Historic items from capsule in deep freeze

New York lab tries to dry 1955 artifacts for public display here next month

Monday, January 31, 2005
By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer jpeck@htimes.com

Relics from a Huntsville time capsule are now in a New York laboratory that specializes in removing moisture from precious artifacts.

The items were placed in a cryogenic freeze chamber Friday and will remain for about a week. Document Reprocessors of Middlesex, N.Y., is drying them using a vacuum freeze-drying technique.

Initial reports indicate at least some of the then-state-of-the-art pouches seemed to have protected their contents.