Is terraforming asteroids possible?

[monmarfori]

When we colonize the asteroids. asteroids are not planets, no atmospheres and lacking its temperature.
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[witold]

That idea is wrong because asteroid can crash something( like planet,other asteroid,star)

[hbmp88]

You mean comets?

[monmarfori]

Advantages:
  * Lack of gravity simplify construction technologies (such as cranes) and reduce structural strength requirements
    * Large number of possible sites, with over 300,000 asteroids identified to date
    * Asteroids contain several chemical composition classes, including iron and carbonaceous, providing a variety of materials usable in building and fueling spacecraft and space habitats. The Trojan asteroids, in Jupiter's orbit may be primarily extinct comets.
    * Some Earth-crossing asteroids require less energy (delta-V) to reach from Earth than the Moon.
    * Material mined from asteroids could be a basis for a trade economy
    * Lack of gravity significantly ease transportation of material from asteroide, goods among asteroides and transport of large amounts of mass or massive objects
    * Hi surface/volume ratio enables effective exploration and explotation of mineral resources and provide maximal portion of usefull build ground on the surface and underground
    * Hi-vacuum and lack of gravity facilitate evolution of some Hi-tech industry such material engineering and physical electronics (crystal growth, epitaxy)
    * Many asteroids (especially the extinct comet cores) contain large amounts (more than 5% of total composition) of volatiles and carbon, which are necessary for life support.
    * Isaac Asimov pointed out the advantage of building cities inside hollowed out asteroids since the interior area in square miles of all the asteroids put together is a great deal more than that of the surface area of Earth (viewed as a series of cubes one mile (1.6 km) by one mile resting on the surface of Earth) and thus a large population could be accommodated in the asteroid belt.
Disadvantages:
    * Low gravity. Humans would have to adapt, or asteroids would need to be given a sufficient spin to induce artificial gravity.
    * Most asteroids are far from the Sun. The main asteroid belt is roughly 2 to 4 times further from the Sun than Earth. This means that the available solar energy (solar constant) is 4 to 16 times less, although building large reflectors to collect sunlight is possible in space.
    * Many asteroids may merely be loose agglomerations of dust and rocks, which may be very difficult to use.
    * Asteroids are vulnerable to Solar radiation, lacking similarities like Earth's ozone layer and magnetic field (though some may have magnetic fields, they are bound to be considerably weak by comparison) and many are themselves composed of radioactive compounds.
    * Because of the issues of the last bullet, asteroids are extremely cold. This and the fact that they are thought to be devoid of water are thought to be the reasons why life never developed on them.
    * Asteroids don't have atmospheres.

[Bla]

Interesting.

I don't think asteroids would be the place to live... But it could be fine mining them.

[FGFG]

I think that they would be used only for industrial purposes. To create more habitable land we can terraform Mars, Venus, or even the Moon.

[atomic7732]

Moon's alot easier, its in that haitable zone.

[witold]

its in that haitable zone.

for now 

[atomic7732]

For now?

[Bla]

Don't worry, it'll take a billion years or more before we get out of the habitable zone, or The Moons losses it's orbit around Earth.

[atomic7732]

No. 

[Bla]

Since it happens so slowly I also think life will adapt to the new environment through evolution. It's not like all the water suddenly evaporates or something like that. We have had big "disasters" earlier in our history, like the snowball Earth, and it has sped up evolution during that times.
So until the Sun becomes a red giant, life might continue to exist on Earth (and the Moon).

[atomic7732]

No, I was answering the question of the subject title.

Title Quote

Is terraforming asteroids possible?

No. 

[Dan Dixon]

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_the_asteroids

[hbmp88]

Since it happens so slowly I also think life will adapt to the new environment through evolution. It's not like all the water suddenly evaporates or something like that. We have had big "disasters" earlier in our history, like the snowball Earth, and it has sped up evolution during that times.
So until the Sun becomes a red giant, life might continue to exist on Earth (and the Moon).

Also much of the water is located in underground caves, where ut cannot evaporate. We could just live there.

[monmarfori]

Asteroids of special interest:
(6178) 1986 DA is a potentially metallic near-Earth asteroid.
 216 Kleopatra is a metallic main-belt asteroid.
Only 2 asteroids.

[witold]

Asteroids of special interest:
(6178) 1986 DA is a potentially metallic near-Earth asteroid.
 216 Kleopatra is a metallic main-belt asteroid.
Only 2 asteroids.

Make system for this terraformed asteroids

[monmarfori]

It is impossible.

[atomic7732]

Impossible, as it is possible. I will have ti to you by tomarrow.

[qwew80]

The impossible is only the untried. But, terraforming astroids is impossible because in order to terraform something, it has to be large enough to retain it's apmosphere. Because of this, you can't finish step one.

[FGFG]

This assuming that you need and only need gravity. What about a dome around the whole asteroid?

[hbmp88]

This assuming that you need and only need gravity. What about a dome around the whole asteroid?

Hey I was about to put that!!! 

[justinpatrick1011]

You mean comets?

O_O Thats Impossiple!

[rockstar1009]

The small irregular ones, probably not.  The spheroid dwarf-planet class asteroid bodies like Ceres?  Possibly.  Of course there are those little issues like lack of gravity (difficulty retaining atmosphere) and radiation shielding (an incredibly dense atmophere would be needed).

The impossible is only the untried. But, terraforming astroids is impossible because in order to terraform something, it has to be large enough to retain it's apmosphere. Because of this, you can't finish step one.

This is probably the sci-fi part of my brain thinking as opposed to the sci part, but if we advance to the point that asteroid mining is financially feasible, then we'll likely have advanced to the point that we can increase local gravity through artificial means (like large scale graviton generators).  Of course, THAT would probably make the project unfeasible in and of itself.  And, assuming that gravitons exist, as well.   

I do think, however, that radiation could be realistically addressed by erecting Tesla generator type devices to ionize the atmosphere and create O₃ (as well as an ionosphere to enable radio communications).

[ShoeUnited]

I would argue that if you are sufficiently advanced enough to create artificial gravity (need more than that to retain an atmospheric shell) you're sufficient enough to not need to terraform an asteroid.  But it is possible.  Depending on which side you sit, Ceres could qualify as something that could be terraformed due to innate atmosphere and gravity.  The problematic part is keeping an ion shell around it to prevent lighter elements (like O₂ or N to seep out). 

I can't help but feel if you're at the point where you can efficiently mine asteroids and produce artificial gravity, you'd be at the point of creating Dyson Rings (ring worlds).

[superecnate]

I think it is safe to assume that we would colonize many solar systems by 3000. by 4000-5000 we would control the entire galaxy. by 7000-8000 we would control multiple galactic clusters. by 10000 we would probebly become technologicly advanced enough to trancend mortality.

P.S. this is actually my pessimistic prediction. by optimistic is trancendance by 3000!

Of cource we could have become extinct before then.

On asteroids.
In the future I would think we would have robotic factories on the asteroids, and human populations on the planets and moons. But not too long in the future (100 yrs or so?) we would finally decide to use the solar sail technology to go to alpha centari.(we actually know how to get there quite fast-within a lifetime). From there our natural curiosity would compel us out of the space exploration age, and into the colonization age.

[blotz]

I think it is safe to assume that we would colonize many solar systems by 3000. by 4000-5000 we would control the entire galaxy. by 7000-8000 we would control multiple galactic clusters. by 10000 we would probebly become technologicly advanced enough to trancend mortality.

P.S. this is actually my pessimistic prediction. by optimistic is trancendance by 3000!

Of cource we could have become extinct before then.

On asteroids.
In the future I would think we would have robotic factories on the asteroids, and human populations on the planets and moons. But not too long in the future (100 yrs or so?) we would finally decide to use the solar sail technology to go to alpha centari.(we actually know how to get there quite fast-within a lifetime). From there our natural curiosity would compel us out of the space exploration age, and into the colonization age.

This would happen...

If we didn't start WWlll
If someone didn't accidentally explode a nuke
If their arnt outrageous aliens that kill us
If we somehow got the technology
If some natural force didn't wipe us out
If we didn't evolve and lose our opposable thumb
If our brains didn't turned dumb

And many more

[karakris]

In 2138 - We are building HEAPS of Bases and Colonies on Asteroids - but not all are in Sol, though.
Many are in other Systems - Attica Dominion has three Asteroid Systems, Phoenix Confederation has two Asteroid Systems.

Bases and Colonies are under Thermadomes - but also we have Gravity Generators.  So 1G Gravity is possible, and would retain the Atmosphere.

Attica Dominion is just about to build its Prototype, first "Floating City" - a city with a Steel and Granite Keel, built in Space - with 1G Gravity and an Energy Shield to keep the Atmosphere in - and an FTL Interstellar Drive.
We will build this in Attica System - then fly it to "Jinx" in the Iota System.

So - there are other possibilites IN THE FUTURE - for Colonising Asteroids.
OH YES - Sol Dominion has Terraformed Mars - and is Terraforming Venus now/

[karakris]

I think it is safe to assume that we would colonize many solar systems by 3000. by 4000-5000 we would control the entire galaxy. by 7000-8000 we would control multiple galactic clusters. by 10000 we would probebly become technologicly advanced enough to trancend mortality.

We may not be that Lucky. That is something like what the People of Sol System thought in 2130 - they discovered FAST FTL Drives and Colonised two new Star Systems.
Then - oh boy !!
They met the Zetans - who have already CONQUERED 70% of this Galaxy - and if not stopped will Conquer it All, and Enslave everyone.  The Zetans are mindless Zombots - BUT they haare driven by a "Hive Mind" which is Ancent and Relentless - it has been Conquering this Galaxy for the last 500,000 years at least.
So - Humanity has been at WAR since 2130, for 8 years.  Along the way we have found some helpful, friendly allies - but the Zetans outnumber us many times over.       

[FiahOwl]

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