This popular insulation for homes and buildings is a NASA technology originally developed for space communications and to protect people and spacecraft against radiation.
To keep people and spacecraft safe from harmful radiation, NASA developed a method for depositing a thin metal coating on a material to make it highly reflective. On Earth, it has become known as radiant barrier technology and is an extremely popular form of insulation for buildings, homes, shipping materials and water heaters, among other applications.
Read more: http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2013/cg_6.html
Image credit: RadiaSource LLC