Astral‑Five Annex of the Smithsonian

A dedicated Smithsonian annex housing artifacts and archival material tied to the Astral‑Five discovery. Climate‑controlled stacks and sealed vaults buffer fragile recordings from radiation and decay; low, corrective lighting falls across cataloguing stations where conservators in gloves cradle data carriers. The space smells faintly of ozone and archival consolidant, punctuated by the soft chirp of digitization consoles. Institutional gravity hangs over the annex: it functions as both secure repository and public‑facing research node, the point where recovered captainly messages enter permanent record and scholarly custody.