[ASGMAG.COM] AMERICAN SURVIVAL GUIDE 83T
here are many things we consider commonplace in our lives today that are actu-
ally outgrowths of government programs. Mylar sheeting used as a lightweight
way to reflect heat is a byproduct of the space program when NASA started on
its three-phased journey to the moon in the 1960s. The commercial equivalent
is something we all know about, the space blanket. Your ability to navigate with
your smartphone would not be possible if the U.S. military had not developed the Global Posi-
tioning System (GPS) in the 1970s.
Another military innovation that many of us know at least something about is the poncho liner.
Poncho liners, or woobies as they are affectionately called, were developed in the 1960s during
the war in Vietnam. They were a simple and cost-effective way, when combined with the issued
nylon poncho, to give our troops a way to stay warm and dry when they couldn’t use their issue
sleeping bag or tent.‹ One of the earliest commercial products that came from government funding of the space
program was the space blanket, which was based on the reflective Mylar film used to help
regulate body heat in the suits astronauts wore.‹ The poncho liner, shown here in woodland camouflage, was developed during the war in
Vietnam and remains an essential piece of kit for troops in the field.