![]() ![]() ![]() That is called Solarcore and it goes into all of our gear today,” Markesbery continues. “We discovered how to take small particles of aerogel and use those particles to create a composite that can be put into fabric with minimal thickness and maintain 97% of its thermal performance. “Our passion project for our senior year became figuring out how to make this amazing insulating material flexible and durable enough for apparel,” he explains. In its natural state aerogel is brittle and shatters when poked. Getting back to the lab, Markesbery working alongside Venna found out why nobody had used aerogel in clothing. “I decided there had to be a way to cut the bulk, cut the layers and still stay warm.” “I looked like Ralphie’s brother in The Christmas Story in his big, puffy red snowsuit,” he laughed. ![]() Having just completed a backpacking trek across Europe, including climbing one of the Swiss Alps highest mountain, Markesbery was keen to apply aerogel technology to the obvious problem he faced on top of that mountain. This insulation is surviving the best torture test in the universe, but it isn’t being used in apparel.” “Aerogel is what NASA uses to insulate the space shuttles, Mars rovers and other things in space,” he says. At the time Markesbery was working in the school’s research lab, when he was awarded an Astronuat Scholarship Foundation grant and learned about NASA’s aerogel insulation. Oros’ founders are both outdoor enthusiasts, as well as self-described “science geeks,” having met as sophomores studying pre-med at Miami University in Ohio. ![]()
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