We spent our recent vacation in Arizona. First, we attended
Leprecon, where I was on two panels with Guest of Honor Karen
Traviss and learned a lot about Mandalorians. Then, we relaxed at a
resort near Tucson.

Biosphere II was within 20 miles of our resort. It was our top
sightseeing choice in the area. Yes, there is a good air museum.
We’ve seen those before. Biosphere II is a unique attempt to build
a sealed ecosystem for human habitation on Earth.

It’s an amazing piece of engineering.

The building itself is impressive. It’s large, and rises high, with
glass panels joined in a semi-geodesic fashion. The girders are
white, and the building shines and sparkles.

The interior is even more amazing. Jungle, desert, and ocean, all
enclosed and alive. Fish swim in and out of the living coral reef.
And the mechanics! The air recirculation in the basement creates a
strong wind. The ‘lung’ raises a steel plate weighing fifty tons
to allow the air inside the building to expand when it heats.

Our guide, Bob, liked to point out that the air circulation, cooling
systems, water and waste recycling systems all worked ‘super well’.

Not everything worked so well. Within six months of originally
sealing the building, microbes in the soil took up too much oxygen.
For the safety of the crew, they pumped extra oxygen into Biosphere
II. So it failed as a sealed habitat.

And the crew were constantly hungry. Looking at the diet they ate,
I wasn’t surprised. It consisted only of grains, beans, and
vegetables. In addition to having less food than ideal,
they had no hearty protein and no fats. I wondered why there were
no nut trees, no olives, not even peanuts. More to learn about
that.

In some ways, I felt I had failed at the con, too. I did well on
panels. I had hoped to talk to more people. I found myself tired
and retiring when I would have been well-served by being rested and
outgoing.

But here’s the point. I and the builders of Biosphere II both
learned something by trying and failing. We learned lessons that
we could not have known before we tried. That means that our
failures were really successes.

I’ll be back to try again at Coppercon and Bubonicon and Denvention
and more. And now we know some things that work and don’t work for
sealed habitats. We’ll try that again, too.

Have you had experiences you counted as failures? What can you
learn from them, to make them part of your success?

And would you like to talk to me about it? Email me, and we’ll
schedule a session.

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Book Recommendation

The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, now published in
an omnibus as Young Miles

This books starts with Miles Vorkosigan failing utterly. All his
life, he has aspired to serve his world, follow in the steps of his
father and grandfather, and join the most prestigious cadre of his
society. When in a moment of pride and anger, he pushes too hard on
the final physical exam of his military academy, all his dreams lie
in ruins. What he does next makes a great tale of adventure. This
book begins one of the most celebrated sagas in recent science
fiction.

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Anna Paradox is a life coach who speaks science fiction. Her
clients invest in themselves to achieve their dreams. If you’d like
to join them, call 505-640-0979 to set up a sample session. Or
email me at anna@annaparadox.com

Creating Space is her twice-monthly newsletter with tips, insights,
and a book recommendation for science fiction fans and space
activists. You can subscribe at www.annaparadox.com/newsletter,
and read back issues there, too.