Coolcore and the Hohenstein Institute are testing the latest in thermoregulating technology in outer space.
Earlier this month, a payload was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) by the Space-X Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo capsule that included Coolcore T-shirts that will be used and tested by astronauts over the next six months.
Coolcore, a Portsmouth, N.H.-based maker of chemical-free thermoregulating fabric, partnered with Germany’s Hohenstein Institute, which tests and certifies textile materials and technologies, to develop the shirts designed to optimize astronauts’ comfort during exercise and everyday wear while on the ISS.
“Space is one of the harshest environments known to man and to have our fabric selected to keep residents on the space station during their daily exercise comfortable is a testament to how well our fabrics perform,” David Ludd, Coolcore’s vice president of Global Marketing, said.
Coolcore’s thermoregulation fabrics are engineered to deliver three distinct functions–wicking, moisture circulation and regulated evaporation–that combine to keep users cool, dry and comfortable. The fabrics use a patented structure that is permanent so that performance properties don’t diminish with wash and wear.
The Coolcore shirts on the ISS are part of the Spacetex-2 project in the upcoming European Space Agency “Horizons Mission” developed by a research team of the Hohenstein Institute, the Charité Berlin and the German Aerospace Center. German astronaut Alexander Gerst will be conducting dedicated exercise sessions to better understand the effects of weightlessness on perspiration, sweat evaporation and the resulting crew comfort. Gerst will also be evaluating how Coolcore’s advanced fabric helps manage body heat build-up.
The data captured during the Spacetex-2 experiments will help improve cooling fabrics for better thermal comfort in space and for use in extreme environments on earth.
Coolcore’s fabric technology is used by leading brands that include Cabela’s, L.L. Bean, Gillz Performance Fishing, Athleta, Klim and Dickies.