Biosphere 2 was built from 1987 to 1991 in Oracle, Arizona. In 1984 the site was purchased by Space Biospheres Ventures and, in 1991, the first Biosphere 2 crew quarantine mission began.

Biosphere 2 is operated by the University of Arizona and remains a key hub for climate research. Tours are available every day from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. with adult tickets starting at $29. Check it out ...

Biosphere 2 once hosted radical experiments for a self-sustaining ecosystem. During COVID-19, visitors can "tour" the living lab from their cars.

Biosphere 2 is now offering a nighttime self-guided driving tour for the public during the pandemic. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays. Watch Now. 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays.

In this July 31, 2015 photo, several of the main buildings of the Biosphere 2 complex, including the tropical rainforest, left, the technosphere, middle, and the south lung, right, are shown as a ...

Biosphere 2’s rainforest is part of an experiment designed to shed light on how tropical ecosystems will fare under the stress of a hotter, drier shift in climate.

The crew stayed in Biosphere 2 for the full two years, but when they emerged, their experiment was largely dismissed as a scientific failure. It was, from a monetary perspective, a total disaster.

Because of Biosphere 2, we now know what not to do on Mars and elsewhere. Don’t mix your farm area with your living space; keep it in a separate dome. Don’t rely on plants to supply all your ...

In 1991, Biosphere 2 captured the imagination of the world. A crew of eight "Biospherians" clad in vaguely "Star Trek"-like uniforms ceremoniously marched through an airlock and into their new ...

Ami Hashimoto, 22, left, and Anastasia Martinez, 23, inside the tropical rain forest at Biosphere 2 in August. The closure of the rain forest is to allow for an experiment, known as Water ...

The mighty steel-and-glass compound known as Biosphere 2 is a sight that never loses its beauty, its absurdity or its wonder. Jutting out of the hot, dry ground of the Sonoran Desert, it was ...