Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:32540 S. Biosphere Road
Tuscon, Arizona
Tel:
(520) 838-6200
The Biosphere 2 is a closed structure with its own ecosystem completely closed off from the Earth's. Its purpose is to explore the feasibility of developing artificial closed environments, supporting research that may one day be used in colonizing Mars! The name biosphere 2 comes from the fact that this is only the second ecosystem to be developed on Earth; the first is, of course, the planet itself.
The Biosphere took four years to build, starting in 1987 and only completing construction in 1991, and is almost as big as three football fields. The closed-off nature of the biosphere allows the scientists inside to research the changing bio-chemical relationships between the soil, the water, the air, and most importantly, the humans residing within.
Inside the dome is an environment intended to replicate Earth's own. There is an 850 square meter ocean with a coral reef, 1300 square meters of savannah grassland, a 1400 square meter desert, and 2500 square meters of agricultural land, all in addition to the human living quarters.
The Biosphere 2 was unsealed and opened to the public in 2002, and you can take a tour into the bubble. The guided tour takes you through the living quarters, the farm area, and into the wilderness interior. The tours are given 9:00am to 4:00pm, and are about $20, with discounts for children. Enjoy your new adventure where science grows wild!