Terraforming

The Umbrian Republic has established outposts in a number of different systems where no naturally habitable biosphere is present, including several whose worlds represent near misses for sustaining Umbrian life. These worlds are tantalizing targets for futurists, dreamers, and would-be terraformers.

Terraforming in a lesser extent has been used on a number of worlds which were already capable of supporting life, but where local conditions presented challenges to comfortable habitation for Umbrians. This includes the economic powerhouse of Orvieto, whose frequent volcanic eruptions created localized pockets of toxicity which was dangerous to the planet’s Umbrian inhabitants.

This challenge was ultimately solved through massive atmospheric purification stations. These facilities drew volcanic gases through kilometers of piping which penetrated the volcanoes’ outer rocky faces and formed artificial vents. These in turn would siphon off and sequestered the toxic elements before they could be released into the atmosphere.

While these specific and targeted efforts have borne fruit, full-scale planetary modification remains a mostly theoretical exercise, as the time horizon and level of effort required to achieve results are far beyond the proposed benefits.

While these factors have dissuaded private firms from engaging in attempts to terraform planets, the Republic's Academy of Sciences has argued for and obtained funding to launch a pilot program on the planet Asciano.

Asciano is a hot and arid planet, a near miss for sustaining life. It sits comfortably within its star's habitation zone, and has a strong magnetic field due to its active vulcanism, but its atmospheric composition and lack of surface water make the development of complex carbon-based life impossible.

The Academy's efforts involve bombarding its surface with large volumes of water transported from offworld. The goal is twofold, to increase the amount of available water on the surface of the planet, and through evaporation, thicken its atmosphere with water vapor, increasing surface temperatures to the point where they can support simple plant life.

Simultaneously, bacteria and other simple organisms are being released into the environment. They are designed to help change the contents of the planet's atmosphere. In a few generations, planetary scientists hope that sufficient carbon dioxide has been created to support photosynthesis, which will enable the seeding of the world's first plants, which have been specifically engineered for the soil content they will encounter on Asciano's surface.

Critics point out that in a massive galaxy full of star systems which may already contain life bearing bodies, the cost and effort to build a habitable planet from scratch is ludicrously high, and such an effort could only be approved and funded by wasteful government schemes.

The Academy of Sciences concedes that the project will likely take centuries or longer. However, they contend that the information gathered is well worth the effort, and the hefty price tag.

The Academy believes its efforts will prove invaluable for the Republic's future understanding of planetary science and environmental engineering. While full scale terraforming may end up being impractical, the hope is that the lessons learned from Asciano may make it easier to adapt existing, partially habitable planets, making them more comfortable for Umbrian settlement.