Tag
#reentry
2 posts
FAA proposal to waive 13 environmental laws for commercial launches sparks policy debate
The FAA seeks to fast‑track commercial launches by waiving 13 environmental statutes, prompting concerns over safety and ecosystems.
How Spacecraft Survive the Violence of Atmospheric Reentry
When a spacecraft plunges back into Earth's atmosphere, friction compresses the air in front of it so violently that the gas heats to thousands of degrees — hot enough to vaporize metal. Surviving this requires one of the cleverest engineering compromises in spaceflight: a shield that deliberately ablates, burning away to carry the heat with it. Without it, every astronaut return would be fatal.