The critical flight phase when a spacecraft or ballistic object returns to Earth or enters another planet's atmosphere from space. The vehicle travels at hypersonic speeds, compressing the gas ahead of it and generating extreme heat and plasma. The trajectory must be precisely calculated to avoid burning up or skipping off the atmosphere.
Heard on the job
We expect a brief communications blackout during re-entry as the plasma sheath forms around the capsule.
Related terms
Heatshield
A thermal protection system for vehicles entering an atmosphere.
Capsule
A pressurized spacecraft module designed to carry a crew and return them to Earth safely.
Trajectory
The three-dimensional flight path of an aircraft, rocket, or spacecraft.
Aerobraking
The use of atmospheric drag to slow a spacecraft and alter its orbit.