White Thermal Blanket

[lunger1]

Any one have any suggestions on what to use to simulate that white thermal blanket you see on various spacecraft?

[Spaceguy5]

Could you give an example? I know lots of unmanned spacecraft use MLI (which is pretty much just foil, and as such, can be simulated with either foil or a metallic cloth) although the only the only spacecraft I can think of that used white blankets were the space shuttles.

My mom owns a sewing store so when I need special materials, I just look there. Usually I can find something close to what I need in the ribbons or clothes.

[cMags]

I agree with the foil, if the blanket is metallic. If you're just going for a plain white blanket in paper, try wetting and crumpling plain paper then let it dry and straighten it out and cut it to make the part you need. I think Ken West did something similar with his Apollo Astronaut, dig for the thread.

[lunger1]

it was something i saw in a picture of the ACE spacecraft and i assumed it was some sort of thermal blanketing. It wasn't gold or silver metallic looking. it covers some of the instruments and the sides of the spacecraft.

[lunger1]

do the candy wrappers that i have read about have a metallic side and a white paper side?

[Spaceguy5]

Looking at a picture of the ACE spacecraft, those thermal covers look very similar to the insulation blankets used in the space shuttle's payload bay (as well as on some small components on the space station). I'd follow cMags' suggestion.

[Zathros]

Toilet paper, the thick stuff.

[nebeltex]

foil on the inside of a cigarette pack has a metal side and a white side. depending on the brand, the metal side can be silver, gold, or even green.

[cdavenport]

textured papers at Michael's or an art store. You just may find a pattern that replicates the look you want.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

Hi Lunger, forum member David Hanners has built an amazing display of two spacecraft on a deep space mission for which he used toilet paper very effectively. It mightbe a bit tricky but it sure looks the part. (I linked to the thread but the TP festival starts on page two) It's the best paper imitation of insulation blanket I know.
I just wish they sold that type of toilet paper in the Netherlands. I have never seen it here.