NASA's New Aerogel Technology, the Highest R-value Ever Developed, Now Set to Change the World WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA named Thermablok aerogel insulating material to its Top 49 list of products in the newly released 2009 edition of Spinoff, NASA's annual premier publication featuring companies that have successfully adapted NASA technologies to everyday products and made them available to average consumers. In NASA's 2009 Spinoff list, Thermablok joins an esteemed group of companies and technologies that have directly benefitted as a result of the space program. The list includes products in the fields health, transportation, energy consumption and creation, computer chips, and environmental technologies. Taking the newly discovered aerogel insulation technology developed by NASA - the highest insulating material in existence - Thermablok, based in Tampa Florida, developed a highly efficient product that may soon become a standard in the building industry. Aerogel, also referred to as "frozen smoke" has been difficult to adapt to most uses because of its fragility. The patented Thermablok material overcomes this by using a unique fiber to suspend a proprietary formula of aerogel which allows it to be bent or compressed while still retaining its amazing insulation properties. The process requires saturating the fiber with liquefied aerogel, then extracting the liquid using liquid nitrogen. Lahnie Johnson is president and founder of Thermablok and its sister company, Acoustiblok, Inc. Johnson stated that just one, 1/4-inch x 1 1/2-inch strip of Thermablok added to just one edge of each stud before hanging drywall breaks the conductive "thermal bridging" which occurs through the stud, and can increase the overall wall R-factor by more than 40 percent (US Department of Energy/JM Laboratories.) Consisting of more than 95-percent air, Thermablok is virtually weightless, making it easy and inexpensive to ship and install. Made in the USA, Thermablok is 100-percent recyclable, will not age, and being hydrophobic it will not combine with or be affected by water. An excellent green product for today's environmentally friendly new construction and retrofits requiring no structural or permit changes. Anyone can install it. The honor could not be more fitting for Thermablok, as NASA is dedicating this year's Spinoff issue to the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Thermablok uses the same aerogel technology that NASA applies to its space shuttles, astronaut's space suits, and other space technology, including more missions. Spinoff also summarizes the ways in which Apollo continues to provide tangible benefits to the lives of people in the U.S. and around the world. Since 1976, Spinoff has featured between 40 and 50 of these commercial products annually. These products are just the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the thousands of products to which NASA's research and development has contributed. Spinoff maintains a searchable database of every technology published since its inception. "This database is truly inspirational for people of all ages," Johnson said. For more than 40 years, the NASA Innovative Partnerships Program has promoted the transfer of NASA technology to the private sector in an effort to benefit worldwide competition as well as the nation's economy. Johnson, an inventor, entrepreneur, and former aerospace associate, is an enthusiastic proponent of NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program. "The results of the space program have contributed immensely to products and technology we all take for granted in our daily lives," he said. For more information regarding Thermablok, visit our website at www.thermablok.com, e-mail us at sales@acoustiblok.com, or call us at 813-980-1400.
