Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Abstract
Establishing a colony of humans on another planet has long been a goal of the human race. In this essay I will lay out the feasibility of such a colony, using research and theories generated by astrophysicists, botanists, and planetary scientists.
Terraforming is defined as altering a planet's surface until Earth's life forms can survive without excessive protection. Here I will discuss the basic methods and theories behind terraforming, as well as possible methods of transporting materials, theories of planetary development, the timescale on which the project might take place, and where funding for such a large project might come.
This paper aims to establish the feasibility of a human colony on any off-world body with a range of Earth-like size and gravity. I will often use the examples of Mars, Venus, and Earth's Moon to prove facts or suggest possibilities, but the paper is intended to present a broader view of terraforming.
Recommended Citation
Lydon, Maura, "The Feasibility of a Terraforming Expedition" (2015). Undergraduate Research Awards, Hollins University. 25.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/researchawards/25
Maura Lydon's entry essay for the 2015 Undergraduate Research Awards
Comments
Undergraduate Research Awards - 2015 Finalist, First-year/Sophomore category