Kennedy Space Center: Time Capsule Opening in 2061

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Sept. 23, 2013) – A September 9, 2013 ceremony marked the placement of NASA time capsule inside a wall of the new Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The capsule, which is filled with items related to the Space Shuttle Program, is scheduled to be opened by space enthusiasts in the year 2061.

The Space Shuttle Program Time Capsule was created to help explain to people in 2061 the significance of the shuttle program by including items that tell the compelling story of what it meant to work at Kennedy Space Center during that 30-year period. Capsule items include:

• A square of insulating blanket that helped protect shuttle orbiters
• A brick from a launch pad flame trench
• A black orbiter heat shield tile
•  A BlackBerry smartphone containing information about computing changes during the shuttle era
• A “Mission Accomplished” Teddy bear from the final shuttle mission, STS-135 (Atlantis).

Patrick Sullivan, a 13-year-old Orange County eighth grader and a Space Exploration Ambassador, spoke at the ceremony, as did Robert Cabana, Kennedy Space Center director and former shuttle astronaut. Patrick spoke about both the shuttle program and the future of space exploration “that will take us hopefully beyond Mars.”

Space Exploration Ambassadors, who number 426, are expected to be present when the capsule is opened in 2061.