Life Under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2

by Abigail Alling, Mark Nelson, Sally Silverstone

Planet in a bottle. Eden revisited. Laboratory under glass. The largest self-sustaining closed ecological system ever made. Biosphere 2 is many things to many people. From its half-acre farm to its coral reef to its emerald rainforest―this unique research facilty has proven itself a marvel of human engineering and a testament to the human imagination.

For two years, four men and four women lived and worked inside the structure, recycling their air, water, food, and wastes, and setting a world record for living in an isolated environment. But what has this giant glass-and-steel greenhouse been to those most intimately involved with it? What has it meant to the first crew who studied and cared for it? What was it really like sealed inside a giant laboratory for twenty-four months? In Life Under Glass crew members, Abigail Alling and Mark Nelson with co-captain Sally Silverstone present the full account of those two remarkable years. From the struggles of growing their own food, to learning how to help sustain their life-giving atmosphere, the general reader is offered a rare glimpse into how a group of dedicated researchers managed to surprise the world and fulfill their dream.

Other crews may come and go, but no one else will face the risks, the uncertainties, and the challenges that this new breed of explorers did on Biosphere 2's maiden voyage. Here is the fascinating story of how it all appeared―living under glass.

Selected as one of the top ten science experiments in 1993 by Time Magazine and Good Morning America.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Nature

Paperback

First published September 23, 1993

Reviews

[Selene Colburn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know how to actually rate this book. I mean, my enjoyment of reading it was, like, 157%, but this was more because of its curious life as a cultural artifact. Most of it seemed to be written from inside the Biosphere 2, some from outside, and as a result tenses are mangled beyond recognition. Subsequent accounts indicate that this book may lack some truthfulness, but speculating on the veracity of all the "he said/she said" amidst the Biospherians' intense in-fighting and factions is all part of the fun. Can't wait to read the cookbook!

[S.V. Farnsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author when she spoke at my university long ago. She autographed my copy, and I have enjoyed reading this book a few times over the years. She inspired me to write about colonies on Mars in my Fusion in a Fission World Series.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be blunt, I cannot help but concluding this book is like an annoying tour guide. It gives an overview, some more details here and there, tells a future that is essentially wishful thinking, and sprinkles anecdotes ranging from spot on to unrelated.

Why have I read it? This is one of the few books about Biosphere 2. I see it as necessary reading to collect information of interest (life-support, in my view), and to contrast with other books (team factions during the experiments cast some doubt on accuracy). On these two points, the book does provide several elements to evaluate the project output. Except this historical perspective, I cannot recommend this reading, though.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has literally been sitting on my tbr for over a decade since I was working on closed ecological systems and learned of Biosphere 2. It actually came with me as I intended to read it before I visited Biosphere 2 in the flesh! I finished it afterwards after I experienced the awe of Biosphere 2 in person and walked on the tour. This is a solid book, I do wish they had even more photos as somethings just don't translate via the written word and need to be seen to be believed!

[Nicole Ksend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reminder that we are the shepherds of our only planet and we must do better - incredible account of Biospherians

[Caitlin Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights into a project that I've been fascinated by for years!

[Douglas Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

B2 was, basically, a huge vivarium: 3 acres of geodesic domes and enclosures built in the Arizona desert as an experiment to see wtf would happen if 8 people lived in and cared for 5 distinct biomes (e.g., a rainforest, mangrove wetlands) for two years. LUG:TISoB2, written by three participants, marks September 26, 1991 as the ‘day of closure.’ While this day certainly found me hung over from my 22nd birthday celebration and associated debauchery, for the biospherians it was the first of 730 days where their environment would be “…a separate entity from Earth. No free flow of atmosphere, people, plants or animals, food or supplies would pass between the Earth and the inside of the biosphere again.” Except for that one Superbowl Sunday they got delivery and the Domino’s guy got confused about which airlock to use. Gloriously nerdy, for-laymen explanations of whatever the hell was going on, like how they found rising amounts of trace gases from “the glue used to seal PVC pipes” and studying the greenhouse effect and maintaining algae-scrubber tanks. Though they ate a lot of vegetables, which were a lot of work to farm, they had African pygmy goats for milk, chickens for eggs, and Ossabaw feral swine for, eventually, roasts, and bushbabies for I don’t know what. The one thing that normal dudes wonder about, sex, doesn’t crop up; apparently these were pretty dull people and it wasn’t the MTV Real World drama it would have been if astronaut Lisa Nowak was involved.