Research Teams

Training of the first crew

Crew Inclusion I engaged in a 13 hours training session at SAM, learning from Director of Research Kai Staats, and the SAM design and construction staff Luna Powell, Sean Gellenbeck, Matthias Beach, Atila Meszaros, Trent Tresch, and Tasha Coelho.

This intense process took the team through the exterior and interior of the complex SAM pressure vessel, with elements of design, physics, chemistry, and safety for each component. As this was the first time the SAM team had trained an external crew, the process required patience and good communication on both sides. Given that Inclusion I includes a blind crew member, it was a steep learning curve for how SAM can improve some its form and function to be more readily accessible for a greater diversity of bodies and abilities.

In the end, it was clear that the training process should instead be one and a half or two full days to dive into the depth and breadth of the multi-faceted machine that is SAM.

UA Engineering Capstone team completes Automated Pressure Regulation System

In the fall of 2020 Biosphere 2 Deputy Director John Adams and SAM Director Kai Staats engaged a University of Arizona Engineering 498 Capstone team to design and fabricate a working prototype of an automated pressure regulation system for the inhabitant living space, adjacent to and principally atmosphere separated from the Test Module.

Team 21066 was highly successful in their design and prototype, demonstrating a working model mid May 2021. Once the 1200 sq-ft crew living space is built, a full-scale version will be built.

Core to the design is the ability to:

Maintain a constant internal pressure greater than the external ambient pressure.
Compensate for a low internal pressure by drawing from the reserve tank.
Compensate for over-pressurization by drawing air from the internal space into the reserve tank.
Be able to release a large volume of air quickly, in the case of a vessel breach.

The year-end product demonstration video is available here.

You can meet the team members Ahmed, James, Meghan, Nathan, Coby, Gustavo, and Arfan at our Development Team page.