Reflective Coatings Protect People and Animals

Abstract

Led by Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA engineers called upon National Metalizing of Cranbury, New Jersey, to help create a reflective sunshield to deploy on Skylab in place of a shield that was lost during launch in 1973. Years later, a former employee for National Metalizing founded Advanced Flexible Materials (AFM) Inc., of Petaluma, California, and utilized the radiant barrier technology in the public domain to produce a variety of products such as wraps to keep marathon finishers safe from hypothermia as well as a lining for mittens and vests. Recently, the material helped to keep manatees warm as they were lifted from the water as part of a tag-and-release program.