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Planetary engineering
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=== Feasibility === A variety of planetary engineering challenges stand in the way of terraforming efforts. The atmospheric terraforming of Mars, for example, would require "significant quantities of gas" to be added to the Martian atmosphere.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Jakosky |first1=Bruce M. |last2=Edwards |first2=Christopher S. |title=Inventory of {{CO2}} available for terraforming Mars |journal=Nature Astronomy |date=August 2018 |volume=2 |issue=8 |pages=634β639 |doi=10.1038/s41550-018-0529-6 |bibcode=2018NatAs...2..634J |s2cid=133894463 }}</ref> This gas has been thought to be stored in solid and liquid form within Mars' polar ice caps and underground reservoirs. It is unlikely, however, that enough {{CO2}} for sufficient atmospheric change is present within Mars' polar deposits, and liquid {{CO2}} could only be present at warmer temperatures "deep within the crust".<ref name=":2" /> Furthermore, sublimating the entire volume of Mars' polar caps would increase its current atmospheric pressure to 15 millibar, where an increase to around 1000 millibar would be required for habitability.<ref name=":2" /> For reference, Earth's average sea-level pressure is [[Atmospheric pressure|1013.25 mbar]]. First formally proposed by astrophysicist Carl Sagan, the terraforming of Venus has since been discussed through methods such as organic molecule-induced carbon conversion, sun reflection, increasing planetary spin, and various chemical means.<ref name=terra1>{{cite journal | last1 = Fogg | first1 = M. J. | year = 1987 | title = The Terraforming of Venus | journal = Journal of the British Interplanetary Society | volume = 40 | pages = 551β564 | bibcode=1987JBIS...40..551F}}</ref> Due to the high presence of sulfuric acid and solar wind on Venus, which are harmful to organic environments, organic methods of carbon conversion have been found unfeasible.<ref name=terra1/> Other methods, such as solar shading, hydrogen bombardment, and magnesium-calcium bombardment are theoretically sound but would require large-scale resources and space technologies not yet available to humans.<ref name=terra1/>
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