Biosphere (17 photos)

"Biosphere 2" - construction, modeling a closed ecological system, built by «Space Biosphere Ventures» and billionaire Edward Bass in the desert of Arizona (USA)



Laboratory is a network of sealed buildings with a total area of ​​1, 5 hectares of lightweight materials, divided into several independent ecosystems and covered with a glass cover, transmitting about 50% of sunlight. The internal space is divided into 7 blocks, among them - the rainforest, miniature ocean with an unusual chemical composition, desert, savannah and mangrove estuary. Giant "light" regulate the internal pressure so as to conform to the outside - this minimizes air leakage.



Eight people (four women and four men) stayed in the "Biosphere 2" for about two years, keeping in touch with the outside world only through the computer. Together with them, there were also delivered 3,000 species of plants and animals.



But after a few weeks of life of people living in subsistence farming, broken. Microorganisms and insects began to proliferate in unexpectedly large quantities, causing unexpected oxygen consumption and destruction of crops (use of pesticides is not provided). Inhabitants of the project began to lose weight and suffocate. Scientists had to violation of the terms of the experiment and start the supply of oxygen inside and products (these facts were hidden and were subsequently exposed). The first experiment failed: people lost a lot of weight, the amount of oxygen decreased to 15% (normal content in the atmosphere - 21%).



Identified problems
The laboratory has bred a huge number of microbes and insects, especially ants and cockroaches.
Under the glass roof of the complex condensed water in the morning and poured artificial rain.
The creators did not foresee such a phenomenon as the wind: it turned out that without regular rocking trees become brittle and break.