Biosphere 2

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Biosphere2 1.jpg Biosphere 2 is a manmade closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona built by Edward P. Bass, Space Biosphere Ventures and others. Constructed between 1987 and 1989, it was used to test if and how people could live and work in a closed biosphere, while carrying out scientific experiments. It explored the possible use of closed biospheres in space colonization, and also allowed the study and manipulation of a biosphere without harming Earth's. The name comes from the idea that it is modeled on "Biosphere 1" - Earth.

1 History
- 1.1 Missions
2 Difficulty of creating successful artificial biospheres
- 2.1 Columbia University
- 2.2 For Sale
3 Science and engineering
4 See Also
5 External links
6 References

[edit]

History

[edit]

Missions

The project conducted two sealed missions; the first from September 26,1991 to September 26, 1993 and the second for six months in 1994. During the first mission, oxygen levels began falling at a steady pace of 0.5% per month. This continued to the point where the atmosphere inside resembled that of a community at an elevation of over 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Eventually, oxygen levels fell to dangerously low levels, and pure oxygen was pumped in from the outside. Image:Biosphere2 2.jpg

Many suspected the drop in oxygen was due to microbes in the soil. The agricultural, savanna and rain forest sections had all been infused with microbes in order to encourage plant growth. It was now felt that these microbes were consuming too much oxygen.

A problem with this theory was that microbes breathing that much oxygen would also be creating a massive amount of carbon dioxide. Yet this jump in CO₂ was undetected in the atmosphere readings. Further investigation revealed that the concrete at the base of the facility had been absorbing the carbon dioxide as it cured. This effect absorbed a large portion of the carbon dioxide being produced by the microbes which in turn had been depleting the facility's oxygen supply. Because oxygen and other supplies were provided, the project lost some credibility.

[edit]

Difficulty of creating successful artificial biospheres

An interesting consequence of the experiment is that it showed the difficulty of copying the functions of the natural capital of the Earth biosphere with infrastructural capital constructed by humans with present technology. Despite expenditure of over $150 million, this attempt at a new biosphere did not sustain eight humans for a prolonged time.

[edit]

Columbia University

In 1995 the Biosphere 2 owners transferred management to Columbia University. Since 1996, hundreds of college students have spent at least one semester at the Biosphere 2 Center campus (as of 2003). The site has its own hotel and conference center. Columbia has since divested itself of all Biosphere-related responsibilities.

[edit]

For Sale

As of January 10, 2005 Decisions Investments Corporation, owners of Biosphere 2, have announced that the Biosphere 2 campus is for sale. They would prefer if a research use was found for the complex but are not excluding buyers with different intentions, such as universities, churches, resorts, spas, etc. As of this time tours are still available, and visitors are taken through the crews' kitchen, under the glass dome to visit various habitats, and down corridors into the "lungs" that equalized air pressure as temperature within the closed structure varied.

In February, 2006, Fairfield Homes agreed to purchase Biosphere 2 and use its 1600 acres to build a planned community. [1]

[edit]

Science and engineering

Image:Biosphere2 Inside big.jpg

Image:Tucson05 BiosphereFogDesert.jpg

The scientific method is difficult to apply due to the complexity of the biosphere and the absence of a control. Like Project Apollo, Biosphere 2 is an achievement of engineering rather than science. The above-ground physical structure of Biosphere 2 was made of steel tubing and high-performance glass and steel frames. The frame and glazing materials were designed and made to specification by a firm run by a one-time student of Buckminster Fuller, Peter Pearce (Peter Pearce & Associates).

A special issue of the Ecological engineering journal edited by B.D.V. Marino and Howard T. Odum (1999) represents the most comprehensive assemblage of collected papers and findings from Biosphere 2. The papers range from calibrated models that describe the system metabolism, hydrologic balance, and heat and humidity, to papers that describe rainforest, mangrove, ocean, and agronomic system development in this carbon dioxide-rich environment.

[edit]