Suppose it was your choice...

And we could only do one or the other for the next thousand years. Mankind can either go to Mars, or Venus.

Mars cannot be properly terraformed, without a magnetic field and too thin an atmosphere to every make it truly habitable, we'd have to build massive domed colonies. The plus side being that we could do this, and have thousands, maybe millions of people living in contained dome cities on Mars within 50 years or so.

Or we go to Venus. With gravity similar to Earth and an active magnetic field, it can be truly terraformed with large bodies of water made available too. But that would require importing tons of matter over hundreds of years to neutralize and thin the super-thick and toxic atmosphere, and the construction of a large sun-shield to regulate the day-night cycle on Venus.

Which do you pick?

Mars: Disadvantage, must live in contained domes, can never be truly terraformed. Advantage, domed cities constructed within a generation or two.

Venus: Disadvantage, hundreds of years of terraforming and need of a giant sun-shield to regulate day and night. Advantage, truly terraformed and similar to Earth Gravity. Habitable without domes or spacesuits, and vast water oceans available.

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Reboot153 · 22-25, M

So, you know that the average temperature on Venus is 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius), right? (found that on a simple Google search). How would you propose that anyone live on Venus at any time when you consider that the surface of Venus is hot enough to melt metal?

Living on Mars is viable [i]right now[/i]. We actually do have the technology to live there though it would be in fully enclosed structures (similar to the space station) or in underground habitats. It wouldnt be a life that most people would want to live but Mars _is_ habitable now while Venus is not.

marcusaurelius

@Reboot153 you live in the clouds in Venus . 😃

Its actually much cheaper solution than living on mars

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Reboot153 Yes, that is addressed in the question. It's hundreds of years (at least) in order to thin and detoxify the atmosphere, and the need to construct a sun-shade to regulate the day-night cycle. These efforts are part of the terraforming to bring cool the surface and make it habitable.

Reboot153 · 22-25, M

@marcusaurelius This comment is so not in the realms of reality that I cant even begin to imagine where you came up with it.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@marcusaurelius This is true. Constructing buoyant colony buildings that stay high in the Venusian atmosphere would help. They would be warm, but cool enough, and the concentration of toxic elements would be low. You could move in much sooner, but truly terraforming the planet would still take a long while.

Reboot153 · 22-25, M

@Xuan12 Actually, the information on Venus is so incorrect that it's amazing. The last sentence you made about Venus is:

[quote]Habitable without domes or spacesuits, and vast water oceans available.[/quote]

The truth of the matter is much, much different:

[quote]Venus has a hellish atmosphere as well, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid, and scientists have only detected trace amounts of water in the atmosphere.[/quote]

You might want to do some research on your question if you want to have realistic answers to realistic situations.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Reboot153 We are talking about such efforts as terraforming an entire planet. Building buoyant colony buildings would seem trivial in comparison.

Reboot153 · 22-25, M

@Xuan12 Once again, your questions is hardly based on science fact. You have little knowledge about the planets you're referring to and a small understanding about what it would take to do what you're talking about.

I'm bowing out of this question/conversation. You all enjoy talking about terraforming fantasy land.

*edit: changed "plants" to "planets"

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Reboot153 Do you know what terraforming is? I know that the surface of Venus is inhospitable right now. Terraforming means that we change it so that it is hospitable. In this case, the atmosphere must be thinned dramatically, and the toxic elements removed. This is accomplished by chemical reaction that breaks apart the acids and constrains them into a solid precipitate, leaving water and oxygen as a byproduct. And as mentioned, it would take hundreds of years, and the import of many tons of hydrogen, but this is included in the premise. Nobody said it was cheap, in fact it is specifically cited at the more expensive option.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Reboot153 Nobody mentioned plants. You're being willfully asinine. Do please leave.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

To @marcusaurelius , and @Reboot153 if you're still here for some reason. Of course this question has an element of fiction. We couldn't build those dome cities on Mars right now either. Seriously? Millions of people within 50 years? The question is meant to take place at such a time that humanity IS actually setting out to colonize. And yes, there is a sound chemical process by which the Venusian atmosphere could be transformed, albeit more expensive than building simply building a domed colony. This was part of the point of the question. XD

Reboot153 · 22-25, M

@Xuan12 Do everyone a favor and go read the "Mars" trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Yes, I do know exactly what "terraforming" is and means.

Do you know what "scientific facts" are or are you going on "alternate facts"? Most, if not ALL of your information about Venus is incorrect! Where did you get your data from?!

I think that the only fact that you got right is that Venus has gravity close to Earth's. Everything else is WRONG.

Please, for the love of god, read a science book before posting stupid questions like this. Yea, it's a fantasy, sci-fi question but you're trying to base it on reality and your facts for reality are completely wrong.

Xuan12 · 31-35, M

@Reboot153 You were just complaining about this question being too fictional, and now you recommend I read [b]science fiction[/b]? XD