NASA opens snapshot of time and space
Recently opened time capsule reveals memorabilia from 25 years of work at research center in Kern County
Twenty-five years ago, wireless internet was just an idea and floppy disks were often needed to transport data from one computer to another. It might seem quaint these days, but that didn’t stop the scientists at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in the southeast corner of Kern County from conducting groundbreaking research.
Last month, NASA administrators and staff reflected on 25 years of progress by opening a time capsule sealed in 1996. Filled with memorabilia contributed from every department at the time, the opening corresponded with the 75th anniversary of the center’s existence.
“When you are in this environment that we’re in, you don’t really have a realization of the importance of what you’re working on at the time,” said Andy Blua, a machinist at the research center for 31 years who helped build the capsule. “I tell all of my guys, you never know what you’re working on. A lot of really important research happens here that really affects the whole nation.”
Over the years, some of that research has been vital to building the plane that eventually broke the sound barrier and the development of the first lunar lander. More recently, NASA is developing at the site a “quiet” supersonic plane that can fly faster than the speed of sound without the massive boom associated with breaking the sound barrier.
For the guys known as the “Home Depot” of Armstrong, the time capsule provided an opportunity to look back on the work they have done that went on to become breakthroughs in aviation engineering.
“You never know what you are working on or the significance of whatever that piece is,” Blua said. “It becomes history later on, and then you say, ‘Oh my god, I machined that.’”
For Don Whitfield, a retired civil servant who worked as a welder at NASA for 45 years, the time capsule is more than just a vessel for remembering the past. Whitfield welded the device together, wondering at the time how every department would be able to contribute.
“Once we were done, I thought what could they possibly put in this pipe that (could accommodate) everybody from every different place, there wasn’t enough room,” he said. “How are they going to put something from everybody in there? It just didn’t seem big enough.”
For 25 years, the time capsule sat in the cockpit of the Bell X-1 that stands guard outside the research center. On Oct. 13, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the facility for the official opening ceremony.
They found photos of research aircraft, a VHS tape, floppy disk, “too much documentation,” and even 30 texts and drawings from local school children.
“What they pulled out of there was amazing,” Whitfield said.
Operations are now underway to create another capsule that will be opened on the center’s 100th anniversary, in 2046. The agency plans to use the same capsule for the second round, meaning the work Whitfield and Blua contributed to 25 years ago will live on.
By the time 2046 rolls around, who knows what new technological advancements will have taken place, but there’s a good chance the Armstrong Flight Research Center will have played a role in a few.