Loose snow, particularly, being composed of air pockets, can serve as a good insulator.
If nothing else, he thought, ice was a good insulator.
Air is a good insulator and has a very low heat capacity.
Now, add to that the fact that ash is a very good insulator.
"We found, as we had predicted, that space is a good insulator in and of itself."
The frame members are good insulators, so condensation is not a problem.
So the plastic is there because it's a good insulator.
Its chemical structure, for example, indicated that it should be a good electrical insulator.
In this case air has the advantage of being a good insulator too.
In any case, little of the interior heat reaches the surface because "the earth is such a good insulator," he said.