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Biosphere 2 is a manmade closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona built by Edward P. Bass , Space Biosphere Ventures and others. It was used to test if and how people could live and study 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 modelled on "Biosphere 1" - Earth.1 History
1.1 Missions
The project conducted two sealed missions; the first from 1991 September 26 to 1993 September 26, and the second for six months in 1994. During the first mission, oxygen and carbon dioxide fell. Oxygen and other supplies were provided, and the project lost some credibility.
1.2 Columbia University
In 1995 the Biosphere 2 owners transferred management to Columbia University. Since 1996, over 1200 graduate students have spent a year in the Biosphere 2 Center ( as of 2003). The site has its own hotelHotel" is the letter H in the NATO phonetic alphabet See Hotel for the American television program that aired on ABC from 1983 until 1988. A hotel is an establishment that provides lodging on a short-term basis. Hotels often provide a number of additional and conference center. Columbia has since divested itself of all Biosphere-related responsibilities.
2 Science and engineering
The scientific methodThe scientific method is a sequence or collection of processes that are considered characteristic of scientific investigation and the acquisition of new scientific knowledge based upon physical evidence. Science deals with assertions about the way the wor is difficult to apply due to the complexity of the biosphere and the absence of a control. Like Project ApolloFor other meanings, see Apollo (disambiguation). Project Apollo was a series of human spaceflight missions undertaken by the United States of America using the Apollo spacecraft, conducted during the years 1961- 1972. It was devoted to the goal of landing, Biosphere 2 is an achievement of engineeringEngineering is the application of science to the needs of humanity. This is accomplished through knowledge, mathematics, and practical experience applied to the design of useful objects or processes. Professional practitioners of engineering are called en rather than scienceFor the scientific journal named Science see Science (journal). Science is both a process of gaining knowledge, and the organized body of knowledge gained by this process. The scientific process is the systematic acquisition of new knowledge about a syste. 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 FullerRichard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller ( July 12, 1895 July 1, 1983) was an American visionary, designer, architect, inventor, and writer. Achievements Fuller became famous for his huge geodesic domes, which can be seen as part of military radar stations, cit, Peter Pearce (Peter Pearce & Associates).
3 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 capitalNatural capital refers to the mineral, plant, and animal formations of the Earth's biosphere when viewed as a means of production of oxygen, water filter, erosion preventer, or provider of other natural services. It is one approach to ecosystem valuation, of the evolved 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 limited time, while the original sustains billions of humans, and shows little sign of failing any time soon.
