Today we went to the University of Arizona biosphere. The biosphere was a combined project between a philanthropist and an ecologist as a way to study the feasibility of surviving on another planet in 1984 and built in 1991. Their first attempt started with 8 people and numerous different farm animals and lasted 2 years. Inside they had numerous ecosystems including an ocean, rain forest, desert, savannah and a wetlands. Farming took place including animals, plants and insects to replicate the earth’s ecosystem. The mission ended with the people breaking off into groups and fighting and many insects and plants overtaking other insects and plants. The desert also became too wet due to excess moisture inside the biosphere.

There was a second attempt in 1994 but it was very short lived due to disputes among the management team that lead to questions about the validity and safety of the project. The mission ended after 6 months and the entire experiment was dissolved.

It has since been purchased by the University of Arizona and they use it to study the environment and ecosystems.