Biosphere 2

 

I suddenly remembered the biosphere 2 experiment this weekend. It was an experiment in the 1990s to try and sustain suitable living conditions in a completely sealed, self-sufficient environment. There were a few reasons it was important to do this, namely, to see if we could be self-sustaining. This would be useful if we were to ever colonize another planet for example. But the more important contribution in my opinion was learning more about our own planet. They had to do a lot of research just to get to the point of living in the dome, about what they would need to live. In terms of some goals of the experiments, it was a failure. The first time, the oxygen decreased and they had to pump more into the enclosure (on another world, or our world you could not get this rescue move). It turns out the concrete was partly responsible for the decline in oxygen, and this was fixed for the second experiment. In addition, the carbon dioxide levels fluctuated a lot and all of the insects that pollinate plants died. Huh, kind of sounds like now...The second experiment was more successful but ended early due to change in management and financial disputes. Now it is under control of the University of Arizona. In spite of not being an outright success, a lot of information was gained by the project. I hope we manage the world better, we won't be able to call in for extra oxygen anytime soon.

When I first looked up the biosphere 2, I had the name wrong and googled biodome! I guess the movie by Pauly Shore may be more memorable because I got the name wrong!  If you recall the Pauly Shore movie, the experiment of being self sufficient and enclosed for a year, is a success!