The Real Message from Biosphere 2

Last September, eight gaunt but triumphant Biospherians emerged through the airlock doors of Biosphere 2 after two years under public scrutiny and sealed glass (Ailing & Nelson 1993). Their re-entry into Biosphere 1 (Earth) marked completion of the first in a century-long series of planned missions", the stated objectives of which are to explore scientific frontiers in ecotechnology (for better husbandry of the planet's resources and as a model for colonizing space) and in general to inspire the human spirit (Allen 1991 ). The latter goal already may have been achieved. Aficionados see the endeavor as audacious and visionarym"the most exciting venture undertaken in the U.S. since President Kennedy launched us towards the moon" (see the previous reference). And, unlike NASA's lunar mission, this $150 million program was launched entirely from private venture capital! For those who don't already know, Biosphere 2 is a futuristic glass and steel "greenhouse" nestled in Arizona's Sonoran desert, about 30 miles north of Tucson. Engineered to be a self-sustaining mesocosm, almost completely sealed off from atmospheric or other material exchange with the outside world, the graceful three-acre enclosure houses nearly 4000 introduced species of plants and animals in a Garden-of-Eden-like setting of tropical rainforest, marsh, desert, savannah, streams, agricultural area, and even a miniature ocean complete with coral reef. Biosphere 2 receives energy as sunlight and as electricity (from an adjacent natural.gas power plant) that drives a vast "technosphere" of pumps, sensors, scrubbers, air-cooling systems, and other electronic and engineering wizardry designed to keep the environmental systems within boundaries suitable for life. I recently returned from a second visit to Biosphere 2 (as an independent researcher), and once again my mind is aspin with ambivalent impressions. There is the commercial side---on adjacent grounds you can purchase biomeburgers, habitat hotdoga, and planetary pizzas, or browse gift shops and bookstores. There is the mystical side, exemplified by the many evocative sculptures with names of Indian Gods fashioned of stainless steel salvaged from the Los Alamos atomic bomb project. There is the educational side, where thought-provoking films and tours explain ecosystem functions and their relevance to the design of space modules.