Yearly Archives: 2022

One year ago today Trent and Kai stood in front of the historic Test Module at Biosphere 2 and while smiling for the camera thought, “What the hell are we getting ourselves into?!”

It feels like a lifetime ago, far more than just nine months in one year (the summer spent in cooler climes). We have dug, cut, scraped, cleaned, welded, primed, wired, and assembled as only these photos essays can provide detail.

It’s been an incredible journey, a tremendous learning process, and we’re still going strong!

We have been waiting for this moment for more than a year—the placement of the shipping containers to serve as the workshop and crew living quarters. The concrete footings were poured in early December, the doors for the 20 foot unit removed and the hatch plate installed just last week.

Mark Scheicher (Crane Operator), Frank Campa (Oiler/Rigger), and Steven Carnahan (Rigger) from Marco Crane arrived 20 minutes early at 7:10 am. I ran from the Casita where Trent, Colleen, and I live on campus to the Service gate to meet the crane and support truck that carries the weights used to counter-balance the crane. On-foot I ran ahead of the convoy from gate to SAM, a quarter mile downhill.

John, Kevin, and Jason were already on-site. Given the tight move between the old botanical gardens and restaurant the truck driver chose to back his rig to enable an easier departure. About thirty minutes transpired as the crane assembled itself, stabilization arms extended and set on large pads, leveling the crane before its operation, weights moved to key locations, load straps connected.

Mark, the crane operator asked if the containers were full.

I responded “No, they are empty.”

He laughed, “Oh! This will be easy!”

Easy? Glad I am not operating the crane or running rigging on the ground. One false move, one nudge left or right of center and the Test Module could be bent beyond repair, windows cracked, fingers smashed, or worse! This is why we hired the experts.

The 20 foot unit was lifted into place first. In coordination with Frank’s hand signals, Mark hovered it just above the four concrete pads, perfectly level. He then lowered it bit by bit until it skimmed just above the surface, providing some friction with the concrete but not nearly its full weight. I was able to maneuver the entire unit with one hand, placing it within an eighth of an inch of my desire location. I checked the placement with the tape measure, making certain the container was parallel to the west wall of the Test Module, then called it good. The operator allowed the full weight to rest on the footings and the straps were disconnected.

The 40 foot unit was a bit tricky due to its size and our realization that one of the concrete footings had been incorrectly placed, off by an inch. Once this was noticed, it made sense why we could not nail our center points as accurately as the 20′. No worries, the unit is parallel to the 20′ and perfectly supported on the oversized 18″ circular pads. To see the crane operator and crew in action is a testament to the technology and skill employed. While I can explain the physics of hydraulics, it does not reduce my appreciation for the ability to move thousands of pounds within a fraction of an inch of a desired location, or to reduce the apparent weight from something that would turn a human into a pancake to something that can be maneuvered with ease.

With the containers in place, SAM became something more than a refurbished building. Nearly one year to the date of our first day in this project, the dream of our analog was given new form.

The original Test Module (TM) was constructed in 1987 and operated into 1990 as a prototype for the much larger Biosphere 2. Where a single occupant of the 440 square foot TM shared an intimate space with the plants that recycled the air and water and produced all food, the 3.1 acre Biosphere was divided into five biomes, a technical understory, and living space for its eight occupants. SAM falls somewhere in between with the TM serving as the controlled environment (greenhouse) for food cultivars and plant growth experiments, two added shipping containers (20′ x 8′ and 40′ x 8′) to serve as the workshop, storage, kitchen, common area, sleeping compartments, and toilet-bathroom.

Kai Staats, Colleen Cooley, and Trent Tresch with assistance from Tim Mcmullen and Jason Deleeuw of the Biosphere 2 staff removed two of the original TM sealed windows and frames, then bolted in place a single 133.5″ x 66.5″ sheet of 3/16″ steel with a welded frame. This new construct was prepared by James Parker and his crew at the University of Arizona Facilities Metal Shop (Thank you!) and forms the passage between the Test Module and the 20 foot shipping container. The hatch itself will include a pressure fitting such that the TM can again maintain a hermetic seal independent of the Crew Quarters, or be run open for a fully pass-through airflow.

By design, the hatch is 40″ wide and 48″ inches tall, and will include a few steps up to either side. This is intended to serve three purposes: to provide a single, clean interface for the pressure sealed hatch, to maintain the integrity of the historic Test Module, and to provide a space-ship like interface between these two major components of the SAM construct.

On Tuesday, January 18, the two shipping containers will be placed on their concrete footings and the transition from restoration to construction will be well underway!

On December 8, 2021 we completed the concrete work required to place the shipping containers adjacent to the Test Module. They will serve as the crew quarters for SAM. Today Director of Research at SAM Kai Staats and Colleen Cooley, GSD Specialist removed the two doors from the 20′ shipping container. They then removed the silicone caulk (which remains fully flexible after 30+ years) and backer bead used to form the air-tight seal around the windows. This same system will be used to again seal the steel plate that will replace the two windows, and hold the hatch at the entry point to the Test Module from the 20′ shipping container.