# Could I use a shuttle tile as a tent heater. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274 "2013-10-15T02:24:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/21 "2013-10-15T07:33:04Z")
Speaking of aerogel, it could be a candidate material to slow down the re-release of heat from your water bag or whatever you choose to use as thermal mass. You can get it in [blanket form](http://www.buyaerogel.com/product/spaceloft/). You can also couple it with something like mylar to reduce radiative heat loss. In fact, if you buy bulk sheets of mylar, you might be able to use a clothes iron to create big water bags yourself (but then they wouldn’t be very heatable from the sun since they’re so reflective). So to summarize, you need a good combination of materials: 1. thermal mass to store the heat (water, bricks, phase change materials) 2. some material that can reduce conductive heat loss (a vacuum, trapped air, aerogel, sleeping bags) 3. some material that can reduce radiative heat loss (mylar, reflective layers built into some outdoor gear such as certain Thermaloft sleeping pads and some jackets) To keep yourself warm at night, the solar showers should be good enough since it’s 1 + 3 and you can provide the 2 with your own sleeping bag or other clothes. And PS - just to emphasize this, the ready-made commercial version of this is a [thermal cooker/vacuum pot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_flask_cooking) or a bunch of smaller thermoses. If you keep them sealed they’ll very slowly release heat through the night. Or you can heat them during the day and open their tops at night for a quicker release, but don’t burn yourself. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/22 "2013-10-15T10:34:29Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > Back in the 80’s, there was film demonstrating how the silica (white portion) of a Shuttle was heated up till the brick glowed yellow. Then they’d pull it out with a pair of tongs. A few seconds later, someone would pick up the tile on the edges\* with their bare fingers–the middle still glowing yellow in the middle. I saw this in person at NASA when I was a kid. Guy heated a tile until it glowed using tongs, then tossed it in the air and caught it with his bare hand. Pretty much astonished the entire room. (As I think about it now, tossing a tile with tongs is a skill you’d want to practice before the torch was lit.) Edit- if you did have a tile and a campfire, you could play a cruel and awesome prank on unsuspecting fellow campers… ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/23 "2013-10-15T12:53:52Z")
Speaking of shuttle tiles, there is (or was two years ago) a program that gives extra tiles to schools. All they have to do is ask. I would love to have a link for you or even be able to check if it’s still active but for some totally expected dumbass reason NASA’s site is down. Curse you congress! Get back to work! (Maybe I need to head to the BBQ Pit for a minute) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/24 "2013-10-15T14:58:41Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Ok so a shuttle tile is out…is there something similar that has fairly slow release but with higher capacity? Yeah, the human body. Mechanical heat sources present a number of problems. If it takes fuel, it will consume oxygen. If it has, or generates, a lot of heat there are concerns over damaging something or burning yourself, and the logistics of where to put it and how not to bump into it during the night. And whether it uses fuel or is simply a material that’s heated up, it’s almost certainly going to run out of fuel or heat and be cold in the morning. I realize this thread is more of an academic question, but practically speaking the best is usually to put fuel (food) into your body to generate warmth and then keep it there with good insulation. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/25 "2013-10-15T15:43:40Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Yeah, the human body. > > Mechanical heat sources present a number of problems. If it takes fuel, it will consume oxygen. If it has, or generates, a lot of heat there are concerns over damaging something or burning yourself, and the logistics of where to put it and how not to bump into it during the night. And whether it uses fuel or is simply a material that’s heated up, it’s almost certainly going to run out of fuel or heat and be cold in the morning. > > I realize this thread is more of an academic question, but practically speaking the best is usually to put fuel (food) into your body to generate warmth and then keep it there with good insulation. Good answer Gary, most experienced campers are well aware of this. A good sleeping bag for sleeping and a good jacket for when you are hanging out in the tent works great. The tent stops the chill factor from being a factor. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/26 "2013-10-16T00:18:35Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Actually, most of them burn very poorly but are easily damaged. Sorry mate, I have seen quite a few tents go up over the years. Any canvas based tent is OK but nylon based are problematic, particularly the elcheapo ones for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/27 "2013-10-16T00:59:11Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Yeah, the human body.\ > I realize this thread is more of an academic question, but practically speaking the best is usually to put fuel (food) into your body to generate warmth and then keep it there with good insulation. Right answer, wrong conclusion. The best way to exploit the human body as a heater is to find another (preferably attractive to you) human body and ask it to share your sleeping bag. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274/28 "2013-10-16T18:30:42Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > Speaking of shuttle tiles, there is (or was two years ago) a program that gives extra tiles to schools. All they have to do is ask. I would love to have a link for you or even be able to check if it’s still active but for some totally expected dumbass reason NASA’s site is down. Curse you congress! Get back to work! > > (Maybe I need to head to the BBQ Pit for a minute) Rockwell Int’l gave us the defective tiles (cracks in the black surface) to my college space project group. I’m sure they “disappeared” over time; they were laying around our office for all to see. The made great props for recruiting however. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-i-use-a-shuttle-tile-as-a-tent-heater/671274.md?page=1)