XPost: alt.space, alt.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-scientists-atmospheric-sputtering-mars.html
. . .
Solar ions strike the atmosphere, energizing
the atmosphere. Some molecules remain or are
re-captured. Some bounce off into space. This
little article references data showing those
molecules that are bounced away entirely.
Mars has essentially no magnetic field - which
leaves it completely exposed to the solar wind.
The erosive effect is thus unchecked. Likely
the Martian atmosphere immediately suffered when
the magnetic field collapsed and now it is
almost a vacuum.
Mars is rather small, and a bit "further out".
The needed molten iron core to produce magnetism
would have been smaller and cooled-off much sooner
than on Earth. The 'further out' aspect ... seems
that heavier elements, iron included, got sorted
closer to the early sun. The further away, the
less of those heavy elements. Venus and Earth
likely hold the most iron ... alas Venus is TOO
close to the sun, even a good magnetic field
would not have much slowed solar-wind erosion.
Earth IS next, but we have awhile.
DO pay some attention to Musk here ... we need
some alternate living arrangements. #1 threat
is random asteroid impacts, but longer term
Earth will become too nasty. Mars is ALSO nasty,
but at least a little further from the sun. If
nothing is living on Europa, maybe we can slow-crash
it into Mars - creating a slightly larger, wetter,
planet easier to live on.
2+ billion years and counting ... the Andromeda
galaxy IS going to hit ours, I've seen calculated
sims. It'll splash both galaxies all apart,
stars and planets whipped all around, not counting
the HEAT of the interacting galactic gas clouds.
IF we're still around in some form we need an
extra long-term PLAN here ... get WAY the hell
out of the way.
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