Biosphere2 — Where science lives! — To whoever is not listening to the sea

Biospherians of yesteryear...do you think the coordinated their pose?  (One leg bent, people. One leg bent!) — Biospherians of yesteryear...do you think the coordinated their pose? (One leg bent, people. One leg bent!)

Continuing our tour of weird, white buildings in the desert, today we visit Biosphere2! Biosphere2 was built in the 1980s as a privately funded research facility. Originally operated as a closed system — a group of "biospherians" lived within the space for two years, subsisting only on the what was provided by environment within Biosphere2— with the aim of "developing self-sustaining space-colonization technology."

A second crew only lasted six-months, because, as one of the researchers explained: "We weren't low on nutrients. We were just low on calories." In other words...it seems they were starving (or cheating and bringing in outside food stuffs!) There were also accusations of "mind control" and cults. (Our tour guide, Orville, who I believe was at one point in his life a Shakespearean actor, repeatedly said: "We are in complete control of everything!" He was cheerful, but it did make us take note of the location of the exits!)

When the era of the biospherians ended the space became a research facility run by Colombia University (studying the affects of CO2 on the different environments in the biosphere, which reportedly really screwed with the ocean biome) and now University of Arizona (focusing on landscape evolution). See more here.

Fun facts!

It cost $150M US to build the original biosphere facility.
Biosphere2 covers 3.14 acres. It's 91ft tall at its highest point and its foundation is sealed by a 500-ton welded stainless steel liner.
There are over 6,500 windows in Biosphere2!
The airlocks kept air loss to less than 10% per year during the reign of the biospherians.
If you know any budding, young scientists, the facility offers a week-long residential summer science program for high school and middle school students.
There are two lungs in Biosphere2, which were used to keep the structure from exploding or imploding when it operated as a closed system. They are no longer necessary, because it's now a controlled, but open system. (We were free to leave at the end of the tour!)

We did not get to visit the "fog biome" mentioned on the website, but did get to visit Rainforest, Savanah, Mangrove, Ocean, Shrub & Thorn and Desert. We also went to the technosphere — basically, the basement. Finally, we are sad to report, that they do not sell reproductions of the biospherians jumpsuits in the gift shop. We would have looked awesome in those!