March 16, 2012

PHOENIX TO TUCSON

I left Phoenix this morning about 10:30 a.m. to drive back to Tucson. Along the way I took a slight detour to visit Biosphere 2, which is located northeast of Tucson along Route 77 near Oracle.

Here are the entry signs leading up to Biosphere 2 from Route 77.

I decided on a guided tour, which included a 15-minute film and a 1-1/2 hour walk-through of the facility. Our tour guide answered many questions not available on the self-guided tour.

I am quoting here the history of Biosphere 2 taken from the official brochure distributed to visitors.

"In the 1800's, the Biosphere 2 property was part of the Samaniego's CDO Ranch. After several changes of ownership, it became a conference center in the 1960's and 1970's, first Motorola, then The Univeristy of Arizona. Space Biospheres Ventures bought the property in 1984 and began construction of the current facility in 1986. Human Missions 1 and 2 lasted from 1991 - 1994. In 1994, Decisions Investments Corporation took over the property and Columbia University managed it from 1996-2003. The property was sold June 4, 2007, to CDO Ranching and its development partners. In July 2007, The University of Arizona assumed management of Biosphere 2."

Mission 1 lasted 2 years from 1991 to 1993. Eight individuals, 4 men and 4 women, spent 2 full years completely enclosed in the air-tight unit. Our tour guide said that one person was a doctor, but the others had no special training. They had to manage everything from growing their own food to recycling water, and making repairs.

This photo was taken inside the facility and is the Desert unit. There is also a Rainforest uniit, an Ocean unit, and a Water and Life Experiment unit.

Underground South Lung Tunnel

The South Lung (inside)

There are two white, dome-like structures (the lungs) which are "variable air-volume control devices."

The South Lung (outside)

General Facts (taken from the brochure distributed to visitors.)

* Biosphere 2 facility is 3.14 acres

* 91 feet at its highest point

* 6,500 windows and 7,200,000 cubic feet of sealed glass

* Sealed from the earth below by a 500-ton welded stainless steel liner

* 34.5 acre campus

* 300.000 square feet of admimistrative offices, classroom, labs, and conference center and residential housing

It is impossible to photograph the entire faciliity from the ground, but this photo shows a large part of it.

Columbia University, when it managed the property from 1996 - 2003, built these housing units near Biosphere 2 for research scientists to use when working at the site. Today they are still used for this purpose as well as for conferences related to the earth sciences at Biosphere 2.

This is a fabulous research facility and a great learning environment for The University of Arizona students.

If anyone is interested in learning more, I would highly recommend checking out their website for further information.

Website: B2science.org