Biosphere 2: The Space Colony That Never Was
A Catastrophe in the Making
Out in the middle of the Arizona desert sits a sprawling, futuristic looking structure of pyramids made from glass and chrome. However futuristic it may look, this building was erected in the early 1990s as part of a remarkably ambitions program to recreate the major biomes of the planet earth all under a single roof. This massive structure contains a tiny ocean with its own coral reef, a savanna, and a baby rainforest. More than just plants and terrain, this miniature world contains several species of bird, fish, aquatic organism, insect, and animal. It was quite intentionally designed to be earth in miniature. This intention is reflected in the building’s name: Biosphere 2 (implying that the planet Earth is “Biosphere 1”). Who would build such a complex structure and why?
Before we consider the “who” let’s look at the “why.” Construction on Biosphere 2 began in 1986 under the direction and inspiration of a group of artists and environmental activists who had come of age during the space race, the moon landing, and science fiction epics like 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was with such scientific advancements and science fiction ambitions in mind that this crew began a project intended to explore how colonization of other planets might be done. The simple question being, would it be possible to replicate earth’s delicate but beautiful biosphere on another world?
Upon construction and full implementation of this tiny world, the crew intended to enter the Biosphere, lock themselves in, and live for two years — subsisting off of the food they could grow inside this sealed-off environment, the air produced by the plants, and the water being recycled by the natural environment around them. If such a feat could be successful here on Earth, perhaps this building might serve as a template for future astronauts as the human race spread to other planets and brought a piece of planet Earth along with them.
When they entered the Biosphere, this crew of 8 called themselves “Biospherians,” but prior to this stunt they had been known as the “Theatre of All Possibilities.” Yes, as scientific as the whole venture sounds, it was founded and operated by a troupe of artists and performers.
Theater of All Possibilities was founded in the late 60s, when such things were not uncommon, by a man named John P. Allen. Allen was a not-untalented man, having a degree from Harvard, skilled as a metallurgist, having organized unions, having some anthropological interests, and being, by all accounts, a fairly talented beat poet. He and his troupe were out to change the world, but had no clear direction in how to go about it.
As was not uncommon at the time, the troupe started by purchasing a ranch and creating a sort of commune in which they all lived and shared resources and duties. While doing this the troupe founded an art gallery in London, and created a satellite commune in Australia. In 1975, they decided to become a bit more ambitious and, with no prior experience, built their own boat and began sailing around the world with the pretext of examining all of the ecosystems around the planet.
Building Biosphere 2
With ecology on their minds and a confidence born of so many successful ventures, the crew eventually determined to create an ecosystem of their own in the form of Biosphere 2. Having formed a variety of connections in their world travels, the crew managed to obtain a benefactor to fund the project: an oil mogul named Ed Bass who was, himself, something of a spiritualist.
The building is part greenhouse, part pyramid, and part geodesic dome. Beneath the superstructure lies the manufactured Garden of Eden, and underneath of that lies the “technosphere,” a 3 acre substructure containing the electrical and plumbing components which keep the entire environment alive. This includes 26 air handlers which control the weather in the environment. With a few dials and switches, operators could increase or decrease humidity, temperature, and create some mild weather effects such as fog, rain, or drought.
The building uses natural gas to power its primary generators, with backup generators using diesel fuel. The air cooling system is rather ingenious, using two towers to draw the hot air up past coils of running water that removes the heat from the air, after which it drops back down into the complex.
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Upon completion of this unprecedented project, the crew donned their matching jumpsuits and, to international fanfare, entered their creation and sealed themselves inside. The eight members of the team included some specialists: a physician, a botanist, and a marine biologist.
The publicity for this stunt was far-reaching, with tourist groups traveling out to the desert to observe the massive structure and put their faces up against the glass to observe the crew inside like animals in a zoo. One such gawker was the famous primatologist, Jane Goodall — making the crew feel as if they really were animals under observation.
Serious scientists tended to dismiss the entire project as a mere publicity stunt — predicting that algae would build up in the water while the rainforest would break down and dissolve until the whole thing turned into a pool of green goo.
These predictions of doom did not give due credit to the knowledge and foresight of the engineers, who had managed to accurately balance the environment to be quite healthy for the plants and water. However, the crew were doomed in a far different way.
A Disastrous Mission
While the engineers had carefully provided for the health of the flora, they had not managed to create the necessary balance for the health of the fauna. The crew quickly began running out of food, as the various food-bearing plants did not produce enough nourishment for the caloric needs of the 8 people inside. They began to get creative. When the potato plants did not produce enough potatoes to feed them, they began to boil the leaves of the plants for a very thin and unappetizing soup. Nevertheless, the entire crew began to lose weight and become undernourished.
But the problems did not stop there. It is well-known that animals breathe oxygen while plants breath carbon dioxide, and the delicate balance between the two keeps the planet thriving. With a miniature rain forest, vegetable farm, and coral reef, the crew felt they had balanced the production of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the environment. What they did not account for was the bacteria in the soil. These bacteria are an essential part of earth’s environment, breaking down the leaves and detritus into soil. But as they do so, they emit large amounts of carbon dioxide. The crew began to notice the air thinning as it felt more and more like they were at high altitudes struggling for breath, and unable to complete long sentences without gulping for air.
As the crew sat about, attempting to move as little as possible to preserve each calorie and savor each gulp of oxygen left, they began to divide into two factions. One faction insisted on bringing in outside help: oxygen tents and food. The other faction demanded that they stay the course and complete the two year project so as not to taint the authenticity of all of the time and money which had been put into this affair.
Ultimately the first group won the day, and air and food were brought in from the outside, but the crew were careful to keep this quite from the media so as not to ruin their authenticity in front of the world. Word did get out eventually, however, and the entire project was dismissed by the media at large as a colossal failure. As a result, it has largely been forgotten by the world at large.
With the insights gained from the first venture, the team tried another venture in 1994. This one seemed to be going more successfully, but it didn’t last very long before the investor decided to pull the plug, end the mission, and turn the entire thing into a business instead.
A Surprising Success
Looking back, it would be easy to see the entire project as a shipwreck, folly, and failure, but it is certain that Biosphere 2 did provided some insights into the dangers space colonists would have to take into account should they ever try a similar project on another planet.
The facility that was Biosphere 2 still stands, and you can even visit it yourself for a look. Owned by the University of Arizona since 2011, the facility is now used largely for environmental research. In fact, it is the one place on earth where scientists can take full control of an ecosystem in order to study how biomes respond to things like climate change. Scientists have changed the temperature and humidity of the rainforest to get an idea how the rainforests on Earth will respond to rising temperatures. They have made good use of the coral reef as a method of studying how these precious aquatic environments can be restored after environmental damage. As it happens, Biosphere 2 has done more for the scientific community studying life on Earth than it ever did studying how to survive other planets.
But some still believe that the idea was sound in principle, and simply needed better execution. As a result, projects for creating similar structures are underway as people still wonder if it is possible to build self-sustaining space stations on the Moon or Mars using the natural components found on earth for recycling air, waste, and water.
