In the news

Interview for Biosphere 2 Podcast

Space Analog for the Moon and Mars
by Aaron Bugaj

In this episode we are joined by Kai Staats. Kai is a veteran developer, designer, filmmaker, and scientist. Kai is the Director of SAM, Space Analog for the Moon and Mars, here at Biosphere 2. SAM is a hi-fidelity, hermetically sealed Mars habitat analog with greenhouse, living quarters, airlock, pressure suits, and a half acre Mars yard. Since 2021 Kai and his team have been constructing SAM, and just last month, SAM hosted it’s first two sealed missions, Inclusion 1 and Inclusion 2.

In this podcast, Kai takes us on his journey to build SAM. Breaking down the inspiration for SAM’s creation, and the research goals for SAM’s future.

Listen to the full interview via Spotify or Apple Podcast

By |2023-08-16T21:04:28+00:00August 16th, 2023|Categories: In the news|0 Comments

DoubleTap features Andy Squires, Inclusion II

DoubleTap feature hands-on reviews, guidance, opinion, interviews and conversation around accessibility in the tech industry. The interviews and programs help the audience better understand how technology can assist in everyday life. In this episode, host Marc Aflalo interviews Andy Squires, Accessibility Officer for the Inclusion II mission to SAM the second week of May 2023.

Listen here: www.doubletaponair.com/blind-people-in-space/ where Andy’s interview starts at 27:20.

By |2023-08-02T21:19:58+00:00July 10th, 2023|Categories: In the news|0 Comments

SAM receives $1.5 Million from State of Arizona

The Space Analog for the Moon & Mars at Biosphere 2 has received $1,500,000 funding from the State of Arizona congress, as the governor passed this bill into law with the close of June 2023.

This incredible initiative was made possible by lobbyist and space enthusiast Brett Mecum and the Senator David Gowan who wrote the bill, introduced SAM Director Kai Staats to both the House and Senate for his presentations, and attended the exit of the first crew to attend SAM on May 2, 2023. Senator Gowan has demonstrated a keen interest in space exploration and recognizes the multi-fold value and international recognition it brings to the University of Arizona and the State of Arizona.

This is a game-changer for SAM, enabling us to move ahead for three years with dedicated funding for construction of the massive indoor Mars yard and upgrade of the SAM facilities.

We cannot thank Senator Gowan, Mr. Mecum, and the Arizona House and Senate for their support of our effort at the University of Arizona Biosphere 2 to help our species become interplanetary while advancing research and education in the sciences.

The funds are being immediately applied to construction of the Mars yard, carrying forward our nearly three years effort to build this leading, world-class research facility.

Thank you!

By |2023-09-13T06:18:05+00:00July 1st, 2023|Categories: In the news|0 Comments

Crew Inclusion II completes second mission at SAM!

Crew Inclusion II upon exit of their six days mission at SAM, Biosphere 2.

Above (back row): Dr. Brandy Nunez, Mission Director; SAM Staff: Luna Powell, Matthias Beach, Trent Tresch, Kai Staats, and Sean Gellenbeck (not present Tasha Coelho); (front row) Bindhu Oommen, Commander; Keridwen Cornelius, Crew Journalist; Andy Squires, Communications Officer, Accessibility; and Sahda Haroon, Engineer. (not present: Brenda Trinidad, Mission Control and Eric Shear, Mission Support).

Crew Inclusion II completed it’s six days mission at a Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM) at Biosphere 2. Commander Bindhu Oommen, Engineer Sahda Haroon, Communications & Accessibility Officer Andy Squires, and Crew Journalist Keridwen Cornelius initiated depressurization of the habitat at 10 AM PDT, and a few minutes later were received by original Biospherian Linda Leigh who opened the hatch and greeted them on the airlock landing.

The crew accomplished nearly all of their mission objectives, including monitoring the CO2 and pressure during two Mode 3 experiments; a point-sampling of CO2 levels throughout the habitat in comparison to stationary sensor arrays; a sampling of the four stages of water use (potable, condensate, gray, and waste); a step by step review of the newly completed Standard Operating Procedures manual for SAM by crew commander Bindhu Oommen; a digital analysis of the acoustic spaces present in SAM’s unique structure; assembly and use of a 3D printer for a variety of tasks, including a 3D map of SAM, a tactile representation of collected data, and a surgical scaple; and four EVAs as noted by Tucson Channel 4 KVOA reporter Megan Spector who was on-site from 4:30 am.

Journalist Keridwen Cornelius lead the culinary exploration with incredible outcomes, starting with the bread recipes recorded by the first team a week prior, then moving to develop a blueberry compote, a variety of vegetable soups, and an apple crumble. The crew completed their mission with twelve gallons of water to spare from the original 60.

They consumed fresh lettuce from the hydroponics each day and in the final 24 hours were able to harvest pink oyster mushrooms from mycelia grown on a straw substrate peppered with the dehydrated, ground, inedible biomass (food scraps) from the first crew. This demonstrates complete recycling of food waste in this hermetically sealed, pressurized habitat analog.

Data and mission objective reports coming soon!

By |2023-05-22T19:34:54+00:00May 15th, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research & Development|0 Comments

Tucson KVOA News Channel 4 at SAM

In preparation for the completion of the second mission at a Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM) by Crew Inclusion II, KVOA reporter Megan Spector arrived at 4:30 am to capture the anticipation of the hours leading up to this event. She reported live from within one of the two pressure suits built by Smith Aerospace Garments while standing in the prototype SAM Mars yard.

By |2023-05-16T15:01:08+00:00May 15th, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research Teams|0 Comments

Second crew enters SAM!

SAM crew Inclusion II: Keridwen Cornelius, Andy Squires, Bindhu Oommen, and Sahda Haroon

The second crew to enter the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars sealed the outer airlock hatch today, May 10, at 10:05 AM. Interviews with the French Televisions commenced at 8:30 AM and continued until 9:45 AM when one by one, Bindhu Oommen, Keridwen Cornelius, Sahda Haroon, and Andy Squires entered SAM carrying their personal bins. They left their street shoes on the airlock landing and donned hab shoes provided by Astral Designs.

Bindhu Oommen, Crew Commander and Medical Officer, MD MPH FACS is a board-certified, practicing general surgeon from Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. Keridwen Cornelius, Crew Journalist, is a freelance journalist and editor whose work has been published in Scientific American, Science, The New York Times, Sapiens, Medscape, Outside, and more. Sahda Haroon, Crew Engineer, is a freshman at Purdue University going into Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Andy Squires, Crew Communications and Accessibility Officer, is a Senior Applications Administrator at American University and live in Arlington, Virginia.

Learn more about Inclusion II …

The Mission Objectives for Inclusion II are as follows:

  1. Validate and implement a working draft of Standard Operating Procedures Manual for SAM.
  2. Document the feasibility and experiences of the early analog missions at SAM.
  3. Create acoustic and tactile maps of SAM.
  4. Initiate and establish a water quality monitoring protocol at SAM.
  5. Install and evaluate the utility of a 3-D printer at SAM.
  6. Study stress mitigation in closed environments within a pressurized and sealed environment at SAM.
  7. Evaluate CO2 distribution within SAM during simulation.
  8. Contribute to the feasibility of analog missions for visually-impaired crew members at SAM
  9. Study air quality at SAM
  10. Train non-medical persons on use of portable ultrasound for evaluation and diagnosis of medical problems.

As with the first crew, Inclusion II will be operating SAM in Mode 2 (pressurized, flow-through) for the majority of their mission, but with intervals of Mode 3 (pressurized, sealed) in order to monitor discrete rise and fall of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the overall leak rate of SAM, in this configuration. The crew will enjoy an all vegetarian diet of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, with an exciting (from a vegetarian point of view) variety of grains and legumes, pasta, and spices, and opportunity to make home made bread.

Crew Inclusion II was sent off by Biosphere 2’s Executive Director Dr. Joaquin Ruiz and original Biospherians Linda Leigh (Mission I, 1991-93) and Bernd Zabel (Mission II, 1994). Linda lived sealed inside the Test Module prototype for 21 days as part of a series of experiments to demonstrate a closed-loop bioregenerative life support system prior to building the Biosphere 2 proper. Bernd was construction manager for Biosphere 2, and continued his work at Biosphere 2 as Columbia University transitioned the facility into a climate change research center in the mid to late ’90s.

By |2023-05-11T05:25:15+00:00May 10th, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research Teams|0 Comments

ABC 12 Phoenix reports on crew Inclusion I

Crew Inclusion I in the airlock of SAM, just moments after sealing themselves inside, May 27, 2023

by Kaley O’Kelley
Posted at 4:56 AM, May 10, 2023

It was the first quest of its kind, with a mission to learn more about living and working on the moon or Mars.

On April 27, a four-person crew was sealed inside the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM) for six days in Oracle, Arizona, for the Inclusion 1 mission.

The goal of the mission was to simulate the physical reality of being far from Earth. The crew went into the mission with no access to the outside world, aside from [access] to email.

SAM is a highly specialized, air-tight facility just steps away from the iconic dome at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2. It was created to study what it might be like to live and work on the surface of the Moon or Mars.

Read the full article and watch the broadcast at ABC 15, Phoenix, Arizona.

By |2023-05-23T20:19:13+00:00May 10th, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research Teams|0 Comments

Becoming a multiplanetary species, by Mikayla Kelley, UA

Cassandra Klos is greeted by Linda Leigh upon exit of SAM after six days sealed mission.

Becoming a multiplanetary species: Crew completes first mission in habitat at Biosphere 2
By Mikayla Mace Kelley, University of Arizona Communications
May 5, 2023

On April 27, a four-person crew sealed themselves in an air-tight, pressurized habitat on the grounds of the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2, where eight people conducted a similar experiment more than 30 years earlier.

The Space Analog for the Moon and Mars, or SAM, habitat was created to allow people to experience what it might be like to live on the surface of another celestial body.

On May 2, six days after the first crew members entered the habitat, a crowd gathered to watch them emerge. As valves were released to decompress the habitat, it began to hiss, and a hush fell over the crowd. Minutes later, the pressure inside the habitat matched the outdoors, prompting Linda Leigh – one of the original eight people to live in Biosphere 2 for two years – to turn a red lever and swing open the habitat’s airlock hatch.

Read the full story …

By |2023-07-13T03:37:56+00:00May 5th, 2023|Categories: In the news|0 Comments

Crew Inclusion I completes first mission at SAM!

Arizona television station KGUN covers the first team entering SAM at Biosphere 2

Crew Inclusion I has concluded the first mission at SAM. At 10:00 AM Mountain Time, May 2, 2023, the crew released the pressure from the habitat via three ports, and once the internal pressure was equal to the outside, ambient pressure, Lindah Leigh of the original 1991-93 two year Biosphere 2 mission opened the hatch and greeting the crew on the airlock landing.

New channels KVOA, KGUN, and KOLD were on-site to capture the story during an hour pressure conference held in the Mars yard adjacent to SAM.

KGUN – Channel 9
Space simulation wraps up at Biosphere 2

KVOA – Channel 4
Six-day Inclusion I Mission concludes on Biosphere 2 grounds

Mission accomplished on Biosphere 2 grounds

Six-day Inclusion I Mission concludes on Biosphere 2 grounds

KOLD – Chanel 13
Six day space study mission concludes in pressurized habitat at Biosphere 2

By |2023-05-23T20:23:57+00:00May 2nd, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research Teams|0 Comments

First crew enters SAM!

Arizona television station KGUN covers the first team entering SAM at Biosphere 2

Today the very first visiting research crew entered SAM. Inclusion I was welcomed by three television crews, two radio crews, Linda Leigh of the original Biosphere 2 mission, Executive Director of Biosphere 2 Joaquin Ruiz, Deputy Director of B2 John Adams, and more than 60 persons watching the first closure of this unique hermetically sealed, pressurized habitat. Interviews commenced at 5:00 AM and continued until 10:00 AM when one by one, Cassandra Klox, Eiman Jahangir, Bailey Burns, and Sheri Wells-Jensen entered SAM carrying their personal bins. They left their street shoes on the airlock landing and donned hab shoes provided by Astral Designs.

This event follows yesterday’s arduous 13+ hrs training in which the crew was given a hands-on course in the management of SAM pressure regulation, three-stage water recycling, networked fire detection and alert system, air quality monitoring, inedible food stabilization, A/C and dehumidifiers, hydroponics, and more.

Cassandra Klos, Commander and Crew Photographer, is a fine art photographer, curator, and analog astronaut. Eiman Jahangir, Medical officer, MD MPH is a Cardiologist, scuba diver, space enthusiast, and two-time NASA Astronaut Candidate finalist (2009 and 2013). Bailey Burns, Engineer, is an Aerospace Systems Engineer with Blue Origin, focusing on Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), lunar dust mitigation, and lunar operations. Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen, Communications officer, Accessibility officer, is a linguist who teaches in the Linguistics/TESOL program at Bowling Green State University, Ohio.

Learn more about Inclusion I …

The Mission Objectives for Inclusion II are as follows:

  1. Understand whether the application of adaptive techniques can mitigate physiologic impact from isolation and mission induced stress during a terrestrial space analog mission.
  2. A study by Bailey Burns for Blue Origin (under NDA).
  3. Monitor carbon dioxide levels in SAM.
  4. SpaceKind Training in an Analog Environment.
  5. Construct a New Science Fiction through Documentation of Space Simulations, Mockups, and Ephemera
  6. Human Factors Study with University of Central Florida
  7. Accessibility Tasks and Experiments

Inclusion I will be operating SAM in Mode 2 (pressurized, flow-through) for the entirety of their mission. The crew will enjoy an all vegetarian diet of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, with an exciting (from a vegetarian point of view) variety of grains and legumes, pasta, and spices, and opportunity to make home made bread.

Inclusion I is an assembly of motivated individuals who share a common passion for science. We are honored to receive this first team at SAM, with anticipation for their first EVA in a pressurized space suit in our prototype Mars yard, and egress two days before the start of the Analog Astronaut Conference.

By |2023-05-11T05:23:37+00:00April 27th, 2023|Categories: In the news, Research Teams|0 Comments
Go to Top