SPACE BLANKETS Space blankets are light wight blankets made of a silver tin foil colored fabric. They were made in the 1970s by NASA. In 1973 the Skylab Space Station (SSS) began to over heat. This happened while it was in orbit. The SSS overheated because the stations heat shield was broken. Inside the SSS the temperature got close to 130 degrees Fahrenheit or 54 degrees Celsius. NASA contracted a company called: NATIONAL METALIZING (NM), in New Jersey, and asked them to make a new sunsheild for Skylab. Until NASA asked them to do this the metalizing system was only really used for making tinsel. NASA and NM worked together and made a reflective material to put on top of Skylab. It deflected heat from Skylab and kept it at normal temperature. Space blankets are a good thing to have if you are packing light, and for this reason they are often sold in camping gear kits. They are also often used at the end of races to help regulate the runner's body temperatures. Especially after marathons. Because the runners body temperatures drop by a lot once they stop running and the blankets help them stay warm.