An emergency blanket - also known as a space blanket, survival blanket or emergency blanket - is an ultra-light and extremely foldable metal blanket (Image: Michael Burrell)
An emergency blanket-also known as a space blanket, survival blanket, or emergency blanket-is an ultralight and extremely foldable metal blanket made from a sheet of heat-reflective plastic called Mylar. Usually one side of the blanket is brightly colored so rescuers can spot you and the other side is aluminum, but sometimes both sides are aluminum. An emergency blanket basically looks a lot like a large, flimsy piece of aluminum foil and is used by athletes, climbers, medical personnel and even astronauts to keep warm in extreme situations.
The technology used in emergency blankets was developed by the space program in the 1960s to divert and protect spacecraft, equipment and personnel from the sun's heat. The technology works by using a technique called vacuum metallization, which was previously only used in mirror making and the creation of novelty items such as wire. Metallization involves applying a metallic coating to a non-metallic surface – in this case, a thin layer of aluminum on plastic. The shiny aluminum coating deflects infrared rays, the invisible rays we feel as heat.