Reddit reviews Emergency Mylar Blanket 52" x 84" - Pack of 12 Blankets
We found 3 Reddit comments about Emergency Mylar Blanket 52" x 84" - Pack of 12 Blankets. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Compact emergency protectionLightweight packagingDurable mylar insulation materialRetains and reflects body heat.Waterproof and weatherproof
Where are you located? How cold are the temperatures you're dealing with? After adding even more insulation (like this - http://www.lowes.com/pd_304090-210-304090.0_4294858106__?productId=3122447&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=) and grabbing some of those mylar blankets (http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Mylar-Blanket-52-84/dp/B0047D6XA2), checking for air leaks, I'd get a cuddly dog.
If you want to splurge, get yourself one of these - http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Plush-Low-Voltage-Electric-Heated-Mattress/dp/B003ZSHDEK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1421297813&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=mattress+cover+heater - we don't heat our bedroom at all, but use this instead + lots of blankets. Very economical.
The advantage of working with such a small space is that you can more easily insulate the heck out of it. Only go for extra heaters if you really need to... they can end up killing your electrical bill and/or burning your place down if you aren't careful.
It's not really a heat sink. A heat sink absorbs heat (The heat "sinks into" the material). The thermal layer is a reflective material. The thermal layer is made of aluminized mylar, which is the same material used in those emergency blankets. On Earth we have conduction and convection, but since there is no atmosphere in space, those methods don't work (which is why they want to protect against heat up there). Therefore, in space, the only way to get rid of heat is by emitting infrared energy. That's what those big radiators are for that look almost like the solar panels. The aluminized Mylar basically prevents the radiation from the sun (in the form of heat) from penetrating the hull of the ISS and, and it prevents the cold of space (from lack of heat from the sun) from doing the same. If the temperature weren't controlled, the ISS would be at +250 F (+121 C) in the daylight and -250 F (-121 C) on the night side. Imagine your body temp fluctuating by 500 F every 90 minutes. That wouldn't be very comfortable, to say the least.
So basically, heat sinks pull heat away from a hot thing and store it so that it can dissipate away. The thermal barrier just prevents the heat from transferring in the first place by reflecting the heat energy back out into space.
Edit: This is a really good source. And here's part one, which covers the materials and "armor."
Link for those interested in doing the same.