Biosphere 2
Eight researchers walked into a glass building in the Arizona desert on September 26, 1991. They wouldn’t leave for two years. The 3.14-acre facility near Oracle, Arizona cost $150 million.
Texas billionaire Ed Bass funded this experiment to test if humans could live in a sealed ecosystem. Inside sat five mini-Earth environments: a rainforest, an ocean with coral reef, a grassland, a desert, and a wetland.
The “2” in the name meant Earth was the first biosphere. The project aimed to understand Earth’s systems while exploring if humans could create habitats for space colonies.
The Eight Biospherians Enter the Dome
Four men and four women stepped into Biosphere 2 for a planned two-year isolation on a sunny September morning.
The crew included doctor Roy Walford, scientist Jane Poynter, engineer Taber MacCallum, scientist Mark Nelson, designer Sally Silverstone, marine expert Abigail Alling, technician Mark Van Thillo, and plant specialist Linda Leigh.
A Crow Indian, Tibetan monk, and Mexican dancer blessed the entry ceremony. Ed Bass locked the door at 8:18 a.m., starting what news outlets called “Mission One.”
Daily Life in the Artificial World
Inside the sealed world, the crew followed a busy schedule dictated by plants, animals, and systems. Farming took 25% of their waking hours. Research and fixing things took another 20%.
Writing reports filled 19% of their time. Cooking needed 12%. They grew many crops including bananas, sweet potatoes, beans, rice, and wheat.
Their farm made 83% of their food. All eight ate Dr. Walford’s special diet with few calories but many nutrients, becoming test subjects in a long-term food study.
The First Signs of Trouble
Hunger followed the crew throughout their first year. The 1991-1992 El Niño brought extra clouds to Arizona. Less sunlight reached the plants inside, cutting food production.
Each person lost much weight as their bodies adjusted to eating less. Their farm simply couldn’t grow enough food. The Biospherians carefully measured their harvests, but food shortages stayed a constant problem.
The Oxygen Crisis Begins
Three months in, the crew noticed a scary pattern in their air tests. Oxygen levels started at the normal 20.9% but dropped steadily.
The crew tracked this decline while looking for the cause. Carbon dioxide levels rose sharply, changing by 600 parts per million each day.
CO2 went highest at night when plants stopped making oxygen. By January 1993, oxygen had fallen so low that outside help became necessary.
Discovering Why Oxygen Was Disappearing
Scientists found two main reasons for the oxygen loss. Tiny microbes in the rich soil used more oxygen than expected.
These microbes made carbon dioxide that plants should have turned back into oxygen. Instead, the extra carbon dioxide mixed with chemicals in the concrete walls.
This reaction created calcium carbonate and water, trapping oxygen. Tests proved this when researchers found ten times more calcium carbonate on inside walls than outside walls.
The Health Effects of Low Oxygen
After 16 months sealed inside, oxygen fell to 14.5% – like being on a 13,390-foot mountain. Crew members developed troubling health issues including breathing stops during sleep, constant tiredness, and fuzzy thinking.
Even walking upstairs left them breathless. The medical team watched these symptoms closely as part of their research.
Dr. Walford recorded how people adapted to low oxygen. Their experience showed how human bodies respond to slowly dropping oxygen.
The Decision to Add Oxygen
Managers faced a tough choice in January 1993: stop early or bring in outside oxygen. They chose to pump in pure oxygen while keeping the mission going.
Trucks brought oxygen to the facility. The effect on the crew was instant. They felt sudden energy and joy with the fresh oxygen.
One person said they felt “born again” breathing. A second oxygen delivery came in August 1993 to keep levels safe until the mission ended.
Social Tensions Split the Crew
About six months in, personal conflicts divided the Biospherians into two opposing groups. Arguments broke out over how things should be run and what goals mattered most.
Living in isolation made normal tensions much worse. One group wanted new leaders and more focus on science rather than just keeping the system closed.
The other group backed the current leaders and wanted to stick with the original plan.
The Breaking Point in Human Relations
Talk between the two groups got so bad that some stopped speaking to others completely. They tried fixing these problems by reading about group behavior and holding therapy sessions.
Despite these deep conflicts, both sides kept doing their needed jobs. No one sabotaged work or hurt the experiment.
The Biospherians stayed committed to their mission even as their friendships broke under the pressure.
The Final Days and Completion
Despite oxygen problems and fighting, the crew finished their full two-year mission. They walked out on September 26, 1993, exactly two years after going in.
Over 2,000 people came to watch them return. The eight Biospherians looked thin but showed good health.
Medical tests found better cholesterol levels from their diet. Their pale skin stood out in the bright Arizona sun as they took their first outside breaths in 24 months.
Visiting Biosphere 2
You’ll find Biosphere 2 at 32540 S Biosphere Road in Oracle, Arizona, about 30 miles north of Tucson. The facility offers guided tours that take you through the original living quarters where the eight Biospherians spent their two years in isolation.
During your visit, you can walk through the same airlock the original crew used when entering in 1991. Don’t miss the “human habitat” area with crew sleeping quarters still preserved from the experiment.
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