Could we create a breathable atmosphere on Mars?

Asked by: Harvey Wood, by email

Various ideas have been proposed, many involving the release of chemicals into Mars’s atmosphere to trap the Sun’s heat, triggering a greenhouse effect. This might then make Mars suitable for bacteria or plants capable of turning carbon dioxide into oxygen.

So, it may be possible – but don’t hold your breath.

Read more:

• Why doesn’t Earth’s atmosphere vanish into the vacuum of space?
• Does the debris around Earth affect the atmosphere?