The 'Earth Rocket': a Method for Keeping the Earth in the Habitable Zone

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method treating Earth as a rocket to adjust its orbit, counteracting solar luminosity increase, thus maintaining habitability for billions of years.

Contribution

It introduces a novel concept of using Earth's own mass ejection as a rocket to keep it in the habitable zone amidst solar evolution.

Findings

Earth can sustain the required thrust for billions of years.

The power needed is only 2.3% of current solar flux.

Earth's mass is sufficient for long-term orbit adjustment.

Abstract

The Sun is expected to increase its radiant output by about 10% per billion years. The rate at which the radius of the Earth's orbit would need to increase in order to keep the present value of the Sun's radiant flux at the Earth constant is calculated. The mechanical power required to achieve this is also calculated. Remarkably, this is a small fraction (2.3%) of the total solar flux currently intercepted by the Earth. Treating the Earth itself as a rocket, the thrust required to increase the orbit is found, as well as the rate of mass ejection. The Earth has sufficient mass to maintain this rate for several billion years, allowing for the possibility that the Earth could remain habitable to biological life for billions of years into the future.