It was an event 25 years in the making for NASA’s Langley Research Center. For Robert Costen, it felt a little longer.
On his return to the Hampton, Virginia-based facility, Langley retiree Costen was eager to contribute his part to the center’s time capsule – again. On Dec. 7, Langley dedicated a new and improved version of the time capsule.
The hand-crafted stainless steel capsule, topped by a commemorative lid, will house nearly 100 items chosen by employees that range from the scientific to the historic, reflecting aeronautics, science, space exploration, the center’s unique capabilities and items from mission support areas and 100th anniversary.
“It’s wonderful,” Costen said.
An original printing of his report, “Stalled Pulsing Inertial Oscillation Model for a Tornadic Cyclone,” was placed in the original time capsule Dec. 17, 1992, at its initial dedication marking the center’s 75th anniversary. The report, along with nearly 25 other times, were lost due to time and water damage.
A reprint of Costen’s report and the original items that survived will be joined by artifacts and digital files that have been saved on an m-disc, also known as a millennial disc, which is intended to provide greater archival media longevity.
“In science, you never know when something is going to be used,” Costen said.
Physical items that were originally included in the time capsule include a July 2, 1992 letter signed by then-President George H. W. Bush, titanium matrix composite components, a replica Viking microdot that was attached to the two spacecraft that landed on Mars in the 1970s, newspaper articles from July 1992, and a copy of 1992’s State of the Center Address.
Those old items are joined by new items, such as a wind tunnel model of HL-20, a design model for the QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) aircraft now under development, plastic and metal 3-D printed NASA logos, copies of the Margot Lee Shetterly book “Hidden Figures,” a copy of the center’s 20-year revitalization plan, and items from Langley’s centennial events.
NASA Langley celebrated its 100th anniversary with a series of events over the past year.
The new and improved time capsule will avoid potential damage from Mother Nature, as it is housed above ground in full view in a glass enclosure near the center’s Pearl Young Theater in the Integrated Engineering Services Building.
The time capsule will be opened every 25 years so future employees can marvel at the past and add to the future.