Mars is now known as the Red Planet, but we may well paint it green. Terraforming an entire planet sounds like science fiction, but NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay believes that only 100 years will be enough for humanity to make really noticeable changes on Mars.
With the arrival of the first colonists (circa 2065), work will begin on the extraction of fluorine to obtain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). These virtually non-toxic gases trap huge amounts of solar energy. McKay believes that with the right concentration of PFCs in the atmosphere, people can receive a huge amount of energy from the Sun in 4 hours - about the same amount that is contained in all nuclear arsenals of the Earth.
By 2115, due to the high concentration of PFCs, the release of carbon dioxide frozen in the soil and ice gases will begin. As the heat level rises, the ice will begin to melt. The desert planet will be captured by blizzards and rains, and the first microbes will appear.
In another fifty years, the sky of Mars will be bluer than the sky of the Earth. A thick atmosphere will cover the planet and trees will spread everywhere. McKay believes that by 2165 it will be possible to walk on Mars without spacesuits. But the carbon-rich air is still toxic to humans, so oxygen masks are still needed.
From this moment, the real colonization of Mars will begin. Separate closed laboratories will be replaced by small villages, and then by real cities. Who knows, maybe it is from this bridgehead that humanity will begin the conquest of the Universe.
Promotional video: