I don’t know who else talks about Biosphere 2 in the blogosphere, but I do know that nobody seems to talk about it IRL (in real life). We came back from the questionable tourist attraction scratching our heads wondering what was so great about it that was worth the $20 admission.
We asked other people as we hung out in Tucson, Arizona, if they’d ever been to Biosphere 2. They’d respond like they thought they were supposed to go but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Like church. Or the gynecologist.
B2 admin offices leading up to The Big Reveal.
When some of you hear “Biosphere 2”, you might think, like I did, “Hey, wasn’t that the failed experiment they did a long time ago where they locked a bunch of people in white jumpsuits in a big dome to see if they could survive all by themselves? And now they have a Biosphere TWO?” Yeah, that’s what I said, also. I mean, not out loud or anything.
They get very defensive if you call it a failure. They see it as a huge success from a scientific standpoint because they learned so much from the experiment of stuffing people into a big petri dish to see how long they could sustain themselves. They did such a good job of evading the topic of why it failed didn’t work, that I can’t remember what it was, exactly.
Also, it turns out the thing was always called Biosphere 2, as Biosphere 1 is the original biosphere, our planet Earth.
But you drive out to Oracle, Arizona, about 20 miles north of Tucson, and you pay your twenty bucks to get in and after watching a propaganda movie where they sell you on the justification of the thing, they take you through the various parts of Biosphere 2.
They take you to a real live tropical rain forest.
Then they take you to a real live Savanna.
Then they take to you to real live desert.
All of this is indoors, along with a million gallon ocean.
So it’s a really big terrarium, although they call it an “ecosystem”.
And because I’m twelve when it comes to educational stuff, I get excited when we get to walk through a tunnel to the lungs.
What are lungs? These dome thingies are the lungs.
The inside of the lungs were hard to capture pictorially. It’s kind of like being on the inside of an inner tube because the rubber roof expanded up and down according to something, which I forgot, because I had a hard time listening, because I was bored, because I’m twelve.
There was one cool looking thing and that was this set of little houses where they planted stuff on the roofs to see if it kept the mini-houses cool and therefore would save people lots of energy.
But it’s not the saving energy part that was as cool as the fact that they were little tiny colorful houses. Yeah, you don’t want me on your field trip.
But the one thing that kept bugging me was the fact they were talking about the big experiment where the white jump-suited team grew their own stuff and tried to survive on their own, only….the whole thing was plugged in. They were “off the grid” back then, generating their own electricity, but the source of that electricity still came from the outside (gas or something) to power the generators. So how is that self-sustaining, and how could this thing survive on the moon or Mars or whatever?
Speaking of Mars, they had a replica of the Phoenix Mars Rover back near the gift shop, and I’m sorry to say that this was the neatest thing there.
I’m sure it’s a great laboratory for doing science, and science should get lots of support - I’m a big fan. But to try to turn it into a “tour” for regular people, it just wasn’t that exciting. They need to take some tips from Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson who has virtually single-handedly made science “cool”.
(Image Source: pbs.org)
Half the admission to Biosphere 2 goes to research, which is great, and if you’re a scientist, or an big eco-environmental person, you would probably appreciate this place much more than I and should go.
And even though it wasn’t the greatest, in an odd way, I’m still glad I went. How weird is that?
And I would definitely recommend that if you do go, go on Super Bowl Sunday as there is FANTASTIC parking at Biosphere 2 on that day, just so you know.
“I had a hard time listening, because I was bored, because I’m 12.”
That’s the best line I’ve read in about two weeks, Margaret. Brilliant!
I was fascinated by the biosphere when it was in operation, and recall being horribly crushed when the experiment fell apart, foreshadowing the end of the world.
Seeing this only makes me think of that very lousy comedy. Did it star Pauly Shore? 🙂
I’m going to assume it does as this is the third time I’ve heard his name around these parts.
I’m going to assume it does as this is the third time I’ve heard his name around these parts.
The whole Biosphere project was crap. Aside from being “plugged in”, what about gravity? The gravity on Mars is significantly less than that of Earth and would impact crop growing and other technical stuff. So the whole experiment was just a steaming pile of horse shit.
Dang, I wish I’d thought of gravity. I could have pinned our tour guide down with that….so to speak.
Dang, I wish I’d thought of gravity. I could have pinned our tour guide down with that….so to speak.
I am not sure that I would go all the way out there on my own accord but I certainly enjoyed you taking me n this virtual tour.
Well if this little article gave you all you needed to know, then my work is done. 🙂
Was Pauly Shore there? I’m sure he was in BioDome or did they let him out?
I saw somebody else mention Pauly Shore - I’m afraid I haven’t seen any Pauly Shore movies. Or, am I sorry? 🙂
Thanks for reminding me, I have to make an appointment with my gynecologist.
We’ve got a Biodome here in Montreal. It’s got the rain forest, Savannah and even an Arctic area and there are animals native to each environment. Yeah, even with the puffins, it’s kinda boring.
An Arctic area! That’s sound so cool, er cold, er whatever. At least you have animals. This place has bugs.
I just fricken realized that after almost a year of reading your blog that my wife’s name is the same as yours! Well, actually, her first name is Mary-Margaret but she goes by Margaret. Also, she has no middle name for some strange reason. That little issue has plagued her when dealing with any sort of official agency since forever but she has never wanted to do what her fraternal twin sister did years ago and get one. Why one might say that she’s as stubborn as a…well, a goat! 😛
You’ve been reading my blog for a year and we’re not FB friends??? How can that be! Also, it’s ironic or confusing (not to mention, unfair to all government forms) or something for Mary-Margaret to have two names for a first name and no names for a middle name. Her first name is hogging all the names! Also, is she a nun?
Bravo! My wife and I really related to your comment on the “little tiny colorful houses” and “you don’t want me on your field trip”. Your impressions reflected a combination of both of our personalities; my wife commenting on things like the houses and me constantly bringing up the “so…this is another area where you failed, er, things didn’t work out?” Yeah, they wouldn’t want us on their field trip either. 😉 I just have to ask if there were any “Spinal Tap-esque” moments where if you brought up anything to which they may have replied “Well, um, this one goes to eleven…”? Heh, heh…
There was that bit where my husband asked about their source of power and she told us that their electricity bill was $1 million dollars a year. That’s kind of an “eleven”, right?
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Margaret Andrews, anntracy. anntracy said: RT @nannygoats: My trip to Biosphere 2 made me feel like a kid again. But not in a good way. http://ow.ly/40zna […]
I was worried you’d get recruited for the Hunger Games - yikes! (PS, I love Neil Degrasse-Tyson.)
No, they only want teenagers competing to the death. I’m safe. 🙂
Been there, done that and no need to ever do it again.
My feelings exactly. 🙂
I can’t imagine that there was a giant need to put a desert in the thing since it sits smack dab in the middle of one. I’m just happy ya survived the thing. I adore the cool little houses…I think they are just the coolest but what do I know…’cause I think I’m Peter Pan and will never grow up!!
God bless and have a marvelous Monday sweetie!!!
I didn’t think to knock on one of the little doors to see if there were little people in there, or….GASP! Aliens!
You have a nice Monday, too, sweetie!
Excuse me, I may just be a goat but isn’t Tucson in the middle of a real live desert? So why did they have to put a real live desert inside the building in the middle of a real live desert.
Now my goat brain hurts.
Good point, Pricilla. I think they even acknowledged it themselves, that such a thing might seem odd.
Was there caramel corn and cotton candy? Because I’m going if there wasn’t.
I can’t remember if they had a concession stand. I don’t remember even seeing one.
All I can say is that I am really glad you got out of there alive. That place is just asking for an alien invasion if you ask me.
You are so right! How keenly observant of you, Linda. We could have been totally abducted unawares.