Ask an Explainer
Q:
How does a rocket stop from catching fire when it returns to Earth?
A:
Rockets, capsules, and shuttles are designed with heat resistant materials which will burn away on re-entry, keeping astronauts safe inside. These are called heat shields, or ablation shields. They will burn away instead of letting the capsule get damaged.
Posted on August 7, 2013 at 11:22 am
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