When Columbia Sportswear developed its proprietary Omni-Heat insulation based on NASA technology to help hikers survive extreme conditions, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that shiny lining was just a gimmick. Now the brand is getting the chance to show exactly what stuff Omni-Heat is made of – by sending it back to the moon.
When the Athena spacecraft launches from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on February 26, it will be dressed in the same reflective foil that we've loved in winter hiking gear like the Columbia Arch Rock Double Wall Elite Insulated Jacket. Made from an expanded pattern of metallic dots, Omni-Heat Infinity reflects your body heat back to you when you add it to the lining of a base layer or puffer jacket. When you add it to a spacecraft, it helps protect it against the extreme cold temperatures found in outer space, where it can be as low as -250° Fahrenheit.
