The picture that pops up before our inner eye when we hear the word "satellite" is probably this: Two extended solar "wings" and a compact body wrapped in foil with a golden or silvery shimmer. Researchers at Empa's Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures laboratory in Thun are now working to improve this foil. As its widespread use indicates, the material is crucial for satellites and space probes. It is known as multilayer insulation, or superinsulation, and consists of several layers of a robust polymer coated with a thin layer of metal, usually aluminum. The coated film can also be encountered on Earth, for example in the form of survival blankets.