For decades, scientists, engineers, and science fiction writers have dreamed of transforming Mars into a second Earth. The concept, known as terraforming, imagines turning the cold and barren Red Planet into a world with oceans, breathable air, and perhaps even forests. But while the idea sounds inspiring, the reality may be far more difficult than most people realize.
According to recent research and analysis by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist Slava Turyshev, the challenge of terraforming Mars is not simply a matter of changing the planet’s climate. Instead, the real obstacle lies in the staggering scale of industrial activity required to reshape an entire planet.
In simple terms, the problem isn’t just warming Mars. It’s building the massive infrastructure needed to transform its atmosphere, temperature, and environment.
The Current State of Mars
Today, Mars is an extremely hostile environment for human life. Its atmosphere is incredibly thin—less than 1% of Earth’s atmospheric pressure—and the average temperature is around –60°C. Liquid water cannot exist on the surface for long, and humans would need complex life-support systems to survive even briefly.
Terraforming would aim to gradually transform Mars through several stages, each bringing the planet closer to habitability.
The first milestone would be raising the atmospheric pressure enough to reach the “triple point” of water. This occurs at about 6.1 millibars of pressure at 0°C, allowing water to exist simultaneously as liquid, solid, and vapor. Even achieving this minimal condition would represent a major step toward making Mars more Earth-like.
The next stage could involve large-scale “paraterraforming,” where massive domed greenhouses are constructed. These controlled environments could support farming and human habitation. Because Mars’ outside pressure is so low, structures on the surface could maintain higher internal pressure relatively easily, making such domes structurally feasible.
Eventually, the goal would be to increase the planet’s atmospheric pressure to about 62.7 millibars. At this level, human blood would no longer boil at body temperature, making survival without a pressure suit theoretically possible.
The ultimate goal of terraforming, however, would be creating a fully breathable atmosphere with oxygen and nitrogen similar to Earth’s, along with significantly warmer global temperatures.
The Massive Scale of the Problem
Although these milestones sound straightforward in theory, the actual numbers involved are enormous.
To increase Mars’ atmospheric pressure by just one millibar, scientists estimate that about 3.9 quadrillion kilograms of gas would need to be added to the atmosphere. That mass is comparable to Deimos, the smaller of Mars’ two moons.
Achieving a full Earth-like atmosphere would require roughly 10¹⁸ kilograms of gas—a mass comparable to small moons elsewhere in the solar system.
This means terraforming Mars might require moving or harvesting entire celestial bodies simply to supply the raw materials needed to thicken the atmosphere.
Warming the Red Planet
Atmospheric pressure is only part of the challenge. Mars is also extremely cold.
To allow stable liquid water across the planet, scientists estimate that Mars would need to warm by roughly 60°C on average.
Several theoretical methods have been proposed. One idea involves releasing massive quantities of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Another concept suggests dispersing light-absorbing nanoparticles to trap more solar radiation.
Some engineers have even proposed placing giant mirrors in orbit around Mars to reflect sunlight onto the planet’s surface. However, calculations suggest that this would require about 70 million square kilometers of mirrors—an area larger than many continents on Earth.
Such an enormous engineering project is far beyond current industrial capabilities.
Producing Oxygen for a Breathable Atmosphere
Creating breathable air is another monumental challenge.
Researchers estimate that Mars would require approximately 8.2 × 10¹⁷ kilograms of oxygen to support a human-friendly atmosphere.
The most practical way to produce this oxygen would be by splitting water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. This process would require enormous quantities of water and energy.
Fortunately, Mars appears to have enough water ice to potentially supply this oxygen. In fact, only about 20% of the known accessible surface ice would be required to produce the necessary oxygen for an atmosphere.
Still, the energy required for this transformation is staggering.
The Real Bottleneck: Energy
The greatest barrier to terraforming Mars may ultimately be energy production.
To generate the required oxygen alone, scientists estimate that humanity would need at least 1.2 × 10²⁵ joules of energy.
Even if this work were spread out over 1,000 years, it would require a constant power output of roughly 380 terawatts.
For comparison, that is nearly 20 times the total annual energy consumption of all human civilization today.
This enormous energy demand highlights why terraforming Mars is fundamentally an industrial challenge rather than simply an environmental one.
A Long-Term Vision
Despite these daunting obstacles, Mars remains one of the most appealing destinations for future space exploration and colonization. While full planetary terraforming may be far beyond our current technological capabilities, smaller steps could begin much sooner.
Localized habitats, underground bases, and large greenhouse structures may allow humans to live and work on Mars without transforming the entire planet.
In the distant future, as human technology and industry expand into space, the possibility of large-scale planetary engineering could become more realistic.
For now, however, turning Mars into another Earth remains less of a climate project—and more of a monumental industrial challenge that may take centuries or even millennia to accomplish.