Childish curiosity...
My 8 year old just asked "What would the atmosphere of mars have to consist of for the planet not to lose it". Hmmmm..... Would any composition be heavy enough to not get stripped away? And could we in any way speculate about life forms that could survive in that atmosphere?
Smart kid. Surely loves GNU/Linux ;-)
SvarSlettI understand that the mars apmosphere now is mainly CO2 because that is a heavy gas. But there isn't enough CO2 to get a decent green house effect. We would need even heavier gases. Radon at twice the weight of CO2, but radon isn't exactly healthy for us at least. Sulphur could be heavy enough? Is there any sulphur-derived energy cycle that could support alien life?
SvarSlettit is an infinite universe. I think the real question would be - what kind of alien life could life in that atmosphere.
SvarSlettHe is awfully smart, Gonzalo Velasco C. and his PC is dual-boot, yes. I tried a Mensa IQ test on the net when he was 7. A test for grown-ups. He had never tried a test like that before. I helped him through the first questions so he understood how to give the answers and then left him alone. He scored 110. So he needs serious answers or he just gets mad. :-D
SvarSlettexctly lerato majikfaerie . One of the major sci-fi writers once discussed a silicon-based life form. Could it have been Clarke? It was very interesting. Alien life doesn't have to be carbon based.
SvarSlettI should read that once, Igor Karpov . So much to read... :-)
SvarSlettApart from low gravity there is also the lack of magnetic field to stop the solar winds.
Since there is a certain atmosphere consisting mostly of heavy CO2, would even heavier gases be able to withstand even solar winds?