Biosphere 2

A project designed to see how to build a self sustaining biosphere here on Earth, a 3.14-acre glass enclosure located in Oracle, Arizona.

Funded by billionaire Edward Bass was started in 1987.

The goal of developing technologies for space life support and understanding Earth's biosphere, as a "shake-down" mission to identify problems and technologies for future modification and improvement.

containing a miniature rain forest, a desert, a little ocean, a mangrove swamp, a savanna, and a small farm. Its name gave homage to “Biosphere 1”—Earth

On September 26, 1991, eight researchers, known as “biospherians,” were sealed inside the airlock on this massive enclosed ecological system – and Biosphere 2 was born. Following their 24-month adventure, these men and women emerged from their mini-world on September 26, 1993.

This experiment was to show how difficult it is to safely sustain human life in an artificial environment.

The good thing on Mars is it is not an enclosed system there are plenty of resources, but food will be a big issue.