[Let me first say that I am thrilled that y’all enjoy my “Mom posts.” Yesterday’s post photo of her shows one of those priceless moments that remind me what a great life I’ve had, just because Mom is my mom. If you missed the post, go back and check it out. You’ll be glad you did. And now… on to this morning’s post.]
Bow Tie o’ the Day is a clue that it was Mardi Gras the day I selfied these photos. I was being a tourist in Tucson at the time– two weeks ago. While Suzanne was working her pencils to the nub, I and my red rental truck covered as much sight-seeing ground as possible. And although I get a kick out of checking out the natural landscape wherever I go, the Tucson-area sight that I grooved on the most was a man-made structure called Biosphere 2.
Bioshpere 2 is a 3.14-acre, sealed, glass habitat designed to replicate and study different earth climates (including an ocean), and to sustain human life– for the purpose of testing the viability of creating a self-sustaining research/living station on other planets.
It was constructed in the late 80’s, and the first experiment began in the early 90’s. Eight people– biologists, scientists, engineers, and one doctor– lived in complete isolation in Biosphere 2 for two years. (No tv, no cell phones, folks.) While there, they spent their time doing environmental research and maintaining the complex’s intricate and complicated infrastructure. The mission wasn’t a complete success, and oxygen had to be pumped into the building a few times throughout the two-year experiment. There was also a problem with consistently growing enough food for the residents. My guilty-fave fact about the project is that by the time the experiment was over, none of the participants were speaking to each other. And they would not speak to each other for years. Not surprising.
There was a second “mission” test, with another group of residents, which lasted a few months. It was more successful. They were able to produce enough food for themselves, and no outside oxygen needed to be pumped in.
The University of Arizona now owns the building, which is open for tourists. The earth climates, from rainforest to desert, still exist and thrive. When you walk through each one and into the next, you can feel the temperature and humidity gradually change. Environmental research continues within the glass pyramid. Other buildings now dot the property, and are used for scientific research by the University of Arizona– as well as for conferences and classrooms.
You can see from one of my photos that I also learned a surprising bit of fake news: The Savanna has a basement. 🤣 😁 I wonder if it’s full of boxes and bins filled with storage that wouldn’t fit in its closets or garage.