Experiments With Small Animals Rarely Go This Well…

About this technology

Overview

In the mid-1950s, the U.S. Air Force began work with radiant barrier technology. The work involved creating materials that could withstand the immense heat created by passage through the Earth's atmosphere, creating structures and resources that could withstand the fluctuations in temperature created by a skip reentry, where a craft would skip" along the surface of the atmosphere a process that took the craft from extreme heat to frigid cold every few seconds. The material also needed to withstand millions of pounds of pressure per inch of bending without twisting. One result of the work was the discovery of the useful properties of radiant barrier material. The radiant barrier material reflected more than 95 percent of the radiant energy while tiny holes in the fabric allowed moisture to escape and longer heat waves to get through. The textile weighs only 17 pounds per 1000 square feet and NASA has used this material ever since the Gemini and Apollo missions on virtually all of its spacecraft and even on unmanned missions as thermal protection for instruments. Scratch and Newton Ltd. based in Leeds England employs this technology to improve the lives of pet rabbits and guinea pigs with protective coverings like the Hutch Snuggle the Run Hugger and the Hutch Hugger. The company also uses it to insulate pet water bottles with its Bottle Snug. Scratch and Newton has sold its products around the world though it plans to target Canada home to many chilly bunnies and New Zealand land of the overheated pet guinea pigs. It plans to proceed with its line of thermal critter-care products and look to NASA technology to find other innovations that may be of use."