Nuking Mars as a means of terraforming the planet was brought to the public’s attention by Elon Musk on a late-night talk show. It is important to keep in mind that Elon Musk is not a scientist.
He does not have an advanced degree in the sciences, nor has he ever published a peer-reviewed study pertaining to any of the sciences. Yes, he does have a BS in physics, yet unfortunately most of his course work was in solid-state physics, which does not make him an expert in geology, biology, climate physics, or pretty much anything to do with terraforming.
We just want to bring this to your attention and point out that he is not a credible source for science-related information. Therefore, when he says something like “dropping thermonuclear weapons over the poles” would allow us to terraform Mars, his statement should be taken with a grain of salt. Could Elon Musk’s plan be so crazy that it could work?
The basic premise of nuking Mars is to release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that would warm up the planet. Currently, the average temperature on Mars is around -81 degrees Fahrenheit. This is inhospitable for humans and pretty much every lifeform on planet Earth.
In order to increase the temperature of our neighbouring planet, we need to put more greenhouse gases in its atmosphere so that heat can be retained.
Mars, just like Earth, has massive ice caps at both the north and south poles, and the idea is to drop a bunch of nukes that are 1000 times stronger than the WW2 nukes right above the martian poles. Make them explode just above the atmosphere, creating a bunch of artificial suns.
This would vaporize the ice caps, providing a rush of water, carbon monoxide, and greenhouse gases that should warm the planet and make life much easier for humans, except if even one nuke malfunctions and detonates on the surface; it would massively and permanently disfigure Mars.
It could also potentially throw the entire planet into a nuclear winter, increase radiation, block out the sun, make it even colder, and make the already horrible dust storms on Mars worse. So, you can ask yourself if it was a good idea or a bad idea to go to the moon to get a new home and save human civilization.
ARNOLD