Reply #136: Hmm...on your first point... [View All]

[Solon]

Probably the easiest way to "melt" the core of Mars is to create a major moon orbiting it, to create significant tidal action deep within the planet. There are a couple of ways to go about this, take a dwarf planet, like Ceres, and change its orbit, gradually, so that it is orbiting Mars, or we could construct a moon out of asteroids. Such an idea has two benefits, one is the strengthening of Mars magnetic field(it exists, just doesn't extend beyond the surface). And we would have a good taking off point for expanding further out in the solar system, by having another low-gravity body that is stable in orbit around a habitable planet.

Of course, the fact is that Mars isn't completely geologically dead, and doesn't need a magnetic field as large as Earth's to be habitable by Earth based life. It geology is slowed down, but it apparently hasn't stopped yet, so it may be possible to "speed up" its core by using a tidal body nearby. Similar to the tidal effects Jupiter has on Io and Europa.

The only negative side effect is that Mars would become geologically much more active, most likely not as active as Earth, and thankfully, most of its volcanoes are shield volcanoes, not known, at least on Earth, for their violent eruptions. But we would probably suffer some Mars quakes, etc. in the future on a Geologically active Mars. We could live with that, and it may help the atmosphere stay stable.