To protect astronauts against the bitter cold and scorching heat encountered in space, NASA worked with private industry to create temperature-adaptive materials for use in space suits and gloves. The resulting phase-change material enhances the wearer’s comfort by moderating temperatures between the body and the environment, keeping things just right. Today, phase-change is used in athletic footwear to reduce the moisture of trapped heat and sweat by absorbing excess body heat and re-releasing it when needed.
While on a spacewalk, astronauts get exposed to both searing hot and brutally cold temperatures. Keeping them comfortable is the oasis of their spacesuit, which must regulate temperatures against exterior heat and cold and also manage the heat and humidity coming from astronauts' bodies. One technology NASA investigated for spacesuits was phase change materials, which absorb or release heat at a set temperature range.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts phase change materials within your home's bedroom environment!