Brand send love logos to the sky and more. Billboards, stairs, writing in the sky, jumbotrons at the soccer field, space suits. It’s for eyeballs, sure, but there’s probably something else going on, as if positioning in the direction of heaven might suggest divine endorsement.
No. It’s probably just for the eyeball.
But the recent collaboration between Columbia Sportswear and Houston, based in Texas Intuitive machine beyond the typical logo freaks. Intuitive is one of the few private companies that have contracted with NASA under the Commercial Moon Load Service program. These companies will deliver payloads to the moon to support NASA’s broader research missions. The company’s lander, Nova-C, is expected to launch on the IM-I Mission in March. When that happens, Nova-C will be the first US visit to the surface in more than 50 years. five.
But Columbia? For outdoor brands, there are certain considerations for testing equipment in unimaginably harsh conditions. For extreme space, it’s hard to beat, with temperatures ranging from -250 to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why Columbia wants you to know that Omni-Heat Infinity technology, the same material gold glitter lining the inside of ski jackets and other anti-cold gear, will insulate Nova-C’s fuel tank.
Photo: Columbia Sportswear
Originally inspired by space blankets, the Omni-Heat Infinity was developed by textile chemist Haskell Backham, who is now Columbia’s senior director of innovation. A few years ago, Intuitive reached out to Columbia looking for a more typical sponsorship — give us money, we’ll ship your brand.
But the overlapping interests in materials science have led to a real collaboration. Intuitive’s thermal modeling “reveals that Omni-Heat Infinity benefits heat reflection when used as a visor, and that’s where this technology will come in,” said Josh Marshall, an Intuitive spokesman. on Nova-C”.
Maybe the company has found or developed another material for this purpose, unrelated to an outdoor brand? Probably. But it didn’t, so chalk one up for Columbia. Materials — and logos — will be primed in a hard-to-miss location.
