Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

MARS

Reimagining terraforming

Present-day Mars is thought to be unsuitable for life as we know it. However, a thin coating of silica aerogel on the Martian surface may be enough to induce local, potentially habitable subsurface environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Illustration of silica aerogel-induced subsurface habitable environments on Mars.

E.G.R.-V.; illustration by James Tuttle Keane

References

  1. Wordsworth, R., Kerber, L. & Cockell, C. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0813-0 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kaufman, E. et al. Icarus 185, 274–286 (2006).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Matson, D. L. & Brown, R. H. Icarus 77, 67–81 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Chinnery, H. E. et al. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 123, 864–871 (2018).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Clow, G. D. Icarus 72, 95–127 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Novak, K. S., Phillips, C. J., Birur, G. C., Sunada, E. T. & Pauken, M. T. AIP Conf. Proc. 654, 194–205 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Clark, B. C. & Van Hart, D. C. Icarus 45, 370–378 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pestova, O. N. et al. Russ. J. Appl. Chem. 78, 409–413 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Rivera-Valentín, E. G. et al. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 123, 1156–1167 (2018).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Chevrier, V. F. & Altheide, T. S. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L22101 (2008).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hanley, J. et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. 39, L08201 (2012).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sudprasert, W., Navasumrit, P. & Ruchirawat, M. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 209, 503–511 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. McKay, C. P. et al. Nature 352, 489–496 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Green, J. L. et al. In Planetary Science Vision 2050 Workshop abstr. 8250 (LPI, 2017).

  15. Renno, N. O. et al. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 114, E00E03 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under a cooperative agreement with the NASA Science Mission Directorate; LPI contribution no. 2210.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edgard G. Rivera-Valentín.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rivera-Valentín, E.G. Reimagining terraforming. Nat Astron 3, 883–884 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0908-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-0908-7

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing