50th ANNIVERSARY TIME CAPSULE President Paul Robinson and retired presidents Irwin Welber, George Dacey, Morgan Sparks, and Al Narath assist in the lowering of the time capsule at the 50th Anniversary ceremony on November 1, 1999. The marble cap is inscribed, "...historic preservation provides the basis for the future..." a quote from U. S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson.

 Sandia's 50th Anniversary ceremony on November 1, 1999, culminated in the placement of a time capsule in a monument erected outside Building 800. The capsule, donated by Tony Hernandez's department (ICBM Reentry System 2165) is an AT-400A unit designed by Sandia for storage of weapon components. The time capsule provides a snapshot of today's culture that will serve as a message to the future--to be opened at Sandia's 75th Anniversary in 2024. Each Vice Presidency submitted ideas, which were then reviewed by the Time Capsule Committee. Over 200 items were included, representing a wide range of Sandia's work in 1999. Miniaturization was a main theme, represented by micromachines, a navigational system, trajectory system, combination lock, and ChemLab mounted on microchips. Other items included a letter from Paul Robinson to the future Labs' President; a Z-Wire Array used in Sandia's Z Accelerator; a piece of a Goodyear tire; a rolamite component; a photonic lattice; rock salt from WIPP; an Intel Pentium Pro Microprocessor from the Teraflops Supercomputer; a Miniature Autonomous Robotic Vehicle; and samples of today's electronic media, including a diskette, CD ROM, and video tape. Stop by the lobby of Building 894 to view an exhibit on the time capsule and its contents.

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