The blanket is actually heat-resistant outerwear. As the shuttle plunges through Earth s atmosphere on its way to and from space, it meets serious heat. So, this flexible insulation protects the shuttle from melting. Janet's sewing kit is filled with quartz thread and prickly rolls of fiberglass materials that sting your hands. So, she wears gloves.
Some pieces are pink, some white and some light beige.
There s also a mesh material that looks like a wedding veil. NASA is developing new materials to protect future spaceships. These materials won t require the intensive labor needed to keep today's shuttles from burning up.