CHICAGO – Some university researchers believe they have developed a technique that could potentially warm the Red Planet and make it more hospitable to life.

A recent study published in the journal Science Advances suggests that releasing large amounts of dust into Mars’ thin atmosphere could raise the planet’s temperature by more than 10 degrees Celsius, creating a more habitable environment.

Although it would probably take decades for the technology to produce meaningful results, it is said to be simpler than all previous proposals.

“This suggests that the barrier to warming Mars and thus the formation of liquid water is not as high as previously thought,” said Edwin Kite, associate professor of geophysics at the University of Chicago and author of the study, in a statement.

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Mars probably formed about 4.6 billion years ago and is the best-studied planet in the solar system.

According to NASA, its atmosphere consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and 0.13% oxygen.

Because of its composition, the atmosphere is not dense enough to retain heat, resulting in temperatures ranging from over -200 degrees Fahrenheit to about 80 degrees Celsius in direct sunlight.

The proposed dust particles, described as glitter-like, would help capture the sun’s heat and light, creating a greenhouse effect.

However, researchers warn that even with this technology, the environment would still be hostile to humans. However, it could lay the foundation for growing vegetation and future exploration.

According to experts, the Mars mission represents a completely different strategy than Earth: It aims to capture the sun’s heat near the surface.

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“It would still take millions of tons to warm the planet, but that’s five thousand times less than previous proposals to warm Mars globally,” Kite explained. “That greatly increases the feasibility of the project.”

NASA had previously announced plans to send astronauts to Mars as early as the 2030s, but this self-imposed deadline may be delayed due to recent technical and financial problems.

Recently, a four-person crew completed a year-long project simulating spacewalks, experiments and other activities on the surface of Mars.

The planet is on average about 225 million kilometers from Earth, meaning a mission and stay there would take several years.

Source of the original article: Could dust be used to cool the Red Planet to support life?