Nuclear Terraforming: Using Nukes to Bring Life to Mars

Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur

Isaac Arthur

Technology, Energy Abundance, Future Of Humanity, Spacecraft, Genetics, Space Infrastructure, Scifi, Post Scarcity, Sci Fi, Technological Future, Interstellar Travel, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Space Station, Space, Long Term Future, Human Civilizaiton, Civilizaiton, Cybernetics, Science, Futurism, Space Megastructures, Space Colonization, Space Industry, Future Philosophy, Transhumanism, Spaceship, Megastructures, Physics, Starship, Astronomy, Future

4.9 • 782 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2022

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the Future, we may use nuclear bombs to help turn dead worlds into living ones, in this episode we'll discuss several different methods of atomic terraforming. Open up a Wealthfront investment account through my link https://invest.wealthfront.com/isaacarthur and get your first $5,000 managed for free. Thanks to Wealthfront for sponsoring this video! Watch the Video Version: https://youtu.be/5svfhBLJvg0 Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE Credits: Nuclear Terraforming: Using Nukes to Bring Life to Mars Science & Futurism with Isaac Arthur Episode 327, January 27, 2022 Written, Produced & Narrated by Isaac Arthur Editors: Alberto Imbrosciano A.T. Long Jerry Guern Cover Art: Jakub Grygier https://www.artstation.com/jakub_grygier Graphics: Jeremy Jozwik https://www.artstation.com/zeuxis_of_losdiajana Sam McNAmara of Rapid Thrash Music by: Markus Junnikkala, https://markusjunnikkala.com "Mobilize the Fleets" "We Roam the Stars" Stellardrone, https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com "The Earth is Blue" "A Moment of Stillness" Aerium, https://aeriumambient.bandcamp.com "Fifth Star of Aldebaran" Disclaimer: Isaac Arthur receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Advisers LLC (“Wealthfront Advisers”) for sponsored advertising materials. Isaac Arthur is not a client and this is a paid endorsement. Isaac Arthur and Wealthfront Advisers are not associated with one another and have no formal relationship outside of this arrangement. Nothing in this communication should be construed as a solicitation, offer, or recommendation, to buy or sell any security. Any links provided by Isaac Arthur are not intended to imply that Wealthfront Advisers or its affiliates endorses, sponsors, promotes and/or is affiliated with the owners of or participants in those. sites, or endorses any information contained on those sites, unless expressly stated otherwise. Investment management and advisory services are provided by Wealthfront, an SEC registered investment adviser. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of money you invest, and past performance does not guarantee future performance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, SFIA audio listeners. In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory,
0:05.2	we're asking the reason alien civilizations might be rare is because most aliens are huge.
0:10.5	To hear it and every episode early and ad-free, plus hours of bonus content,
0:15.1	check out go.nebola.tv slash Isaac Arthur and use my code, Isaac Arthur.
0:19.9	This episode is brought you by Wealthfront.
0:23.4	The planet Mars is named after the god of war.
0:26.5	How fitting would it be if humanity's most potent weapons of war were used to turn Mars into a fertile green paradise? I tend to be rather openly pro-nuclear, and unlike a lot of folks who are, I do not tend to feel a need to add a disclaimer about the danger of nuclear weapons themselves.
0:51.0	For the same reason I don't say I like hydrocarbons or solar power except
0:55.2	for concerns about flame throwers or folks roasting ants with magnifying glasses. Now on the
1:00.5	one hand nukes are a tool like any other, something I tend to emphasize and on the other
1:05.1	hand they are a tool that unlike the hammer, crushed cities, not thumbs, wind misused. So I do not like to be too blase about the value of nuclear weapons, as that does include
1:15.4	enormous destructive potential, but I think folks lock onto that so much that they ignore
1:19.8	the other uses a rapid release of massive amounts of compact energy can have.
1:24.8	One of those is as a spaceship drive drive and as we looked at a few weeks
1:28.3	back, the Orion Project for using nukes to accelerate spaceships remains our only
1:32.8	currently viable interstellar spaceship drive with no technology.
1:37.3	Nukes may endanger worlds but they also offer the key to reaching new ones.
1:42.3	Another of those uses for nukes, as we will see today, is terraforming
1:46.4	planets, and while nuking models to make it livable certainly has some problems which
1:51.0	we'll discuss, a lot of the objections I hear are typically grounded in the notion of nukes bad.
1:57.2	This even comes from a lot of physicists and mathematicians, and an example that came
2:01.2	to mind recently was someone beating up on Elon Musk for suggesting the Nuke Mars approach
	...

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