BIOSPHERE 2
was named by Time Life Books as one of the
50 must see wonders of the World
An American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona.
Constructed between 1987 and 1991, Biosphere 2 was originally meant
to demonstrate the viability of closed ecological systems to
support and maintain human life in outer space as a
substitute for Earth's biosphere.
We arrived about 9:30 a.m. for our 10 o'clock tour.
Biosphere 2 was designed to explore the web of interactions
within life systems in a structure with different areas
based on various biological biomes.
In addition to the several biomes and the living quarters (shown above),
where the crew of eight humans ("biospherians") would live for 2 years,
there was an agricultural area and
work space to study the interactions between humans, farming,
technology and the rest of nature as a new kind of laboratory
for the study of the global ecology.
The tour began with a walk of the perimeter of the facility
and we all smiled at this creative tree brace...
The Biosphere 2's living systems, and its place in the universe structure was
vivarium It remains the largest closed system ever created.
Long-term it was seen as a precursor to gain knowledge about the use of
closed biospheres in space colonization. As an experimental ecological facility
it allowed the study and manipulation of a mini biospheric system
without harming Earth's biosphere. Wikipedia
This short video will give a sweeping view as we started our walk thru the
interior of this enclosed ecological system...
The model systems include Rainforest, Desert,
Savanna (transition zone between desert & rainforest)
Ocean Reef, & Mangrove (wetlands).
Now due to Covid, The Biosphere 2 Experience is a self-guided App based tour.
We all downloaded the Biosphere 2 App prior to arrival as it contained
pre-visit material and all on-site tour content. For more info...
As we walked around the self guided path, you’d see a # for each area. All
you had to do was play the info for that number on you app.
(We all had our own head phones...)
If you didn't have the app, you could scan the information signs.
Plants were acquired from all over the world. I loved the
way the light was hitting the huge level of the Fever Plant from
East Africa.
And this Banana Tree plant got my award for longest leaf.
I forgot where it was from... but we were in the Rainforest.
This display was the Coral Reef Section
and down at the end, Eric is using his app to learn more
information. The great thing about the apps, you
can review the information at any time after you leave the
facility... until you delete the app.
This Elephant Ear was acquired from Madagascar .
Eric and I thought that the tiny branches on the Boojum Tree
looked out of place. It came from Central Baja California
and isolated places in mainland Mexico.
Outside again, more signs to read and this one explained
the active rainwater harvesting system.
As you might imagine, it took a village of people to manage the
facility from the outside. This was the energy center, a power plant, which
is definitely the "heart" of the cooling system. It even
had 2 huge generators, one that ran on natural gas and the other
on diesel, just in case...
And this is the "South Lung" which has variable-volume air chambers
so the air generated could expand and contract.
Now if you want to, you can take your own tour by downloading
the Biosphere 2 app. It is available on Apple's app store and
Google apps. Then start the tour and go to the "next stop" (which means
the next stop on the tour if you were walking around like we did).
A quick and easy way to learn how it all started is to watch the
1 hr 55 min documentary "Spaceship Earth" available from Amazon, YouTube and
other sites. We downloaded it & streamed it to our 54" TV which made
watching almost like being there again.
That's it. I'm outta here...
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