How might humans combat the uneven gravitational field of Mars in the creation of a susutainable village on Mars?
209760
In order to combat gravity, we would need to be able to understand what it is. At the moment, we don't. If we did, it still would be a tall order to mess with the field of a whole planet. Assuming we could "stabilize" gravity at the quantum level, whatever device we invented to do this would undoubtedly require huge amounts of energy.\n\nA much easier method would be to install a system of shock absorbers and hydraulics underneath the floor. Controlled by a computer, these could make up for some weakenings in the field and simulate to the human feet an equal field. This wouldn't actually solve the problem, just treat the syptoms. The air pressure of the cabin could also be increased to press our feet down on the ground more, but if we mess with this too much, we will implode. Also, there is the idea of placing a large verticaly aligned doughnut-shaped cabin to produce "gravity" in the form of centrifugal force, but this would be extremely impractical and require a lot of digging. I hope this helps, because until we have Artificial Gravity, there isn't really a lot that can be done. Cool question, though.
39807
The equations weren't visible in Ginabean's answer (at least not on my display) and the other answer dealt with Earth, not the fictional planet postulated.  So I'll add some things.\n\nWe worked out the mass of this planet using the density and the radius in your other question.  M = 8.92*10^22 kg.\n\nNow, the force of gravity is given by\n\nF = G M m /r^2  , where M is the mass of the first object, in this case the planet, m is the mass of the other object, in this case something on the surface of the planet, and r is the distance between their centers, in this case the radius of the planet.  (Because the planet is spherical, we can treat the mass of the planet as if it were all located at its center.)\n\nSo, the acceleration caused by gravity on this planet, g, is F/m where F is the force of gravity and m is the mass of the object, \n\ng =F/m = G M /r^2\n\ng = (6.67 * 10^-11 m^3/s^2kg) * 8.92*10^22 kg / (1600000 m)^2\n\ng = 2.32 m/s^2\n\nThis is about a fourth of the values on earth.  That makes sense.  The mass and radius of this imaginary planet are comparable to the Moon (M = 7.36 x 10^22 kg, r = 1738 km) where the acceleration of gravity is about 1/6 of the Earth.
209183
You wouldn't fall anywhere, you'd be stuck in the middle.  Gravity would be too strong for you to dig away from the center.
276699
It might be possible although it'll be a lot more expensive than building space settlements and there is also the issue of the lower gravity (we don't know how that will affect the colonists).\n\nIf the gravity issue is solved we might be able to colonise the planet in that timeframe.  The materials needed are mostly there but we'd have to bring a lot of technology and softland it on Mars.  This will include mining technology, fabrication technology and power sources (probably nuclear).\n\nWater could be a problem but we should be able to import it from asteroids and comets so if there isn't any left on Mars it can be obtained from elsewhere without too much trouble.
540084
use the universal law of gravitation to find the force of gravity at the inner radius.  Use 1kg as your second mass (mass is irrelevent in this next part anyways), and use this force to find the accel of gravity.  Using the force and accel of gravity, you can find the kinetic energy needed in order to overcome the potential gravity of the planet (m cancels).  with kinetic energy you can find velocity, and with velocity and radius, period.  Hope that helps.\n\nfor the second part, repeat, except with the outer radius as D.
637805
That is why we should TERRAFORM MARS!!!\n\nAs a jumping point and practice for moving out into the stars!!!
554761
I did a model of Mars once using a very large popcorn bowl and papier maiche.  No idea how to spell that, but any craft store will have it.  It made a nice hemisphere.  It's be pretty easy to stick toothpicks in the wet stuff as foundations and then use foil or something around it...\n\nWe also threw small rocks at the wet plaster to make craters....
47494
Or to give the same answer another way, a cubic planet would be exactly the same as a round planet with 6 humungous mountains on it. Those mountains would form the corners of our cube. And they would be huge mountains, many thousands of times taller than the Himalyas.\n\nEvery time the planet experienced even a minor earthquake bits of those mountains would fall of towards the non-mountain areas. Even if the planet has no atmosphere to assist erosion within a few billion years at most the mountains would have eroded away to nothing and the planet would be round again.\n\nSo even if it were possible for a square planet to form in the first place it couldn’t stay in that shape for very long.
86548
The main problem with mars is not thelack of air, but the local gravity's inability to hold much air on the planet- as such you need a heavy gas to be able to be held by the gravity longer. One idea would be to send rockets full of old cfc containers on a collision course to mars, the release of the cfc's would cause a partial runaway greenhouse effect thht would begin to warm the planet over decades.\nAlso, ice comets can be used on aerobraking orbitals to slowly melt in the atmosphere, thus watering the planet and warming the air by the aerobraking.\nThe temperature differentials are due to the very thin atmosphere and would become less extreme with a thicker blanket of air.\nAnother option would be to genetically modify algae and lichen to live in the high UV and co2 rich atmosphere and crack the co2 into oxygen, while leaving the carbon as a slurry-type layer that can be refined for use in building materials\nThere is lots of potential - all that really remains is to define the technology level and then go for it -  imagination is a wonderful thing - we need to use more of it
183488
They're actually not perfect.\n\nBut check this link out:\n\nhttp://www.pa.msu.edu/~sciencet/ask_st/031198.html\n\nAnd this:\n\nhttp://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=000D93E1-778C-1C72-9EB7809EC588F2D7&catID=3\n\nThey retain a spherical shape because of gravity.
572980
It all comes down to how big your planet is and how far you want to move it.  You need a way to exert a force on the planet for a long enough time to get it to produce enough of a velocity change to get into the other orbit.\n\nTheoretically it is simple.  Practically it is impossible.  There just aren't sources of propulsion powerful enough to move something as massive as an average planet a substantial distance.
417009
Sounds good to me except for #8. Without sufficient mass, the planet would lose it's atmosphere. There sure are a lot of jokers around here, have you noticed.
359610
IF... and that's a HUGE IF... there are structures or pyramids on Mars, the only explanation would be that some sort of civilization erected those structures.\n\nIn other words, ALIENS.
249476
um...There wouldn't be anything, there would be no earth, the sun will increase in diameter causing the temp. on earth to rise VERY high, and people will finally build a powerful rocket to go to another planet that's similar to earth or mars...
636474
I had visualized that for small moons, somehow it seemed odd for larger moons. Space Elevators was also a pretty good option in my mind. Cost seems to be a non-issue if you can get those robot armies to work. Big if, but hey, IF, then its really just a matter of getting the bots there and getting them started.\n\n    * Mining asteroids is a royal pain in the tail. If at all possible, mining will be done where there's gravity and an atmosphere. Planets are great big balls of metals and useful minerals, so I just don't see the advantage. The only exception is that you might break off a tiny chunk of an icy body and tow it to an established colony on the moon, to give you carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. It might be cheaper just to haul up refined chemicals from a colony elsewhere and ship them, though.\n\nYes, mining in microgravity would be highly problematic. There are a number of different groups working on the theories of the problem, and a lot of interesting answers out there. If we are going to make large Colonies or ships, materials will proove to be cheaper to mine from Asteroids than lift from Earth or the Moon.
150466
If an asteroid hits mars, debris is shot up and is sometimes fast enough to escape Mars' gravity. If these rocks get into Earth's orbit, there's a chance that Earth can run into these.\n\nCooldude, please edit your post and give me credit for your first paragraph.
53468
One could try to avoid all kinds of hazards. One could forbid all construction in earthquake-prone areas, like China, and Japan and California. One could forbid all inhabitation of the Caribbean, or Florida, or the Gulf Coast because of Hurricanes/Cyclones. One could avoid areas that might have floods or droughts or storms or volcanoes. \n\nHowever, this would leave large areas of the earth empty.\nAnd some of these areas are the most populated and scenic areas on the planet.