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The Space Needle is looking for time capsule submissions

Think you can do better than Pearl Jam?

Chona Kasinger

Back in 2017, the Space Needle’s renovation unearthed a time capsule from 1982, lost after whoever hid it forgot where they put it. With the Needle’s updates—including a dizzying, rotating glass floor—complete, another time capsule is going in. This time, however, it has a firm opening date: April 21, 2062, the day of the Space Needle’s centennial.

The Space Needle’s management has already announced five of the items that’ll go in the capsule: some stamps, a share of Amazon stock, a Super Bowl prediction from former Seahawk Walter Jones, and some notes from Pearl Jam to the future on a poster for the “Home Shows” fundraisers to fight homelessness. Some other additions will be a secret for the next 43 years.

But they’re also soliciting submissions from the public through a contest, with six time capsule spots up for grabs. Not just anything can be stuffed in there, though: It has to fit into a three-by-three-by-three box. It can’t be alive. You can’t need it back, although you can name a couple of people that can accept your items on your behalf in four decades.

Submissions close September 13, but one winner will be announced each month, starting in May, until the time capsule is sealed on October 21.

While the accepted submissions will go in their own little plastic boxes—potentially vacuum-sealed—the time capsule mothership is way more than just a tube. It took three months of planning and design from mechanical engineer Andries Breedt, whose company also contributed a glass-hoisting robot to the Needle’s big remodel.

The final product is designed to withstand the test of time: It’s made of stainless steel and gold-plated aluminum to resist corrosion and wear. An anodic finish bolsters the capsule and contributes to color changes over time. While it’s less than four feet long and just 16 inches in diameter, it weighs a sturdy 163.4 pounds.

Those that want to submit need to fill out a Google form with their name, contact information, what they want to submit, and why, along with an estimated value of the thing or things. If selected, winners will be mailed a little box to arrange their items in, which will be approved by a jury before being sealed off.

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