Back when rocket guy and space-voyager-wannabe, Elon Musk, was a still a teenager rattling around South Africa, a group of Americans decided to build a home and work spaces for future space voyagers. Constructed of steel pipes and glass, this building, the Biosphere 2, attempted to replicate conditions on Earth–which is Biosphere 1–in a confined space. What they created was and is a kind of gigantic terrarium. The goal was to test if it was possible to make a self-sustaining environment which, of course, would be necessary for pioneer space travelers settling on the Moon or Mars or beyond.
Home Sweet Martian home?
The test began in 1991 when the outer doors were sealed and plants and animals and 8 people lived inside it for two years. Here is the kind of room that those Biospherians called their own. (And I’m sure every space traveler so far would be green with envy for these type of accomodations. Nothing this fancy on the Space Station hurtling around earth. Elon, what do you think?)
By September 1994, the Biosphere 2 experiment was abandoned. There were lessons learned, particularly regarding food and oxygen supplies, but no interest by the founders in continuing the experiments. (I have my own ideas about “lesson learned”, but more about that later.) The property went from owner to owner until it ended up as a research facility and a kind of museum belonging to the University of Arizona. Visitors can tour the property daily.
On the self-guided tour of Biosphere 2 here is what we saw, starting with a group of southwest style buildings that, after the site was abandoned, housed corporate conferences and retreats. These buildings had nothing to do with the Biosphere 2 experiment.
Next, we headed for the main building, and saw, off to the side, a pyramid with a shaft of light beaming down from the sky. (Yes, I know it is a lens reflection, but its cool!) I think the pyramid was part of the master control center for the actual Biosphere 2 facility. The dome structure on the right is called “The Lung” and was used to control the air breathed by the people, animals and plants inside.
The stairway in the “Library Tower”, above, gives a sense of how massive and complex the primary building is. The tower is 70 feet (7 stories) high and a library was at the top. But it wasn’t all angles; the door with the round windows leads to a research unit currently being used by the U of A to study water usage.
Included with the cost for entry is a digital tour you can download onto your smart phone and hear excellent information about the Biosphere as you walk through the various environments inside the massive dome. Some of the trees have been onsite since the beginning. Other plants added later.
The tropical forest had trees to grow coffee, papayas, bananas and other foods. But the 8 Biospherians did not eat well and all of them lost weight the first year. By year 2 their bodies had adapted to their new diet, more or less. According to reports, after leaving the Biosphere, the participants were all in good health. Just slimmer than before.
The man, on the left, is overlooking the “Ocean” environment. Basically it is a very large pool adjacent to a mangrove swamp and was home to tilapia fish. This was our last stop inside Biosphere 2.
We went outside and realized that the setting for the experiment was and is a beautiful Arizona landscape. We had been so preoccupied on our way to the buildings that we hadn’t looked around much. For the Biosphereians and the support scientists this was their view every day.
Unexpected lessons learned
Now about lessons learned. There were 2 experiments in living inside Biosphere 2 which is about 45 minutes north of Tucson. The first lasted 2 years and it turned out that the project was not entirely self-sustaining. Extra food and oxygen had to be provided to the people inside. A second experiment which ran for 7 months in 1994 was self-sustaining until the founders abruptly terminated it and walked away.
I think as an experiment in living on another planet, the Biosphere 2 is unrealistic — particularly in light of what we now know about the harsh conditions on the Moon and Mars and points beyond–despite Musk’s goal of sending people to Mars within his lifetime. For starters, there would be no outsiders to pipe in fresh air and food. And as for the private room — pure oversize fantasy! Sorry, Elon. But given the climate change now underway, possibly even climate collapse, Biosphere 2 may be a kind of model for how to live under drastically changed conditions here on Earth if the worst comes to the very worst. I hope it doesn’t.
As we walked back to the exit, we saw 3 wild Turkeys that had taken up residence in the Biosphere 2 complex next to a group of outdoor tables on a patio. It was the day after Thanksgiving and this guy is a survivor!
