Time-scales

Hi,

>So I hope that efforts at tweaking the Martians continues :)
As long as the equations say so, I (gladly) will :]

>The point is: his definition of terraformed planet is a planet that, after
>terraformation properly said, will naturally stay habitable for hundreds of
>millions of years.

Yes, longer would be better.

Terraforming a planet would involve importing Earth plants and bacteria and
later, fungi and animals. The long-time scale would be needed to make the
planetary ecosystem sustainable. Then, once it is sustainable, allow it to
diversify. This would produce new species and sub-species more suited to
the new planet. Don't forget, people are part of nature, not seperate from
it. If we, as a species, want to live for aeons, we need additional planets
that will last just as long. That is the point of terraforming, sustainable
biodiversity.

>Mars worshipers and me generally think of terraformation as something to stay
>stable during mere historical timeframes...

To what end? What would be the point of terraforming, then colonising a
planet if only to leave again after settling in? You're talking about
colonies that will grow into civilisations, unless you're proposing harsh
and invasive population control. This civilsation, millions of people,
would need to be relocated, dumped on the next planet to consume it's
resources. Or are you proposing to let them all die? or a human lottery?

Make a planet livable, move people in, consume all the planets natural
resources, evacuate millions of people when the environment is so strained
it can no longer support life, leave behind a desolate resource-poor
wasteland devoid of life. That is NOT the point of terraforming. It is a
consumeristic, parastic approach. I don't want people to spread through the
galaxy as a resource consuming disease. Wasn't that the point of the movie
"Indepedance Day"?

>For example some people think Tardigrades came from Mars

Who does? and why would they think that?