After months of preparation , four men and four women Thursday closed the door on the world they hope to aid and began two days of ecological research in Biosphere II , an airtight , three - story structure of glass and steel that has stirred controversy as well as awe . At dawn , the eight told project officials they were about to begin work on their respective " habitat " or ecosystem . ; What the Biosphere residents find out over the next 24 months, proponents say, will help to understand the workings of nature and the possibilities of living in artificial atmospheres in outer space. They will recycle their air , water and waste , and live off a half - acre of land and food grown in tanks of water fused with nutrients , seeking possibilities of living in artificial atmospheres in outer space .
After months of preparation , four men and four women Thursday closed the door on the world they hope to aid and began two days of ecological research in Biosphere II , an airtight , three - story structure of glass and steel that has stirred controversy as well as awe . At dawn , the eight told project officials they were about to begin work on their respective " habitat " or ecosystem . They will recycle their air , water and waste , and live off a half - acre of land and food grown in tanks of water fused with nutrients , seeking possibilities of living in artificial atmospheres in outer space .