Saving Our Future Earth: Keeping Our Planet in the Goldilocks Zone

[Dennis Plews]

Summary:: A proposal for keeping the Earth intact during the Sun’s Red Giant phase.

The following is a hypothetical method for keeping our Earth in the Goldilocks zone during the Sun’s Red Giant phase offered for analysis and critique by those amongst us who are more knowledgeable than I. Your input is respectfully requested.Can the Earth be saved from the Red Giant phase of the Sun?

It is known that in about 2-3 billion years our faithful Sun will begin to grow old and swell as it enters it’s Red Giant phase. As it swells in size Earth’s temperature will increase and the oceans will evaporate. It is possible that the Sun will grow to such a size that our Earth is consumed by it. Although this horrific threat is unimaginably far in our future, the question still arises; Can we save the Earth from the ever larger and hotter Sun?

An obvious solution is to move the Earth further away from the Sun as the it grows bigger and hotter. The question is: How can that be done? Newtonian mechanics provides the answer. One must apply a proper force vector to the Earth so that its orbital velocity is gradually increased. Doing so requires an extensive knowledge of geology and physics. In sum, thrusters will be placed at strategic points around the Earth’s circumference at or near the equator. The thrusters will be engaged at precise times so that over 1-2 billion or so years, enough thrust is applied with the correct vector so that the Earth’s orbital velocity is steadily increased so that we stay in the Goldilocks Zone of our Sun no matter how big it swells. Reversing that process will allow humanity to keep Earth wet and warm as the Sun cools into its White Dwarf phase, effectively extending the time that we can live on our dear Mother Earth before we move to our next planetary home. The time to begin is now!
Dennis J. Plews

Sarasota, Fl.

 

[.Scott]

There are already factors at work moving the Earth either further from the Sun or closer.
This Forbes article lists several of them.
One that is not included in that article is the tidal effect that Earth applies to the Sun (in contrast to the Sun's effect on Earth ocean tides). While the Sun is small, this is not very important. But as the Sun grows, it will have more influence.

 

[Dennis Plews]

There are already factors at work moving the Earth either further from the Sun or closer.
This Forbes article lists several of them.
One that is not included in that article is the tidal effect that Earth applies to the Sun (in contrast to the Sun's effect on Earth ocean tides). While the Sun is small, this is not very important. But as the Sun grows, it will have more influence.

Thanks for the reference. Unfortunately the link doesn’t open.

There are already factors at work moving the Earth either further from the Sun or closer.
This Forbes article lists several of them.
One that is not included in that article is the tidal effect that Earth applies to the Sun (in contrast to the Sun's effect on Earth ocean tides). While the Sun is small, this is not very important. But as the Sun grows, it will have more influence.

Thanks for the reference. Unfortunately, the link doesn’t open.

 

[.Scott]

I have fixed the link.
Here it is again.

 

[Jarvis323]

Woukdn't the dangerous solar events be too sudden for us to gradually move away in time?

Maybe it will be better to build a giant Earth orbiting shield or something like that?

How about moving Earth extra far away in advanced and using a controlled greenhouse effect to maintain temperature?

 

[russ_watters]

I wish I could like likes.

Anyway, I could see applying a bit of math to this problem, but I don't want to short change the OP by putting any more effort into it than the he did.

 

[Dennis Plews]

I have fixed the link.
Here it is again.

Thanks. It quantifies the amount of orbital radius increase needed to avoid Esrth becoming a Solar snack.

 

[Dennis Plews]

Woukdn't the dangerous solar events be too sudden for us to gradually move away in time?

Maybe it will be better to build a giant Earth orbiting shield or something like that?

How about moving Earth extra far away in advanced and using a controlled greenhouse effect to maintain temperature?

Starting early is the solution.

 

[Dennis Plews]

Woukdn't the dangerous solar events be too sudden for us to gradually move away in time?

Maybe it will be better to build a giant Earth orbiting shield or something like that?

How about moving Earth extra far away in advanced and using a controlled greenhouse effect to maintain temperature?

Good idea.

 

[PeroK]

I might prefer to sit tight for the time being and await developments.

 

[Dennis Plews]

I wish I could like likes.

Anyway, I could see applying a bit of math to this problem, but I don't want to short change the OP by putting any more effort into it than the he did.

Calculating the amount of force needed to needed to increase Earth’s orbital velocity sufficiently to achieve the desired results is trivial and well within the ability of a high school science student. Conceiving of a potential method that can potentially save an inhabited planet is a bit more demanding. What interesting ideas have you posted?

 

[berkeman]

Calculating the amount of force needed to needed to increase Earth’s orbital velocity sufficiently to achieve the desired results is trivial and well within the ability of a high school science student. Conceiving of a potential method that can potentially save an inhabited planet is a bit more demanding. What interesting ideas have you posted?

Your Profile page says you have a PhD and a JD in law. Please don't be obnoxious Dennis. You need to post your technical analysis if you want feedback on your proposal. Asking what interesting ideas others have posted is very inappropriate given your lack of effort so far.

An obvious solution is to move the Earth further away from the Sun as the it grows bigger and hotter. The question is: How can that be done? Newtonian mechanics provides the answer. One must apply a proper force vector to the Earth so that its orbital velocity is gradually increased. Doing so requires an extensive knowledge of geology and physics. In sum, thrusters will be placed at strategic points around the Earth’s circumference at or near the equator. The thrusters will be engaged at precise times so that over 1-2 billion or so years, enough thrust is applied with the correct vector so that the Earth’s orbital velocity is steadily increased so that we stay in the Goldilocks Zone of our Sun no matter how big it swells. Reversing that process will allow humanity to keep Earth wet and warm as the Sun cools into its White Dwarf phase, effectively extending the time that we can live on our dear Mother Earth before we move to our next planetary home. The time to begin is now!

What is your quantitative analysis so far? What fuel source do you propose for these thrusters? What effects will there be on the Earth's climate from running these thrusters for many years?

Please do a much better job posting in this fanciful thread of yours or it will be closed. PhD? I'm guessing it has nothing to do with science...

 

[PeroK]

I didn't think this thread was supposed to be taken seriously(?) We've climate change to deal with immediately and a few thousand ice ages and other major climactic changes to get through in the next billion years or so. Plus we have the eventual inevitability of major asteroid strikes to deal with. Developing a gigantic tug boat to pull the Earth away from a dying Sun isn't a priority, surely?

 

[Rive]

Starting early is the solution.

On the contrary: when the problem is too far away, starting early is usually the worst choice.

Advancing technology may make previously unsolvable problems obsolete, while with obsolete tech, those problems were - well, unsolvable.

So, regarding solving the problem of the bloating Sun, the first priority is to make it through the next few centuries.

 

[Hornbein]

If rockets are used then a considerable quantity of the Earth's mass might be required. I suppose it would also be necessary to build a tower five miles high or so in the Himalayas on which to mount the thing above the atmosphere.

 

[PeroK]

If rockets are used then a considerable quantity of the Earth's mass might be required. I suppose it would also be necessary to build a tower five miles high or so in the Himalayas on which to mount the thing above the atmosphere.

Do you suppose the Himalayas will still be there in a billion years?

 

[OmCheeto]

Interesting problem. Being my Kardashev level is about zero, I would build a really big solar powered ion propulsion system on the moon. Or perhaps something more like the LHC, only we dump a continuous stream of atoms into the appropriate direction into outer space. We could use gravity as the tow rope.

Ha! Wouldn't that be funny to find out that Gamma Ray Bursts are actually us detecting E.T.s moving their planets.

 

[Motore]

Slowly but surely this thread will be moved to the Science fiction forum soon.

 

[Rive]

Just terraform some objects in the Kuiper belt and migrate.
Problem solved

 

[berkeman]

Slowly but surely this thread will be moved to the Science fiction forum soon.

Alternately, we can just tie it off. Thanks for the ideas folks.