A bold new study proposes a way to make Mars more habitable by providing the Red Planet with a magnetic field.
As Universe Today points out, the inner part of Mars is smaller and cooler than that of Earth and cannot be tampered with to produce the same magnetic dynamo effect our planet’s core generates, so scientists set their sights on creating an artificial magnetic field instead.
“For a long-term human presence on Mars to be established, serious thought would need to be given to terraforming the planet. One major requirement for such terraforming is having the protection of a planetary magnetic field which Mars currently does not have,” the authors of the new study postulate.
Rather than aiming to create a flow of charged particles within Mars to produce the desired effect, the scientists examined the possibility of creating a ring of charged particles around the Red Planet, by using Phobos, one of the Mars’ two natural satellites.
The solution proposed by the team involves using ionized particles from the surface of the Martian moon to create a plasma torus along Phobos’ orbit, which would produce "a magnetic field strong enough to protect a terraformed Mars," as the media outlet puts it.
"With a new era of space exploration underway, this is the time to start thinking about these new and bold future concepts and to begin filling strategic knowledge gaps," the researchers wrote, adding that the principles explored in their study "are also applicable to smaller scale objects like manned spacecraft, space stations or moon bases, which would benefit from the creation of protective mini-magnetospheres."