Terraforming of Venus: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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[[Poul Anderson]], a successful [[science fiction]] writer, had proposed the idea in his 1954 [[novelette]] "The Big Rain", a story belonging to his [[Psychotechnic League]] [[future history]].

The first known suggestion to [[Terraforming|terraform]] Venus in a scholarly context was by the astronomer [[Carl Sagan]] in 1961,.<ref name="The Planet Venus">{{cite journal| journal=Science| date=1961| title=The Planet Venus| first=Carl| last=Sagan| doi=10.1126/science.133.3456.849| bibcode=1961Sci...133..849S |pmid=17789744| volume=133|issue=3456| pages=849–58}}</ref>

Prior to the early 1960s, the [[atmosphere of Venus]] was believed by many astronomers to have an Earth-like temperature. When Venus was understood to have a thick [[carbon dioxide]] atmosphere with a consequence of a very large [[greenhouse effect]],<ref>[https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Greenhouse_effect_clouds_and_winds Greenhouse effect, clouds and winds]. ''Venus express'' mission, European Space Agency.</ref> some scientists began to contemplate the idea of altering the atmosphere to make the surface more Earth-like. This hypothetical prospect, known as [[terraforming]], was first proposed by [[Carl Sagan]] in 1961, as a final section of his classic article in the journal ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' discussing the atmosphere and greenhouse effect of Venus.<ref name="The Planet Venus"/> Sagan proposed injecting [[Photosynthesis|photosynthetic]] bacteria into the Venus atmosphere, which would convert the carbon dioxide into reduced carbon in organic form, thus reducing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.