesn’t have a magnetic field protecting it from ionizing radiation. Astronauts will have to hide in bases hidden deep below the surface, not be able to walk freely on the surface. Third, Mars is cold and has no atmosphere, but the radiation background is 2.5 times higher than that of astronauts on the International Space Station ISS. It is impossible to live in such conditions without a special space suit. There are many other problems as well, but it is clear that expanding space into outer space requires accumulation and huge investments in technology. Before this fact, scientists expressed doubts about Elon Musk’s initiative, when he proposed to carry out bombardments with thermonuclear warheads at both poles of the Red Planet. A “fusion attack” would cause glaciers to melt, forming liquid water and releasing greenhouse gases, which help create the atmosphere on Mars. Then the “reclaimers” could walk around without a spacesuit. But mathematician Robert Walker calculates that to carry out the first part of the plan requires at least 1 million nuclear bombs with an explosive yield of 100 Megatons, must be assembled on Mars 3,500 a day for 7 weeks to achieve desired results. There are no such large numbers of nuclear weapons on Earth, and the lack of means to deliver them to another planet, is the first hurdle. CO2 reserves on Mars would not be enough to create a suitable atmosphere, even if the first problem were solved. Since the Red Planet does not have a magnetic field, solar radiation will gradually “suck” the gas that has already formed, which is the second barrier. Finally, Elon Musk does not take into account that after many nuclear explosions, the surface of the planet will be radioactive for a long time, people cannot walk with oxygen masks and plant trees. Elon Musk’s initiative is clearly impractical and perhaps the billionaire himself understands this, but what is his meaning. The head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos – Mr. Dmitry Rogozin made a remarkable remark. “Anyone calling for the reclamation of Mars or other planets is well aware that this is just an excuse for launching nuclear weapons into space for military purposes on Earth.” “It’s true, you can’t just put nuclear warheads on Mars. They need to first be put into orbit and assembled somewhere with the means to send them in large batches.” “Assuming an orbital station being built by the US and its allies will be tailored to target China and Russia. Will nuclear warheads reach the Red Planet then? “It is no secret that Elon Musk is working closely with the Pentagon on the space and satellite program. So why not experiment with the best cause of Mars exploration, to advocate for the idea of ​​​​putting US nuclear weapons in space,” concluded Mr. Rogozin.

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