Tucson, AZ
My eclectic adventure around Tucson continues with visits to the future and the past…
Biosphere 2
A tip from brother Mike leads me to Biosphere 2, which sits in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains about 40 miles northeast of Tucson. Built between 1987-1991 as an ambitious experiment in creating a self-sustaining environment within a closed structure, the glass structure covers 3.13 acres as it steps down a hillside location. The greenhouse has three main sections, the upper level is an enclosed rainforest, the middle section (also the largest) includes a small “ocean” and forest, and the lower section is a desert. The original experiment had eight scientists locked into the structure for two years, producing all their own food and manipulating the environment to see the effects of various interventions. The thought was that data would be produced that, amongst other things, would help design space stations on other planets. Important information about the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels on the environment helped contribute to the science of global warming. For various reasons the experiment only lasted two years and was then discontinued. Columbia University was given management of the complex in the mid 1990’s and used it as a western campus for nearly ten years when the University of Arizona assumed management. In 2011 the underlying corporate owner donated the site to the University of Arizona which now uses the complex for scientific research. Right is a picture of the main greenhouse structure from the tour brochure. The white dome on the bottom of the picture is one of two domes connected to the structure. They allow the greenhouse to “breathe” by accommodating the changes in air pressure caused by the heating and cooling stresses of the sun.
The facility can only be seen as part of an organized tour that starts with a short film in the upper visitor center complex. This part of the complex was built by Columbia University as classrooms and student housing and sits on the hill above Biosphere 2.
Exiting the classroom complex there is a view of the valley towards Tucson.
Turning to the right I have a first look at Biosphere 2. It’s so big that it takes two pictures to get most of the complex covered.
The tour enters in the middle level of the greenhouse. I hang around the back of the tour group in order to get pictures without lots of people in the way. To my right is the forest, directly below me is the ocean (with the wave generating machine on the right), and to my left is the entrance to the rainforest.
We descend to the lower section of the forest where an experiment created by local high school students study the effect of self-contained hydroponics.
The upper level of the experiment contains fish (koi, to be specific). Water circulates through the levels, carrying the waste from the fish down to provide nutrients for the plants before being cycled up from the bottom back to the fish container to go through the system again. The only intervention to the cycle is the addition of fresh water to replace that lost to evaporation.
Leaving that area we pass through a mini-forest and descend down to the desert level.
Three University of Arizona students and their professor are conducting some kind of experiment as we walk by.
The biosphere is no longer a closed system. One of the results of the earliest occupation of the greenhouse was the discovery that 3 acre greenhouse was too small to accommodate the heat caused by the intense desert sun and so now giant air conditioners run during the day to keep the temperature in a range similar to that outside of the structure. We walk by one of the air conditioner vents and temporarily enjoy the rush of cool air!
The tour now leaves the greenhouse and descends to the “guts” of the structure below the ground, all of the technical and mechanical devices necessary to maintain the climate. Huge tanks hold all of the condensation that runs off the glass and then miles of pipe use the water to cool the air and provide the water to sprinkler systems that simulate rain.
We pass through one of the domes that regulate the air pressure inside the greenhouse. Air expands during the heat of the day and contracts during the cool of the night, putting enormous pressure on the physical structure. The two massive domes are essentially hollow with an enormous steel plate that rises in the heat of the day and lowers during the cool of the night, like a bellows. If you can look closely at the top of the picture you can see the curves of the flexible ceiling that allows the steel disc to rise and fall.
This allows the air pressure within the greenhouse to be relatively constant. The difference in air pressure between inside and outside the closed environment is dramatically demonstrated as we transition to the outdoors. First we exit the air lock from inside the air chamber to a passageway along the outside wall of the dome (the rectangle on the right in the picture on the left). Note the hair being buffeted by the wind created by the change. Then we exit to the outdoors through a small door with another wind caused by the change in air pressure between the inside and outside.
Directly in front of us is the energy building, where natural gas is used to produce all of the electricity for the complex.
Definitely worth the drive in the desert from Tucson! A different experience demonstrating the skills of man awaits in east Tucson…
The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures
Who knew that there is a whole subculture of “miniaturists” are out there who build and collect miniature houses and figurines? The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures is another example of an individual’s commitment to their passion. A woman named Pat Arnell got her first miniatures as a young girl in the 1930’s but began collecting in earnest in the 1970’s. She and her husband founded the museum as a way to share their collection with others and it forms the core of the museum’s displays. Taking photographs was challenging as all of the models are cased in glass with the resulting glare and reflections making it a challenge to get a clear picture. There are two galleries in the museum, the History Gallery and the Enchanted Realm.
In the History Gallery most of the models are restorations of items originally built in the late 1800’s. This is a restoration of the 1880 John Bellamy house. The level of detail is amazing!
Here is an 1885 Pinewood Cabinet House and an 1830 English Georgian.
From mid-1800’s Germany come a milliner’s shop and a grocery store.
A beautiful house from 1900 is made from cigar boxes. I tried including my hand in order to show the scale of the model…
Charlotte Schoenbach of Atlanta designed and created a chateau over a 30 year period.
Again, the level of details in these models is unbelievable.
The other gallery, the Enchanted Realm, is all about fantasy. A spectacular display centers around a large tree with lit knot holes that contain miniatures. The gallery is dark with minimal overhead lighting. Instead the displays are inset into the floor, walls and in some knot holes of the tree. While the effect is dramatic, it makes it tough for this amateur photographer!
Here’s a close-up on one of the knot hole scenarios.
Just another out of the ordinary adventure!
Next up: A swing through southern Arizona
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