Biosphere 2

We visited Biosphere 2 north of Tucson. Built between 1987 and 1991 by Space Biosphere Ventures, over 3 acres of Sonoran desert land was covered with domes and other structures. The space was originally created to demonstrate the viability of closed ecological systems to support and maintain human life in outer space.

Biosphere 2 was substantially funded by philanthropist Edward Perry Bass, a native of Fort Worth Texas and heir to his family’s oil fortunes. Originally committing $50 million to the project, it is estimated that Bass, over its life, funded between $150 and $200 million.

At the completion of the construction in 1991, 8 humans entered the dome. The crew would be monitored and were able to communicate to the outside world, but no other contact was allowed. The crew as provided with the plants, water and tools needed to establish their food and water needs. For the next two years, the crew needed to grow their own food, clean and recirculate their own water, and maintain the equipment needed to provide their electricity, clean their wastes, and maintain their health. They had to use their agricultural pods not only to grow their own food, but also to absorb the carbon dioxide they exhaled and create the oxygen they needed to live.

The crew self-sustained for two years before emerging from the facility. In the end they learned a number of things, among which included that despite being very healthy, their animal fat deprived diet resulted in considerable weight loss. Also they learned that their designed systems all worked in the way that they had been intended, however, the immense amount of concrete used in construction caused a gradual loss of oxygen. Their crops created enough oxygen to sustain them indefinitely. However, when cement cures (and the cement used in construction was still curing when they started the experiment), it consumes significant amounts of oxygen. An oxygen supplement each year was the only outside intervention the crew required.

We toured all the buildings and saw the equipment the crew used to live completely isolated for over 2 years. The equipment, which was designed to last 100 years, was still fully functional, and kept the facility cool for our visit. We sat in the chairs the crew sat in at the dining table where they ate. We saw the pods where they slept. We have way more room in Colectiva than the crew did where they lived for 2 years.

In 2007 the University of Arizona purchased Biosphere 2 and all its buildings. The facility remains the largest closed system ever created on Earth, and the University of Arizona had a twofold purpose in acquiring it. U of A is preserving the original crew quarters as well as the 5 biomes where Earth ecosystems created both the oxygen and recirculated the water for survival. Also, U of A is using the 3 domes where the crew grew its food to design the largest scientific study ever of how rain water in the desert climate eventually migrates through the soil to get to the river systems in the valleys. U of A hopes to be able to use their study to predict what the impact of climate change in the region will do to the Desert Southwest.

It was a fascinating visit and well worth the time. It brought back thoughts of hippies, Woodstock and other things from that era. Ed Bass still has a ranch adjacent to the facility. U of A uses it as an executive retreat when they have special guests. However, whenever Bass is in town, he lives in the ranch where he oversaw the creation of his philanthropic vision.

Talk to you soon!