The Case for Mars Terraforming Research
| Author | Erika Alden DeBenedictis, Edwin S. Kite, Robin D. Wordsworth, Nina L. Lanza, Charles S. Cockell, Pamela A. Silver, Ramses M. Ramirez, John Cumbers, Hooman Mohseni, Christopher E. Mason, Woodward W. Fischer and Christopher P. McKay |
|---|---|
| Published | May 2025 |
| Format | Research paper |
TL;DR — A 2025 Nature Astronomy perspective arguing that new science and launch capability justify serious research into whether and how Mars could be warmed.
A perspective article in Nature Astronomy (doi:10.1038/s41550-025-02548-0), received August 2024 and accepted April 2025; this copy is the publisher’s pre-publication version. The twelve authors include planetary scientists, climate scientists and synthetic biologists.
They argue that terraforming has had little rigorous study, review what is known about Mars’s water, carbon dioxide and soil, and discuss newer warming approaches that might raise the average temperature by tens of degrees within decades, followed by engineered microbes slowly building up oxygen. They frame it as a research agenda on physical, chemical and biological limits, to be weighed against leaving Mars as a pristine wilderness.
What it is: a peer-reviewed perspective in a major journal; a research agenda, not a plan. The article is behind a paywall on the publisher’s site.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
- Published version: Nature Astronomy (paywalled).
6 pages. A PDF copy is held in Kyle’s private archive; it is not linked or shared here.