Description:
Constructed between 1987 and 1989 and costing more than $200 million, Biosphere 2 was an experiment to test if and how people could create, live, and work inside a closed biosphere while carrying out scientific experiments. It explored the possible use of closed biospheres in space colonization, and also allowed the study and manipulation of a biosphere without harming our own. Problems plagued the experiment from the beginning--lack of oxygen, low food supply, and psychological problems such as hostility and paranoia led to an early end of the experiment. Was it a success or a failure? What lessons were learned that can be used in either space travel or to create a more sustainable community on Earth?
Speaker(s):
Jane Poynter, sealed inside Biosphere 2 for two years; co-founder, Paragon Space Development Corporation
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