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Spaceship Earth is a new documentary on Hulu about eight people stuck inside for two years, unable to venture into the outside world. That may sound familiar, but this film from director Matt Wolff is not about quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s about a group of people who voluntarily locked themselves inside a structure called Biosphere 2 in the ’90s.
Spaceship Earth premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January, and was acquired by Neon shortly after. The doc was meant to have a theatrical premiere, but, in the face of worldwide theater shut-downs, Neon opted instead to release the film on demand as well as on Hulu, the production company’s streaming partner. (There were also limited “pop-up” screenings of the film, including a projection on a blank wall on Houston Street in New York City last week.)
Spaceship Earth chronicles the creation and first mission of Biosphere 2. Eight people, most of whom weren’t trained scientists, wanted to know if they could replicate the earth’s ecosystem in an entirely self-sustained structure, and survive in it. So they built it. On September 26, 1991, they entered the Biosphere 2, vowing not to come back out until two years had passed. A few complications and breaches got in the way, leaving it up to debate whether the experiment was a success, but it certainly is fascinating to watch.
Staying inside and procuring resources are major concerns for people right now. Biosphere 2 was an experiment in the kind of sustainability so many of us are currently chasing on a microscale by regrowing our scallions or handwashing laundry. No doubt those relevant concerns may have left some of you with a lot of questions, such as “Does Biosphere 2 still exist?” and “When can I move in?” Here’s a little more background on the biodome from Spaceship Earth.
Is Biosphere 2 from Spaceship Earth real? Does Biosphere 2 still exist?
Yes, and yes. Not only is Biosphere 2 from Spaceship Earth real (this is a documentary, people!), it’s still operating today, as part of the University of Arizona. There are no longer people locked inside its walls 24/7, but there is still science and research going on, as well as regular tours, which are temporarily suspended during the pandemic. While you can contribute and donate to the research, you cannot volunteer as tribute to live inside it, sadly. You can find more information on the official Biosphere 2 website.
What was Steve Bannon’s role in Biosphere 2?
To me, the weirdest twist in Spaceship Earth wasn’t that eight people voluntarily quarantined themselves for two years, but that in 1994, Steve Bannon took over the project. You know, the guy who founded the ultraconservative Breitbart news. The guy who is considered a key figure in the birth of the alt-right movement. The guy who used to be President Donald Trump’s chief strategist. That Steve Bannon.
After being hired by one of the project’s founders, Ed Bass, Bannon ran Biosphere 2 for two years. In that time, former crew members broke into the compound to protest his extreme cost-cutting decisions. Bannon fired most of the original Biosphere 2 leadership, and in the lawsuit trial that followed, Bannon testified that he told one of the plaintiffs to shove her 5-page report outlining safety concerns “down her fucking throat.” Most of the original Biosphere crew felt that any dreams of expanding Biosphere 2 to space missions were crushed by Bannon’s takeover.
Who owns Biosphere 2 today?
According to the New York Times, Bannon made a deal to hand Biosphere 2 over to Columbia University in 1995. Columbia ran it until 2003, at which point the University of Arizona took over. Biosphere 2 was officially donated to the university in 2003, along with $20 million to support its research.
