Story highlights NASA first developed a thermal cloak to protect Skylab after it lost a heat shield at launch

The technology was used to manufacture reflective space blankets that help protect people from cold

(CNN) They appear after shark attacks, marathons, earthquakes and even terrorist attacks like the one in Paris last year. And they have appeared en masse most recently in images of migrants and refugees attempting deadly crossings of the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.

They are commonly called space blankets and they look like sheets of foil, silver on one side and gold on the other.

They look that way for a reason. They're flyweight, plastic sheets layered with an infrared coating of vaporized aluminum that make them super reflective so they can effectively shield a person from cold temperatures and brisk winds and help retain body heat.

NASA developed insulation material for Skylab after it lost a heat shield at launch.

But why are they called space blankets? They actually do have an interstellar connection.

NASA used the same shiny insulation material to protect many of its Earth-made crafts from the much harsher environment of space. It was first used as a parasol-type shield to keep Skylab from overheating after the spacecraft lost a heat shield during launch, according to NASA.

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