Biosphere 2

On Sept 26, 1991,

4 men & 4 women were locked inside a sealed world.

Inside that world was an entire biosphere...  a separate planet so to speak.

With 4,000 species of plant life it was a kind of Botanical Noahs Ark...

The design of the structure - which covers over 3 acres - was

to prevent as much as an atom to transfer in from outside.

The inhabitants would live work and play inside in a totally self sufficient

world that grew, &/or  recycled all its food,  air,  & water.

It was a grand experiment in not only the study of our planet and it's systems,

 but also a study of what it might be like to create self sufficient

colonies in space.

I wont go into the specifics and how it all turned out...

You can google that if you are interested, but what follows is a tour

of this amazing facility that is now a massive research station owned

by the University of Arizona.

Inside the Biosphere is a

Rain Forest

Taken from the "Savannah Grasslands" Bio Zone

looking down upon the Ocean with Coral Reef.

Below is the fog desert.

The white platform in the middle is an experiment about how

plants will grow in solid rock, and form dirt that is

currently under way.

Because the entire complex was sealed, and changes in temperature

and outside atmospheric pressure would cause the building to expand/ contract

and rupture, a way was needed to handle the changes in in pressures.

The Biosphere was designed with 2 huge "lungs"  These massive rooms have a

16 ton aluminum disc (seen on left with legs dangling) suspended

 on a doughnut of rubber.  As the air expands in the biosphere - it lifts the 

aluminum disc.  As it contracts - the disc lowers to the floor.

Below is the "Human Habitat" section of the Biosphere2

The upper knob is a library/observatory.

Below that are crews rooms, and dining facilities.

This is one of 10 crew apartments.

The first floor is a living room, up the spiral

staircase is the bedroom.

The Kitchen.  the door in the rear leads to

the food preparation/storage area.

(remember all the food was grown here)

Looking out from the kitchen is the dining area,

and beyond that the rain forest.

From the outside on the left is the building housing

the bio zones (Rain forest, Savannah, Desert, etc)

In the center the Human Habitat,

The round building on the right is one of

the two Lungs.

And of course...  the Honeymooners.

Did I mention that it snowed last night on the mountains

and rained on us?

Happy New Year Everyone!