Patent ID: 8703259

Claim:
A method, comprising: at least partially enclosing an object with multi-layer insulation (MLI) composite material to insulate the object from a surrounding environment, the MLI composite material including, a first thermally-reflective layer; a second thermally-reflective layer spaced from the first thermally-reflective layer, at least one of the first or second thermally-reflective layers including bandgap material that is reflective to infrared electromagnetic radiation, wherein the bandgap material includes at least one of a semiconductor material that exhibits an electronic bandgap less than about 1.3 eV or a material that exhibits both an electronic bandgap and at least one photonic bandgap; and a region between the first and second thermally-reflective layers that impedes heat conduction between the first and second thermally-reflective layers, the region is at least partially evacuated or includes at least one of a low thermal conductivity aerogel, a low thermal conductivity foam, or a low thermal conductivity mass of fibers.