Patti and Wayne's Grand Adventure: March 15, 2013 -- Biosphere 2

We went for a drive on Friday. We took back roads over to the Oro Valley to see the architectural marvel, the Biosphere 2, and then made a big loop north to see more of the area.

We went on one of the guided tours

On Sept. 26, 1991, eight people were sealed off inside Biosphere 2, a 3.14-acre glass enclosure located in Oracle, Arizona. The event marked the beginning of the first Biosphere 2 mission, a study designed to test survivability and to see whether a small group of humans could develop and live in a self-sustaining colony, as one might imagine on some distant planet in outer space. The experiment was called a failure, but with all that we learned, although much negative, it really was successful. Biosphere 2 is now part of the University of Arizona’s College of Science.

The U of A has classrooms and other building around the grounds.

We climbed around inside the glassed in structure, checking out all the different ecological areas. They have a small saltwater ‘ocean’, a rainforest, a savannah and a desert.

We also went into the support sections.

We got to see the ‘lungs’ of the Biosphere 2, the large oversized balloons that controlled the atmosphere as it expanded and contracted along with the day and night time temperatures. B2 is no longer a sealed structure, but when the people lived in it, it was.

After our tour we continued north to Oracle for lunch. We stopped at the Patio Café for lunch

The wait staff wore these t-shirts. After a great sandwich and pie, we continued north through Superior and Florence Junction to make a loop back to Picacho Peak.