Radiant Technology

The History Of Radiant Technology

In the mid 1950s, when Clark E. Beck, PE, of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base engineered the development of radiant barrier technology for NASA and the space program, he couldn’t have envisioned the variety of applications for which this insulation material would someday be used.

NASA was trying to find a way to protect the astronauts during space walks from the extreme temperature shifts ranging from -273 degrees Celsius to +238 degrees Celsius.  They discovered that they would have to have a seven-foot thick protective layer on the space suit if they attempted to use conventional insulation.

Obviously, this was out of the question.  Instead of trying to insulate the suits, they turned to reflective technology and used aluminum foil radiant barrier to solve the problem.

NASA used radiant technology to reflect the astronaut’s body heat back to them keeping them warm inside their space suits. It also reflected the powerful radiant heat coming from the sun, enabling them to maintain a normal body temperature.

The material provided a reflective surface that kept more than 95 percent of the radiant energy from reaching the interior of the space suit.  Small holes allow moisture to escape, while keeping longer heat waves from getting through.

Weighing only slightly more than 17 pounds per thousand square feet the material maintained constant, comfortable temperatures inside the space suit. Radiant barrier has been in use by NASA since the Gemini and Apollo missions.

 

Radiant Technology Today

Radiant barrier has been in use by NASA since the Gemini and Apollo missions.

The insulation was the prime element of the environment control system that allowed Apollo astronauts to work inside the Command Module in shirt sleeves, rather than in bulky space suits.

Since the Gemini and Apollo missions, the radiant barrier has been used on virtually all spacecraft, including unmanned missions where instruments required thermal protection.

With energy reduction being the number one concern in the residential and commercial building industry today, this technology is being widely accepted and used by architects and engineers to cut energy costs.

 

Very well known testing facilities and research organizations, including The Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Florida Solar Energy Center, and Texas A & M University to name a few have proven the substantial benefits that radiant barriers provide. The scientifically supported benefits have been accepted by Government agencies like Energy Star    as an effective way to permanently reduce utility bills and increase the comfort of homes and buildings.