SRIC4 #03: “Space Shields to Terraform Mars and Protect Earth from Solar Storms”
This is the preliminary webinar #03 of the IV SRI World Congress (SRIC4)
Abstract
The sun is the source of life on Earth and it supplies Earth with thousands of times the amount of Energy we use. Yet Solar wind and radiation and especially Coronal Mass Ejections that could if were to be as powerful as the Carrington Event of 1859 could wipe out much of the World’s electrical power grid system and perhaps take down the Internet. Lloyd’s of London estimated that a Carrington Event solar storm would require 3 trillion dollars to bring back just the North American power grid. Mars, unlike Earth, has virtually none of its magnetic field protection left and thus the solar wind alone strips away its atmosphere. There have been studies by NASA and other research institutes that have examine the possibility of creating magnetic shielding systems for Mars. This would use a combination of artificial satellites as well as Phobos and Deimos that could create a complex combination of magnetic shielding systems that could allow the terraforming of a natural atmosphere on Mars that could sustain life. The Earth might also potentially be protected by a satellite system to augment the Earth’s natural geomagnetic field. A three-satellite network deployed by ESA and a 4 satellite network deployed by NASA has confirmed that the Earth’s magnetic field is in the process of reversal. Thus the North Magnetic Pole is moving down to Siberia and the South Magnetic Pole is moving up toward Australia. Computer modeling has suggested that during the reversal period the Earth’s magnetic field might be reduced to 15% of its protective shielding strength when the reversal is halfway complete. Earth has no suitable low orbiting satellites so a magnetic shielding system would be dependent entirely on artificial satellites. Such a network would be expensive to deploy and maintain its operation, but it could potentially ultimately make Mars habitable with natural oceans and could save Earth from a devastating Coronal Mass Ejection that could have devestating economic impact where billions of jobs might be lost and trillions of dollars of would need to be spent to restore electrical power grids, pipeline controls, the Internet and communications networks and other vital infrastructure. Former Nasa Chief Scientist James Green and SRI Vice President Joseph Pelton jointly are carrying out research in this area to explore design architecture for magnetic shielding systems starting with Mars.
A short bio
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