Nasa designed super-insulation goes commercial: no cold no warm: rocket powering space technology... makes its way into consumer shoes, blankets, piping, refrigerators, Death Valley, Everest...

(SACNS)

'“When you hold a piece of silica aerogel, it feels otherworldly. If you drop it on a table top, it has an acoustic ring to it. It sounds like a crystal glass hitting the table,” describes George Gould, the director of research and development at Aspen Aerogels Inc.'

NASA Spinoff | 'Aerogels Insulate Against Extreme Temperatures' by Staff at unknown (accessed Today) 

The aerogel has made its way into everything from blankets, to shoes, to medical assisting insulation, after Nasa partnered with Aspen Systems Inc, to create a safe version of the insulation to keep rocket fuel at  -253 °C.

The insulation was made easily, and flexibly and cheaply enough in the private sector, it now is available in shoe soles for 'Toasty Feet', which isolate against heat loss or heat gain on the soles of the feet... Toasty feet have been used in desert races, and in climbing Everest. The US military also uses the feature. The same aerogel is used to make blankets, medical applications, and insulation for piping, trucks, cars, refrigeration.

NASA has increasingly used it's advanced research abilities, to benefit American industry over competitors. It has recently helped American companies designing prototypes for supersonic business passenger jets.

Ht to NASA | 'Aerogels Insulate Against Extreme Temperatures' by Staff, noted by the Company on Google Plus Today

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/tech_life_aerogel.html