Biosphere 2
In 1984, Bass and Allen founded the Biosphere 2 project, which Bass funded with an initial commitment of $30 million. The project was part of a 2,500-acre (10 km2) ranch in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Oracle, Arizona, near Tucson. The purpose of its 3 acre living space was to be an experiment in "recreating the earth" and as a possible way to settle Mars. The project began with eight people living inside in an attempt to be a self-contained settlement, raising food and recycling air and water. After the environment was sealed in 1991, noxious gases built up, and while some of the 4,000 species thrived, the water and crops failed in 1994. In 1995, it was turned into a research facility overseen by Columbia University, which declined to provide funding for continued research after June 2003. In 2007, Bass sold some of the land adjacent to the project, and the building was leased to the University of Arizona. The total cost of the privately funded Biosphere project has been variously reported as $150 million to $200 million. The University of Arizona announced a full acquisition of the Biosphere buildings and grounds in June 2011.
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