Biosphere 2

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Biosphere 2 from the inside

Biosphere 2 ( English Biosphere 2 ) is a building complex in Arizona , USA , which was built in 1991 with the aim of creating an ecosystem that was independent of the outside world and that was originally planned to be self-sustaining . The experiment was supposed to prove that life is possible in the long term in an independent, closed ecological system. It is considered to have failed after two unsuccessful attempts. The University of Arizona has been using the complex for research and teaching since 2007 .

Biosphere 2 was built by billionaire Edward Bass for $ 200 million. The project was observed by NASA , which wanted to evaluate the knowledge gained for possible manned bases on the moon or Mars . The name "Biosphere 2" was based on the idea of ​​creating a scaled down, "second" biosphere , while the original, the earth, is "Biosphere 1".

construction

The library building in the biosphere 2

A closed ecosystem was created on an area of ​​1.6 hectares north of Tucson , Arizona between 1987 and 1989 under a dome structure with 6,500 panes of glass, which encloses a volume of 204,000 cubic meters : savanna , ocean , tropical rainforest, mangrove swamp , desert , intensive Agriculture and Housing.

The technical effort (pumps, filter systems, fans) was considerable, as a complete and self-sufficient life support system was to be created. The implementation of long-term travel in space or space colonies in this regard were also a long-term goal of the experiment. In addition, approx. 3,800 different animal and plant species have settled in the various biotopes (habitats).

course

First attempt 1991 to 1993

Biosphere 2 from the outside
Area of biosphere 2

The experiment began on September 26, 1991 after several one-week preliminary experiments. Eight participants lived in the glass building for exactly 2 years and 20 minutes until September 26, 1993, with the aim of being completely isolated from all external contacts (air and material exchange), except from natural sunlight and electrical energy supplied.

In the course of time, conditions emerged that increasingly impaired the lives of residents and other living beings. For example, the following problems arose from an ecological point of view:

  • The reinforced concrete built into the construction slowly absorbed oxygen (via the detour CO 2 in the plant cycle). Oxygen also diffused out of the glass dome much faster than carbon dioxide, because it consists of much smaller and lighter molecules.
  • Parasitic microbes in the arable land increased the proportion of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
  • The El Niño climatic phenomenon temporarily led to lower harvests from arable farming.
  • Cockroaches and a special type of ants ( yellow spinner ants ) spread extremely.

Contrary to the original ideas, oxygen had to be supplied from the outside in the second year to compensate for that absorbed by the concrete. After the reorganization of the management and the scientific supervision (unlike before), material samples were regularly given out (through the appropriate use of air locks, the outside world was largely preserved). After two weeks, Jane Poynter had to leave Biosphere 2 for a short time because of a hand injury and took equipment from outside with her. Due to this exchange of matter with the outside world, the experiment is officially considered to have failed, as the autonomy of the facility could not be maintained.

Second attempt in 1994

A second group stayed in the artificial biosphere for over six months in 1994. During this time, with a few exceptions, the air, water and food for the people in it were produced and reprocessed by the ecosystems. Stephen Bannon was in charge .

The second group consisted of the seven participants Norberto Alvarez-Romo, John Druitt, Matt Finn, Pascale Maslin, Charlotte Godfrey, Rodrigo Romo and Tilak Mahato.

Criticism of the conclusions of the experiment

The media often spoke of the project's failure. Nonetheless, this “failure” resulted in insights which should be valuable for future developments and tests of artificial habitats. Even the realization that it is not easily possible to create a living space outside of the earth that can be used by humans is seen as an important result of the project.

  • An aquarium with a diameter of more than two meters can take up to six years of treatment to stop it constantly falling out of ecological balance. The trial time was thus too short.
  • Too many plants and animals are said to have been introduced, several from every continent. One idea is to start with a few, effective plant varieties. This means using a few species to ensure oxygen production and food production, rather than creating a rather cumbersome and complicating diversity. For example, according to Robert Zubrin, bumblebees are “the more good-natured bees” and are good for pollination, otherwise one could for the most part dispense with insects because they multiply too quickly, e.g. B. the ants. (According to the source, “unlike previous experiments, in which the number of plants and animals was kept as low as possible, Biosphere 2 was more of an ideologically disguised botanical garden and less of a habitat that initially only serves for survival. There was one on 23 different soil types Rainforest, a savanna, a swamp, a rubble desert and a desert. A sea with a waterfall and corals were just as much a part of the miniature world as the agricultural zone with goats, pigs and chickens. Then there were the laboratory, the workshop, the computer room and the library. ")

Further projects and current status

In 1996, Columbia University took over the administration of Biosphere 2 and used it for ecological research and teaching. Research results on the effects of greenhouse gases have been published under the direction of Barry Osmond. In 2002 Columbia University reviewed the project and decided to discontinue it in late 2003 for cost reasons. From then on, the facility was again owned by its builder, oil billionaire Edward Bass. In 2007, CDO bought Ranching & Development, LP , Biosphere 2 for $ 50 million. Pinal County announced plans to build 1,500 homes and a themed hotel in the area, but has not yet implemented that plan. The University of Arizona also stated that it wanted to rent the global warming research facility . Effective July 1, 2011, CDO Ranching & Development donated Biosphere 2 to the University of Arizona.

Movies

  • Jörg Seibold and Sibylle Trost : "The Return of the Bionauts - Two Years in a Glass House", 1993
  • Bud & Doyle: “Totally organic. Guaranteed harmful ”(Bio-Dome), 1996
  • Matt Wolf: "Spaceship Earth," 2020

See also

literature

  • Jane Poynter: The Human Experiment. Two Years and twenty minutes inside Biosphere 2 . 1st edition. Pub Group West, 2006, ISBN 978-1-56025-775-2 (American English).

Web links

Commons : Biosphere 2  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernd Zabel: Biosphere II , Telepolis, December 13, 1996.
  2. ↑ a b The experiment - struggle for survival in the greenhouse
  3. ↑ Deutschlandradio Kultur, calendar sheet September 26, 2011: Trial run for life in space
  4. ↑ a b c d The Human Experiment. Two Years and twenty minutes inside Biosphere 2, Jane Poynter, 2006
  5. ↑ Tim Murphy: Trump's campaign CEO ran a secretive sci-fi project in the Arizona desert . In: Mother Jones . ( motherjones.com [accessed February 23, 2017]).
  6. ↑ Dieter Wunderlich: Biosphere 2 | Book tips and more. Accessed March 31, 2019 (German).
  7. ↑ Eldorado for ants , Focus , No. 49, 1996
  8. ^ Biosphere 2 to Have a Permanent Home With the UA , Office of University Communications, The University of Arizona. June 27, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Spaceship Earth. In: Sundance Institute. Retrieved May 8, 2020 .
  10. ^ Alissa Wilkinson: In 1991, a group of 8 people isolated themselves for 2 years. Spaceship Earth tells their story. In: vox.com. May 7, 2020, accessed May 8, 2020 .

Coordinates: 32 ° 34 ′ 43 ″  N , 110 ° 51 ′ 2 ″  W.