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Time Capsule Technical Specifications

For those GPS aficionados amongst us, the Global Position Satellite location coordinates for the Women's Health Time Capsule are:

Northing: 486383.876
Easting: 1290705.483
Elevation: 254.748

Our WHTC is extraordinary----custom built to our specifications and especially designed and handcrafted with a controlled environment to protect and preserve virtually any material. It is guaranteed for 500 years against fire and flood damage should such a disaster occur here. It is constructed to withstand humid and/or salt laden atmospheres or urban atmospheres containing sulfur dioxide or corrosive pollutants. It also withstands the pressure of extremes to which it is subjected during the atmosphere exchange cycle. Our WHTC is fabricated from heli-arc welded 14-guage, 316 stainless steel designed as a single-wall configuration and hermetically sealed.

Now, for an explanation of how this process actually works, which is key to the time capsule's preserving capability (you chemistry majors are going to love this part). The Vapor Phase Deacidification process chemically treats the contents with a mild organic alkaline substance, (Hexamethalyne Tetramine - HMT); which, for example, neutralizes the acidity of paper and renders its life expectancy 25 to 40 times greater than untreated paper.

A predetermined amount of HMT is weighed into a fine mesh cotton sack and sealed in the capsule with the items to be preserved. When the oxygen is later evacuated and replaced with dry argon gas, the HMT slowly transforms from its solid state into a gas which permeates the contents. This chemical process is patented in the US and four foreign countries.

Sealing is accomplished via a special Viton rubber gasketing material and an inert silicone "grease" around the perimeter of the portal. The access cover is held in place by a ¼" by 20" stainless steel hex-head cap screws on approximately 2" centers around the sealing periphery. When sealed, the capsule is air and liquid tight. After sealing, a quick connect manifold withdraws the air by a vacuum pump. The air is then replaced by the argon gas to eliminate the effects of oxygen on the contents.