Edna Chapa Quezada

Time Capsule

Story of our lifes Daniela Mafer Edna Andrea Adracir January,14th 2014

Time capsule investigation

3 different ways to create a time capsule

1 Choose a duration for your time capsule. One way to do this is to consider who you would like your audience to be. Would you like to open the time capsule yourself? Would you like to share it with your own children or grandchildren? Would you like your message to last long into the future?

2 Decide where you will store your time capsule. Burial may not be the best choice, for several reasons. It is very likely to be forgotten or lost, and it is much more susceptible to damage from moisture.

3 Select a container. How much stuff do you want to preserve for the future? Think about how long this collection must last and where it will go. If you will store it inside, at home, a shoebox, bin, or old suitcase might be quite adequate. If you plan to place the time capsule outdoors or bury the time capsule, you will have to choose a container that is highly weatherproof. Consider using desiccant "gel bags" such as those included in the packaging of electronic goods and in bottles of vitamin C tablets. These help to absorb any moisture that may have been present at the time of encapsulation or that may ingress in the future. They are also "oxygen-scavengers" that help to kill microbes that may make some of your items perish.

4 Consider an above ground option. One interesting alternative is to store your time capsule items in a stainless steel vacuum food jar (you could even try Space-bags) and then hide this inside a camouflaged polyurethane hollow rock or log. These above ground time capsules are called Geocapsules and can provide a further level of adventure to the time capsule experience. 5 Collect the objects to go in your time capsule. Who will open your time capsule, and what would you like to tell them? Have fun with this step! Objects for time capsules need not be of high monetary value. Rather, choose things that reflect the spirit of the present. What is unique about today? Anything that captures the spirit of the present is a candidate, but you might want to consider things like these:

Popular toys or tools. Labels or packaging of favorite foods or other products. Include price tags, if you can. Newspapers or magazines showing current events or current trends. Photographs. Filled Journals. Letters Currency Favorite things. Clothes and fashion items of the current time Personal messages to and from others Indicators of high technology. Even if nobody can read the contents of a DVD in 50 or 100 years, you might still enclose one to demonstrate the state of the art. 6 If you wish, write and enclose your own description of what it is like to live right now. Tell your future audience about daily life. Talk about ordinary day-to-day activities; current fads, fashions, attitudes, and trends; how much everyday objects usually cost; and anything else that you would like to say.

7 Do something to remind yourself or others of the location of the time capsule and the date you intend it to be opened. If you keep a calendar, write at the end of it each year when your time capsule should be opened. Place a plaque or marker if you have hidden or buried the time capsule, indicating where it can be found. Record the date and whereabouts in a journal or scrapbook. If the time capsule is for personal use, choose an opening date with personal significance, such as your birthday, a child's birthday, or a major holiday in the chosen year. Or, record its whereabouts in your will, along with any special instructions. According to the International Time Capsule Society, most time capsules are "lost due to thievery, secrecy or poor planning". If your time capsule is intended for retrieval years or decades after its original placement, make doubly sure that several people know of its exact location and surroundings. If placed outside, above or underground, take photographs of your placement, identify GPS coordinates, and write down all data important for re-locating the precise location. Send multiple copies of the location data to those you can trust and ask them to hold the information for safe keeping. You can even schedule a future email to be sent to you as a retrieval reminder. 8 Seal the time capsule to your satisfaction and store it for the selected amount of time. Remember that a personal time capsule does not need to be of great duration or durability. Even five years from now, the world will have changed and the artifacts of today will stir memories.

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Time-Capsule

Construction The container must be strong and airtight to prevent the entry of moisture, dirt and insects. The container should be non-corrodable. By far the best modern material for burial is stainless steel which is relatively cheap, easily fabricated and stable in adverse conditions. The capsule should be welded shut (difficult to open but will provide an excellent seal if the welding is done well). Lead-tin solder should not be used as it will deteriorate in the ground, allowing water into the capsule. Screw on caps can be used as opposed to welding or alternatively wing nuts can be used to clamp the lid in place. However, screw threads can 'seize' when left under pressure for a long time, making them difficult to unscrew. Bottles made of stable glass may survive very well, but are prone to being broken due to shifting foundations, frost or carelessness at the time of retrieval. The use of plastic containers is open to debate. Not much is known about the long term stability of most plastics under burial conditions and it is possible that they may crack under extreme conditions and the seals may also be prone to wear. Large diameter high density polythene pipes have been used. The end caps can be heat sealed or threaded caps sealed with Teflon tape. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipe should not be used for time capsules as it will eventually deteriorate and release acid affecting the contents of the capsule. Before burying, the capsule should be wrapped in a waterproof membrane. Interior of the capsule Prior to sealing the capsule it should be packed with a 2.5"-3" layer of ceramic wool fibre, completely surrounding the documents, to protect them from the heat of welding. The environment inside the time capsule should be dry and oxygen free. After welding, oxygen should be removed by flushing the capsule with dry nitrogen through a small hole left for the purpose. The nitrogen will displace the oxygen in the container. The hole should be sealed rapidly. Silica gel or another humidity control system will help control the humidity in the capsule. Contents of the capsule Non-paper objects

Objects which can decompose and thus give off corrosive substances should be avoided. This includes all plant, animal and insect specimens and anything containing batteries.

Polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) will release acid as they age and should be included only with extreme caution. Objects should be wrapped in acid accepting paper, buffered acid-free tissue or washed cotton. These materials will absorb acid.

Rubber also deteriorates over time, releasing sulphur. Materials made of rubber should not be used in capsules. Textiles should be clean and insect free. Most textiles survive well in a nitrogen environment.

All wood, especially oak, gives off acid. It should be kept away from any electronic or metal items before they are inserted into the capsule. Metal items should be free of visible corrosion and in sound physical condition. Avoid polishing items before they are inserted into the capsule. Electronic devices should have their batteries removed and discarded. Leave instructions on the voltage and current requirements of the device. Solar powered devices are a useful alternative. Paper instruction manuals should be stored away from anything electronic.

Use archival quality audio and video tape. Bear in mind that the equipment necessary to play back these items may not exist when the capsule is opened. Paper

Permanent paper (i.e. paper of an archival quality) should be used. If permanent paper is not used, all documents should be deacidified to help prevent chemical degradation. A professional paper conservator should be employed to do this.

Newsprint is destroyed rapidly by acid residues left in the paper from the manufacturing process. Newspapers must be deacidified. If typed documents are to be included, a pure carbon type writer ribbon should be used. If hand written, archival record ink, not biro, should be used. Before being placed in the container, the documents should be dried so as to reduce the relative humidity to 30%. Each artefact or set of documents should be placed in an inert polyester bag prior to insertion into the capsule. This will ensure that dissimilar materials are isolated from one another. Photographs

Black and white photographs should be used in preference to colour material.

All colour photographic material has a relatively short life and may be in danger of darkening or fading. Polaroid photographs should not be used even in short life capsules due to their instability. Burying the time capsule Place the capsule in a cool, dry location, where it will not be exposed to great fluctuations in temperature. Time capsules are most commonly found buried below ground level in the foundations of buildings. A drained concrete or brick vault lined with fibreglass should be built in order to minimise temperature fluctuations and prevent access of water. The site of a time capsule is often marked in some way. The International Time Capsule Society exists to maintain a register of all known time capsules, to promote research into the history, variety and motivation of time capsule projects, to educate and raise awareness of time capsules among the public and scholarly community and to act as a clearing house for information about time capsules.

http://www.bl.uk/blpac/faqtime.html

1 Get a box that can fit all your items. If you plan on burying your box, make sure it's durable and can last a long time outdoors. 2 With your box (it should be big) find a spot to bury the capsule. 3 Decorate the box if you are hiding it. 4 Put your name and date you buried/hide it on the box. 5 Write a letter to the finder of the time capsule or to yourself. 6 Now get a few items that really reflect who you are. Examples include

Small Toys Used Gift Cards Photos and Postcards A coin minted this year Pictures of your favorite celebrities Take-out menus 7 Bury or hide the time capsule,make sure you have permission from your parents. 8 Now try to forget about the box. 9 Now wait for someone to discover it or you can open it up in 1-10 years. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Time-Capsule-(for-Kids-and-Pre-Teens)