August 08, 2025

This Week in Space 172: Earth on Mars

1 hour 4 minutes

If we're ever to make Mars a second home, we have some serious housekeeping to do... as in a total renovation. The Red Planet has little atmosphere, no radiation shielding, and some seriously toxic soil. How can we make it more Earthlike... and should we? Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis joins us to discuss how terraforming might work, how it could be done in decades instead of millennia, and the questions surrounding the ethics of changing another planet to suit humanity's needs. We say it's a trailer park of a planet, but the best bet for human expansion. Dr. Rick Jenet is this week's co-host. Join us for the conversation!

Headlines:

NASA aims to place a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030, competing with China's similar plans for the Moon.

NASA's planned commercial space stations are facing delays. As ISS retirement nears, the U.S. risks losing its foothold in low-Earth orbit within the coming years.

SpaceX hits 100 launches in 2025, dominating global orbital launch activity and enabling rapid rocket reuse.

Main Topic: High-Speed Terraforming of Mars

Guest Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis shares new, biotech-driven concepts for terraforming Mars much faster than traditional proposals.

Dr. DeBenedictis shares a modern understanding of Mars' past and present environment, including radiation, toxic perchlorate-laced soil, and thin atmosphere.

Discussion on the importance and challenges of Mars Sample Return for accurate soil and resource analysis.

Modern synthetic biology as a tool for creating microbes tailored for Martian soil and future terraforming.

A step-by-step outline by Dr. DeBenedictis on building a breathable Mars atmosphere via engineered photosynthetic microbes, engineered atmospheric warming, and greenhouse construction.

Exploration of the ethical considerations and philosophical implications of turning Mars into a habitable "garden," weighing preservation versus transformation.

Dr. DeBenedictis makes a case for Martian settlement, terraforming technology, and legal and resource challenges for commercial space expansion.

And Dr. DeBenedictis' vision for Mars' future as a unique, partially Earth-like biosphere with new opportunities in planetary stewardship and human adaptation of the planet.

Host: Rod Pyle

Co-Host: Fredrick (Rick) Jenet

Guest: Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis

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