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<p>Of Bannon, and Biospheres and Barking Arks....<br>
</p>
<p>FWIW, John Allen, as the creative force behind Biosphere II
founded Synergia Ranch just outside Santa Fe in 1969 as part of a
counter-culture movement. A satellite version was established
outside Oracle AZ soon after which became the site and precursor
to Biosphere II. I believe Allen may still reside at Synergia-NM
with some other "elders" of the movement over the years. <br>
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Allen"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Allen</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>as a young(er) man even he was a significant part of:<br>
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_of_All_Possibilities"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_of_All_Possibilities</a></p>
<p><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Ecotechnics"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Ecotechnics</a><br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think it was discussed here the film <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceship_Earth_(film)">Spaceship_Earth_(film)</a>
when it came out in 2020 on all things related and I also think
Stephen G. visited Synergia about that time? Has a contact
there? <br>
</p>
<p>For more background: <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2</a>...
for morbid entertainment, note that <b><font size="4">Steve
Bannon</font></b> (yes that one) was instrumental in the
second attempt (and rapid crash) made there to force the concept
to work in spite of itself.<br>
</p>
<p><RambleTangent><br>
</p>
<p>The 60's EcoTechnics institute's flagship project was the
handbuilt research vessel Heraclitus which has sailed every ocean
(except artic) and visited every continent (including Antarctic).<br>
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a
href="https://www.factum-arte.com/pag/643/rebuilding-the-heraclitus-vessel"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.factum-arte.com/pag/643/rebuilding-the-heraclitus-vessel</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>with ocean going vessels something of a "biosphere" excepting the
air you breathe and the fish you might catch being the main
inputs. maybe rainwater caught or saltwater distilled, some
solar/wind/water energy captured.</p>
<p><RambleTangent#2><br>
</p>
<p>I only know (some) of this because of the "friends of SFx"
colleagues in Wales Matt and Janire did a big project to document
a contemporary project "early in its voyages" called the Arka
Kinari... A bit more arts/social, less research but "of the
spirit". They were in the middle of the Pacific when COVID hit
and had to play self-sufficient for months until they could find a
moorage that would allow them in. They were (mostly) prepared.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a
href="https://openexhibits.org/exhibit-design/ghosts-in-armour-at-santa-fe-complex/4863/"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://openexhibits.org/exhibit-design/ghosts-in-armour-at-santa-fe-complex/4863/</a><br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p><a
href="https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-voyage-of-arka-kinari-documentary-film-2/"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.cultvr.cymru/events/the-voyage-of-arka-kinari-documentary-film-2/</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Matt and Janire are the heavy lifters onn the project to convert
1 of 4 theaters in Los Alamos to an Immersive Space. Guerin and
I are involved in various capacities... this is a redux of the
project I left LANL 16 years ago (building an immersive
theater/facility in the community outside the fence) which failed
for non-technical reasons. I'd be the heavy lifter myself if I
could lift anything heavy.... buh! But it is good to watch it
(finally) bear fruit or blossom or whatever the metaphor is...<br>
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://sala.losalamos.com/phase2/"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://sala.losalamos.com/phase2/</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>will the free associative rambling never stop?
</RambleStop><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/1/24 12:46 PM, Jochen Fromm wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:202403011946.421JkkYs058607@ame3.swcp.com">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<div dir="auto">Interesting points. Life in Antartica and on the
ISS is only possible because of continuous supplies from the
outside. Biosphere 2 showed all the problems that arise for
example on Moon or Mars if there are no such supplies: lack of
oxygen, lack of food and lack of clean water</div>
<div dir="auto"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/13/spaceship-earth-arizona-biosphere-2-lockdown">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/13/spaceship-earth-arizona-biosphere-2-lockdown</a></div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto">Robots on the other hand have no problems
surviving on Mars: Curiosity, Spirit, Perseverance, ... have
proven they can survive in harsh and hostile conditions. Maybe
we are like fish 400 million years ago wondering if life outside
the ocean is possible. The answer would have been yes, but not
for fish.</div>
<div dir="auto"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_rover">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_rover</a></div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto">-J.</div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-size:100%;color:#000000" align="left">
<div>-------- Original message --------</div>
<div>From: Steve Smith <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:sasmyth@swcp.com"><sasmyth@swcp.com></a> </div>
<div>Date: 3/1/24 7:26 PM (GMT+01:00) </div>
<div>To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:friam@redfish.com">friam@redfish.com</a> </div>
<div>Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Biospheres</div>
</div>
<p dir="auto">Thanks for this prompt. I recently tripped over:</p>
<p dir="auto"> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/martians-wanted-nasa-opens-call-for-simulated-yearlong-mars-mission/"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/martians-wanted-nasa-opens-call-for-simulated-yearlong-mars-mission/</a></p>
<p dir="auto">and was reminded of my maunderings when Musk first
stated his aspirations for Mars colonization acutely or
eloquently enough to convince me he was serious, not just
attention-seeking.</p>
<ol dir="auto">
<li>Antartica has been continuously "colonized" for about 100
years, but by various international scientific researchers at
extremely well funded (per capita) habitats. The conditions
there (for the most part) are *much* more welcome to human
life and definitely easier to supply. <br>
</li>
<li>Seafloor habitats (these were a rage to consider in the 50s
and 60s, but have lost popularity) seem at least as welcoming
as Antartica and (for the most part) nicely buffered from wild
climactic and weather shifts? Also easier to resupply from
"topside"? I don't know how deep you have to go to get the
"buffering" I mentioned, but certainly not Titanic explorer
implosion depths. Kurzweil recently claimed a synthetic
"hemoglobin" replacement/supplement (suggested dosage == 50/50
mix with natural) which would gift the average human something
like 6 hours without breathing? Add oxy/rebreather tech and
you have homo aquatic methinks? Don't know about
pressure... scuba wonks anyone?</li>
<li>Asteroid belting seems to make much more sense for
gravitational and resource acquisition reasons? Lots of
basic needs available "somewhere" in the same gravity well
(Ice/Oxygen-compounds/metals?). If you gotta live indoors
most of the time, why not orbiting in a resource rich
environment where you never have to dig too deep for molecular
resource stock and all travel is frictionless and
low-gravity-gradient? Atmosphere is good for cosmic
shielding but not as good as planetary magnetic field?</li>
<li>Biosphere/II were part of a big movement as I came of age
and lived within 100-200 miles of the project at the time...
It looked like a folly and rich-person's conceit at the
time... little did I know what would follow!</li>
<li>Various ideas around Arcologies, starting with the (also
Arizona Desert) Arcosanti (Paolo Soleri) and made totally over
the top (the Saudis' Line City of Noem) have intrigued me, and
since any moon/mars/europa colony we try to build will be much
more resource-demanding and personally and external-supply
restricted, I feel like at-worst we should be exploring those
concepts while Musk tries to fling a million people to Mars
(many of them is direct descendents? Maybe a a few thousand
vials of his frozen sperm or with the Alabama nonsense, a few
thousand IVF embryos of his parentage (and gawdess knows whose
ova?) for genetic diversity? <br>
</li>
</ol>
<p dir="auto">It all (Mars/Moon/Asteroid Belt colonization)
strikes me as being fueled by too much the GOFF (good old
fashioned futurism) too many of us boomers and some GenX were
raised on. <br>
</p>
<p dir="auto">If Musk thinks the "woke mind virus" is the earth's
(or humanity's) biggest threat, I don't know how he thinks
colonizing Mars will help. Some strange resonance with the
aspirations of the break-away European Colonies of the Age of
Exploration? How much of the Americas was colonized with this
desire to leave the "old country" baggage behind, only to repeat
the same mistakes or trip over the Utopia/Dystopia duality?
And then we have to (almost exclusively failed, and usually
catastrophically) cults and communes of the current era.<br>
</p>
<p dir="auto">I avoided reading Kim Stanley Robinson's
Red/Green/Blue Mars series for the longest time, not being a big
fan of Space Opera, but when he hooked me on his climate
disaster novels (Washington DC, California settings, then his
magnum opus a few years ago Ministry for the Future) I went
ahead and let him update me on the Barsoomian conceits I was
raised on as a pre-teen. His Terraforming Mars
(red/green/blue Mars) stuff was pretty good with lots of tech
exploration of just how do you survive on mars-as-it-is then get
enough water to the surface to start greening up some parts,
then yet enough more water to start having surface water. I
forget the tech details now, but suffice it to say I was mildly
convinced he had researched the basic physics and ideated
honestly on the engineering challenges. Of course the
social/economic/political implications interested me more. He
played around in that space well.</p>
<p dir="auto">I'm not convinced we have any business colonizing
Mars (or any Solar planetary body really) soon. Seems like we
have an excellent Goldilocks Zone planet whose nurturance (or at
least our multi-billion year evolution/adaption/co-evolution
to/with it) is a fine fit if we could just "cool our jets"
(literally and figuratively) enough to keep the keep the
oscillations we are driving into it's medium term (centuries?)
stability so thoughtlessly. Drill Baby Drill!<br>
</p>
<p dir="auto">I just started watching the series "the Expanse"
which as best I can tell is constrained to the general range
I've described of Earth/Mars/Belt... it seems pretty long on
tech and special effects and flashy weapons and space-collisions
and bad blood/intentions, and really weak on any deference to
the realities of orbital mechanics and semi-absurdity of the
implied economics (measured in delta-V?) but I am doing this to
be conversant with a good friend. What we both agreed on was
that by the time our tech/energetics support that kind of
free-ranging through the middle of the solar system, genetic
engineering and cybernetic tech, you would at least expect the
humans going about all this spacefaring to be *tiny*, maybe
giant brains with minimal bodies and probably reverting to
grasping feet/toes and maybe throw (back) in an articulating
tail for balance in 0G and an extra gripper/poker? A 30lb
human with a 2-3lb brain is a lot more obvious than the 150-300
lb'rs shown on the show. The metabolic needs just don't make
sense? replace a bunch of the muscle/bone/pumps/fluids of a
human body with cyber versions and the "engineering"
support/maintenance/repair becomes more suitable to the
environment. Maybe the brain/mind/spirit upload business will
come about eventually, then the burden of the human-on-board
become even more well aligned with other systems? Or maybe we
go the other way and engineer our bodies to become the
space-ships... let organic chemistries and biomechanics and
biomaterials do all the work of radiation shielding, vacuum
resisting, thermal management, etc. might be a bit much to do
ion-thrusters/chemical-rockets/nuclear-rockets with
bio-materials? Light Sails! Nicholas van Rjin/ Falkayne
anyone? James Blish? Ian Banks?<br>
</p>
<p dir="auto">Mumble,</p>
<p dir="auto"> -S<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix" dir="auto">On 3/1/24 10:04 AM, Jochen
Fromm wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite" dir="auto">
<div dir="auto">Corentin de Chatelperron and Caroline Pultz
tried to live for 120 days in the Mexican desert self
sufficiently, growing their own food. Using their own
desalination machines they generated fresh water for the
plants and themselves <br>
<a
href="https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/110239-000-A/the-biosphere-experiment/"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/110239-000-A/the-biosphere-experiment/</a><br>
<br>
Biosphere 2 near Tuscon was a similar, even more extreme
experiment to create a self-sustaining ecosystem. The
experiment was considered a failure and the whole center
belongs now to the University of Arizona.</div>
<div dir="auto"><a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext" moz-do-not-send="true">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2</a><br>
<br>
Both experiments showed how difficult it is to support human
life in a closed, self-sustaining environment. Do you think
self-sustained life on Moon or Mars is possible? Or as the
book "A City on Mars" asks "Can we settle space, should we
settle space, and have we really thought this through?"
<a
href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/14/a-city-on-mars-by-kelly-and-zach-weinersmith-review-one-way-ticket-to-muskow-anyone"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/dec/14/a-city-on-mars-by-kelly-and-zach-weinersmith-review-one-way-ticket-to-muskow-anyone</a><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<div dir="auto">-J.</div>
<div dir="auto"><br>
</div>
<br>
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