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Space & the cosmos · Specialized

Gold controls radiation at a surface

Real gold coatings serve selected spacecraft surfaces where infrared reflectivity is useful, within a broader system of thermal-control materials.

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THE MATERIAL THAT DOES THE WORK

Chemical form

The useful form is a thin metallic gold coating on a supporting material. NASA documents gold-coated sheets and electroplated gold optical surfaces. A visible gold color by itself is insufficient evidence of a gold coating.

Gold CoatingAs Good As Gold: Are Satellites Covered in Gold Foil?

From material to application
  1. 01

    Define the surface role

    Engineers choose a substrate and optical properties for a particular thermal-control or infrared-instrument function.

  2. 02

    Apply the coating

    A thin deposited gold layer gives the supporting surface its required radiative or optical behavior.

  3. 03

    Operate in context

    The coated component works within the spacecraft's complete thermal or optical system, rather than controlling temperature by itself.

7.0 Thermal ControlGold Coating

Why it works

Gold reflects infrared radiation effectively. A coating can therefore influence radiative heat exchange while the underlying structure provides mechanical support. Spacecraft thermal design considers both radiation and heat, alongside heat produced by onboard equipment.

Gold Coating7.0 Thermal Control

How it is made & used

Gold is deposited as a controlled surface layer. NASA's Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter used a specially developed electroplated gold coating on a beryllium telescope mirror, giving the instrument high reflectivity for its returned infrared light.

Gold Coating

Inside the application

In space, equipment exchanges heat with its surroundings through radiation. The outer surface helps determine what radiation is absorbed and emitted. Engineers balance these exchanges against internal heat production, insulation, and the component's allowable temperatures.

7.0 Thermal Control

Limits & alternatives

A reflective coating is only part of a thermal system: insulation, radiators, mounting paths, and internal heat loads also matter. Most familiar gold-colored spacecraft blankets are actually aluminized plastic films. Their golden appearance commonly comes from the polymer layer, so photographs cannot establish material composition.

7.0 Thermal ControlAs Good As Gold: Are Satellites Covered in Gold Foil?

Part of a larger system

Astronaut visors also use a thin gold layer to reflect infrared while transmitting useful visible light. This links thermal protection and optical design through the wavelength-dependent behavior of the same metal surface.

As Good As Gold: Are Satellites Covered in Gold Foil?

Continue the story

Follow a discovery, compare a material choice, or meet the people behind an idea.

APPLICATIONDecay heat powers distant exploration ↗Connect spacecraft surface and heat-management requirements with a separate system that supplies heat and electrical power.APPLICATIONGlass designed for laboratory service ↗Compare a reflective metal coating with a transparent oxide vessel, keeping their different optical and thermal roles distinct.

Sources & further reading

  1. Gold Coating ↗NASA SpinoffReference explanation · Source checked
  2. As Good As Gold: Are Satellites Covered in Gold Foil? ↗NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information ServiceReference explanation · Source checked
  3. 7.0 Thermal Control ↗NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual InstituteTechnical documentation · Source checked Where to look: Sections 7.1 and 7.2.1: spacecraft energy balance and passive surface coatings, tapes and multilayer insulation.The HTML chapter supports thermal context. It does not establish the composition of any particular gold-colored blanket.

Sources and further reading. What the review labels mean