Biosphere 2, it began as an experiment to determine if people can live in a closed environment, like a dome on the moon.  Good to know I suppose but I think that the experiments they are doing now to determine how we can best protect Biosphere 1 are even more important.  We walked through a tropical rainforest, the savannah, a fog desert, along an artificial ocean shore, and a mangrove swamp.  How much oxygen does each release?  Exactly how does each water cycle work?  How do elevated levels of CO2 and extended drought affect them?  Experiments aren’t super complex but data gathering is pretty sophisticated.  Here’s hoping we learn enough, soon enough to leave our kid’s, kid’s, kid’s this beautiful blue-green marble.

The coolest thing about the structure is its “lungs”.  At the end of tunnels off the main experiment space are two 180 ft diameter chambers with a membrane roof.  When the sphere was a closed system these lungs provided the variable volume to maintain inside pressure as the space heats and cools in the desert sun.  We wandered around inside the lung and even saw it “breathe”.