Biosphere 2

Introduction
Design
Missions
Ownership and management

References & Edit History Related Topics

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Related Questions

How did Biosphere 2 use microorganisms to treat waste?
How did Biosphere 2’s lungs prevent excess air pressure from damaging the glass enclosure?
How did soil microorganisms contribute to the oxygen problem in Biosphere 2?
How did the 1991–92 El Niño affect food production at Biosphere 2?
How did the University of Arizona use Biosphere 2 after receiving the property?
How did the soil-bed reactor prevent harmful trace gases from building up at Biosphere 2?
How far did oxygen levels fall inside Biosphere 2 after 17 months?
How long did the first Biosphere 2 mission last?
How many crew members took part in the second Biosphere 2 mission?
How many people were sealed inside Biosphere 2 during the first mission?
How much oxygen was in Biosphere 2’s atmosphere at the start of the first mission?
How tall is the main glass enclosure at Biosphere 2?
How was Biosphere 2 intended to test whether people could live in space colonies?
How was condensation water collected and stored at Biosphere 2?
How was the agricultural area connected to the main biome at Biosphere 2?
How were the rainforest and desert areas separated from the other ecosystems in Biosphere 2?
What changes were made before the second Biosphere 2 mission began?
What daily work did the Biospherians perform to produce food?
What functions did the Energy Center serve at Biosphere 2?
What role did Edward P. Bass have in Space Biospheres Ventures?
What symptoms did the Biospherians experience when oxygen levels fell?
What were the three main sections of the Biosphere 2 facility?
When did divisions develop among the first Biosphere 2 crew?
When did the first Biosphere 2 crew emerge from the enclosure?
When did the first Biosphere 2 survivability mission begin?
When did the second Biosphere 2 mission begin?
When was Biosphere 2 donated to the University of Arizona?
When was construction of Biosphere 2 completed?
Where is Biosphere 2 located in Arizona?
Which company purchased Biosphere 2 in 2007?
Which ecosystems occupied the pyramid-shaped ends of Biosphere 2?
Which five ecosystems were created inside Biosphere 2?
Which foods did the first Biosphere 2 crew produce inside the enclosure?
Which organization did John P. Allen direct when Biosphere 2 was planned?
Who conceived the terrarium design for Biosphere 2?
Why did officials inject oxygen into Biosphere 2 during the first mission?
Why did the first Biosphere 2 crew fail to reach maximum food production?
Why was Biosphere 2 designed to emulate Earth’s environment?
Why was the second Biosphere 2 mission ended early?
Why were the geodesic domes called the lungs of Biosphere 2?

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External Websites

Institute of Ecotechnics - Biosphere 2
ABC Listen - Program: Biosphere 2: an extreme lock down experiment
Official Site of Biosphere 2
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute - Biosphere II
Space.com - Biosphere 2: Explore the habitat's history and mystery in these amazing photos
U.S. Department of Energy - An Evaluation of the Biosphere 2Center as a National Scientific User Facility
The Guardian - Eight go mad in Arizona: how a lockdown experiment went horribly wrong
BBC - How the Biosphere 2 experiment changed our understanding of the Earth
NPR - Inside the evolution of Biosphere 2, from '90s punchline to scientific playground
PBS - The Good Stuff - Inside Biosphere 2

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Biosphere 2 - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Biosphere 2

scientific research facility

Written by

Kara Rogers

Kara Rogers is the senior editor of biomedical sciences at Encyclopædia Britannica, where she oversees a range of content from medicine and genetics to microorganisms. She joined Britannica in 2006 and...

Kara Rogers

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 19, 2026 •History

Biosphere 2, scientific research facility located in Oracle, Arizona, U.S., designed to emulate Earth’s environment (Biosphere 1) that was perhaps best known for two missions conducted in the early 1990s in which crews were sealed inside the enclosure to study survivability. The driving force for these studies was to assess whether humans were capable of building and living in self-sustaining colonies in outer space. The terrarium design for Biosphere 2 was conceived in the 1980s...

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