Gold in Space

Gold is used for an incredibly large amount of technology because of its useful makeup. With reflectivity, conductivity, and corrosion resistance as key material makeup’s involved in gold, companies like NASA have been using gold as a key element in their space programs for years. As a matter of fact, gold has become invaluable in many of NASA’s projects in space, including protecting space astronauts themselves from deadly space rays.

“Reflective gold-coated plastic film protects essential equipment from intense solar radiation and heat. Similarly, a layer of gold on the astronauts’ helmets defends against lethal doses of radiation when working in space.”

Even the Hubble Space Telescope(pictured above), which is responsible for many of our solar images and understanding, is coated in gold. The World Gold Council states: “Gold coatings protect the $1.5 billion Hubble telescope against corrosion and electrical connections.” The reflectivity of gold protects the Hubble and is part of the reason why the telescope has been in orbit safely for over twenty years.

http://www.gold.org/technology/uses/space/