Author Topic: Mars - why we're there. (Read 2155 times)

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #60 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:34:10 AM »

Well, Venus' atmosphere is 96% CO2 - but its still no thicker than Earth's. The amount of CO2 makes the cloud layer a lot thicker, but that doesn't mean it has more atmosphere.

However, Mercury has no atmosphere because it doesn't have enough mass for one and it's radius is 4880km.

This would seem to indicate that its a good chance that the atmosphere Mars has is all it can hold.
-SW

kappa · « **Reply #61 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:34:57 AM »

Skuzzy,

Did you mean diameter is irrelevant to the density?? I thought Diameter is in direct proportion to mass...

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #62 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:35:11 AM »

You're right Skuzzy, but Mars is still 1/10th the mass of Earth.
-SW

kappa · « **Reply #63 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:37:37 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
Well, Venus' atmosphere is 96% CO2 - but its still no thicker than Earth's. The amount of CO2 makes the cloud layer a lot thicker, but that doesn't mean it has more atmosphere.

However, Mercury has no atmosphere because it doesn't have enough mass for one and it's radius is 4880km.

This would seem to indicate that its a good chance that the atmosphere Mars has is all it can hold.
-SW

Perhaps it lacks the density to support the gravity to hold an atmosphere... Are we sure mass dictates atmosphere? I could be crossed...

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #64 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:41:21 AM »

Mass is what creates the gravitational force for it to retain erupted gas (from volcanoes).

Cool planets (which Mars and Mercury are) do not spew elements into the sky to add to (or create) an atmosphere. At one time in the past, they did. This is why Mars has an atmosphere. Mercury does not because it is inactive and it does not have the mass to retain an atmosphere. Much like why our Moon does not have an atmosphere.
-SW

vorticon · « **Reply #65 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:41:35 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
You're right Skuzzy, but Mars is still 1/10th the mass of Earth.
-SW

wrong...1 tenth earths weight is 6.37x10^21 (or is it 22)...wich is quite a bit less than mars's weight

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #66 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:43:51 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by vorticon
wrong...1 tenth earths weight is 6.37x10^21 (or is it 22)...wich is quite a bit less than mars's weight

Take it up with the Astronomers:

"Although its [Mars] diameter is only about half and its mass about one-tenth Earth's, its surface and atmosphere are less alien."
-SW

vorticon · « **Reply #67 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:47:09 AM »

Quote

"Although its [Mars] diameter is only about half and its mass about one-tenth Earth's, its surface and atmosphere are less alien."

what i showed you was a direct calculation from the mass of earth (wich i got from my physics teacher...)

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #68 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:57:13 AM »

Well, something is wrong on your end because I have a table here showing each planet's mass in terms of Earth units.

Earth : 1.0(Earth unit) in kg 5.98x10^24
Mars : .107(Earth unit) in kg 6.42x10^23
Mercury: .055 in kg 3.3x10^23
Venus: .815 in kg 4.87x10^24
Moon: .0012 in kg 7.35x10^22
-SW

vorticon · « **Reply #69 on:** January 08, 2004, 11:59:15 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
Well, something is wrong on your end because I have a table here showing each planet's mass in terms of Earth units.

Earth : 1.0(Earth unit) in kg 5.98x10^24
Mars : .107(Earth unit) in kg 6.42x10^23
Mercury: .055 in kg 3.3x10^23
Venus: .815 in kg 4.87x10^24
Moon: .0012 in kg 7.35x10^22
-SW

exactly what i used...now grab a calculator and figure out what 1/10th of earths mass is...

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #70 on:** January 08, 2004, 12:07:00 PM »

Like I said, you didn't do it right.

Its about 1/10th.

Take a calculator, and do this: (5.98x10^24)x.107
-SW

vorticon · « **Reply #71 on:** January 08, 2004, 12:10:22 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
Like I said, you didn't do it right.

Its about 1/10th.

Take a calculator, and do this: (5.98x10^24)x.107
-SW

ah...i did it wrong...never was very good at math

Skuzzy · « **Reply #72 on:** January 08, 2004, 12:31:02 PM »

It has 1/10th the mass, but its surface gravity is .379 of Earth's.

I'll have to dig up the atomic weights of the gases we need to have a breathable atmosphere, but it may be possible for Mars to have an atmosphere, but one that is not very thick.

Hydrogen is the main key as it is needed for water. Oxygen is probably heavy enough, but it can be calculated.

miko2d · « **Reply #73 on:** January 08, 2004, 01:21:23 PM »

vorticon: i could have sworn that most of the explorers had to go BEGGING to the king for enough funds for there trip...check your history dude

I did. There was often a huge distinction between the state and private property of the kings - and the limitarion on their taxing power over the population. Spahish kings subcidised Columbus from their private funds.
Anyway, I doubt that most exlorers were subcidised by the kings privately or from the state treasury.

There is no proof that such expenses were justified at the time. America would have been discovered withing 50 years at most at much lower expense. With a progress of shipbuilding, a trip would be so much less risky or expensive that a private merchant house would have been able to finance it.
The exploitation of America had to wait untill the technology developed anyway.

anti-trust laws...without government intervention we would all be...

As history illustrates, monopolies are not stable in a free market and those that were stable owed their powers to the government mandate.

miko

Saurdaukar · « **Reply #74 on:** January 08, 2004, 02:51:31 PM »

Dang, Skuzzy iz t3h smert.