Since seeing the film Silent Running years ago and the news about eight people who were sealed into B2C for 2 years as an experiment in self-sufficiency for a potential manned mission to Mars, I have always been fascinated about seeing this place.

Covering an area of 3.1 acres, B2C is one of the largest living laboratories of the world and truly a feat of engineering. The nearest parallel I can think of is the equally impressive Eden Project in Cornwall. The glass and metal outer shell contains seven different climatic regions, or biomes, where scientists of Columbia University use the latest technology to experiment on Earth systems on a grand scale.

There is a General Admission walking tour around the outside of Biosphere 2 lasting for 1 1/2 hours at $12.95 for adults - but the real draw is the "World of Discovery" Under the Glass interior tour for an extra $10!

This second tour has only recently opened and I can understand in hindsight how people would have felt a little hard done by not being able to get inside the building...

This guided tour was fantastic as you enter through the compact ‘crew’ living quarters and find out about the history of the ‘manned’ experiment including such anecdotes as the fact that it took them two weeks to grow enough beans for a cup of coffee each!!! A trail winds through five of the seven B2C wilderness ecosystems including the ‘ocean’. One of my favourite parts was the tour of the huge pressurised atmospheric system that acted like a pair of giant lungs to keep the air inside Biosphere 2 breathable.

At the end of the tour there is a small display on humankind’s effects on the planet and how we can stop destroying our environment, which is very thought provoking as even as an individual you can do much to conserve the planet’s resources. There is also an excellent underground aquarium that has an entire glass wall looking into the Ocean biome of Biosphere 2 and a shop with lots of fun educational materials aimed at kids.

Currently there are several large scale experiments being run on the effects of CO2 in the atmosphere for which B2C is a perfect lab as it can be completely sealed from the outside world.

Check out the excellent website for further information on this fantastic attraction!

Directions: The Biosphere 2 Center turnoff is located on Highway 77 at mile marker 96.5, approximately 30 minutes north of Tucson.

You check in and wait for the tour to begin. Once it starts you are totally amazed to think that people were actually confined to this environment for just over two years. They ate what they grew. And at times, that wasn't very much. They had to be very careful what they used, even as far as cleaning products, etc. so as not contaminate their environment.

We really enjoyed the tour and wish we could've seen it in its "glory days". We loved the stories about the people who lived there and how the coped and their daily lives. What dedication. It's a truly amazing place.