Atmospheric entry

Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the
gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main
types of atmospheric entry: uncontrolled entry, such as the entry of astronomical objects,
space debris, or bolides; and controlled entry (or reentry) of a spacecraft capable of
being navigated or following a predetermined course. Technologies and procedures
allowing the controlled atmospheric entry, descent, and landing of spacecraft are
collectively termed as EDL.

Objects entering an atmosphere experience atmospheric drag, which puts mechanical

stress on the object, and aerodynamic heating—caused mostly by compression of the air
in front of the object, but also by drag. These forces can cause loss of mass (ablation) or Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
even complete disintegration of smaller objects, and objects with lower compressive aeroshell, artistic rendition
strength can explode.

Crewed space vehicles must be slowed to subsonic speeds before parachutes or air
brakes may be deployed. Such vehicles have kinetic energies typically between 50 and
1,800 megajoules, and atmospheric dissipation is the only way of expending the kinetic
energy. The amount of rocket fuel required to slow the vehicle would be nearly equal to
the amount used to accelerate it initially, and it is thus highly impractical to use retro
rockets for the entire Earth reentry procedure. While the high temperature generated at
the surface of the heat shield is due to adiabatic compression, the vehicle's kinetic energy
is ultimately lost to gas friction (viscosity) after the vehicle has passed by. Other smaller
energy losses include black-body radiation directly from the hot gases and chemical
reactions between ionized gases. Animated illustration of different
phases as a meteoroid enters the
Ballistic warheads and expendable vehicles do not require slowing at reentry, and in Earth's atmosphere to become
fact, are made streamlined so as to maintain their speed. Furthermore, slow-speed returns visible as a meteor and land as a
to Earth from near-space such as parachute jumps from balloons do not require heat meteorite
shielding because the gravitational acceleration of an object starting at relative rest from
within the atmosphere itself (or not far above it) cannot create enough velocity to cause
significant atmospheric heating.

For Earth, atmospheric entry occurs by convention at the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 km (62 miles; 54 nautical miles)
above the surface, while at Venus atmospheric entry occurs at 250 km (160 mi; 130 nmi) and at Mars atmospheric entry at about
80 km (50 mi; 43 nmi). Uncontrolled objects reach high velocities while accelerating through space toward the Earth under the
influence of Earth's gravity, and are slowed by friction upon encountering Earth's atmosphere. Meteors are also often travelling
quite fast relative to the Earth simply because their own orbital path is different from that of the Earth before they encounter
Earth's gravity well. Most controlled objects enter at hypersonic speeds due to their sub-orbital (e.g., intercontinental ballistic
missile reentry vehicles), orbital (e.g., the Soyuz), or unbounded (e.g., meteors) trajectories. Various advanced technologies have
been developed to enable atmospheric reentry and flight at extreme velocities. An alternative low-velocity method of controlled
atmospheric entry is buoyancy[1] which is suitable for planetary entry where thick atmospheres, strong gravity, or both factors
complicate high-velocity hyperbolic entry, such as the atmospheres of Venus, Titan and the gas giants.[2]

Contents
History
Terminology, definitions, and jargon
Entry vehicle shapes
Sphere or spherical section
Sphere-cone
Biconic
Non-axisymmetric shapes
Reentry heating
Shock layer gas physics
Perfect gas model
Real (equilibrium) gas model
Real (non-equilibrium) gas model
Frozen gas model
Thermal protection systems
Ablative
Super light-weight ablator
Phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator
PICA-X
PICA-3
SIRCA
AVCOAT
Thermal soak
Passively cooled
Actively cooled
Feathered reentry
Inflatable heat shield reentry
Non-US
NASA IRVE
NASA HIAD
Entry vehicle design considerations
Notable atmospheric entry accidents
Uncontrolled and unprotected reentries
Deorbit disposal
Successful atmospheric reentries from orbital velocities
Selected atmospheric reentries
See also
Further reading
Notes and references
External links

History
The concept of the ablative heat shield was described as early as 1920 by Robert
Goddard: "In the case of meteors, which enter the atmosphere with speeds as high as 30
miles (48 km) per second, the interior of the meteors remains cold, and the erosion is
due, to a large extent, to chipping or cracking of the suddenly heated surface. For this
reason, if the outer surface of the apparatus were to consist of layers of a very infusible
hard substance with layers of a poor heat conductor between, the surface would not be
eroded to any considerable extent, especially as the velocity of the apparatus would not
be nearly so great as that of the average meteor."[3]

Practical development of reentry systems began as the range and reentry velocity of
ballistic missiles increased. For early short-range missiles, like the V-2, stabilization and Early reentry-vehicle concepts
aerodynamic stress were important issues (many V-2s broke apart during reentry), but visualized in shadowgraphs of high
heating was not a serious problem. Medium-range missiles like the Soviet R-5, with a speed wind tunnel tests
1,200-kilometer (650-nautical-mile) range, required ceramic composite heat shielding on
separable reentry vehicles (it was no longer possible for the entire rocket structure to
survive reentry). The first ICBMs, with ranges of 8,000 to 12,000 km (4,300 to 6,500 nmi), were only possible with the
development of modern ablative heat shields and blunt-shaped vehicles.
In the United States, this technology was pioneered by H. Julian Allen and A. J. Eggers Jr. of the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics (NACA) at Ames Research Center.[4] In 1951, they made the counterintuitive discovery that a blunt shape (high
drag) made the most effective heat shield.[5] From simple engineering principles, Allen and Eggers showed that the heat load
experienced by an entry vehicle was inversely proportional to the drag coefficient; i.e., the greater the drag, the less the heat load.
If the reentry vehicle is made blunt, air cannot "get out of the way" quickly enough, and acts as an air cushion to push the shock
wave and heated shock layer forward (away from the vehicle). Since most of the hot gases are no longer in direct contact with
the vehicle, the heat energy would stay in the shocked gas and simply move around the vehicle to later dissipate into the
atmosphere.

The Allen and Eggers discovery, though initially treated as a military secret, was eventually published in 1958.[6]

Terminology, definitions, and jargon

Over the decades since the 1950s, a rich technical jargon has grown around the engineering of vehicles designed to enter
planetary atmospheres. It is recommended that the reader review the jargon glossary before continuing with this article on
atmospheric reentry.

When atmospheric entry is part of a spacecraft landing or recovery, particularly on a planetary body other than Earth, entry is part
of a phase referred to as entry, descent, and landing, or EDL.[7] When the atmospheric entry returns to the same body that the
vehicle had launched from, the event is referred to as reentry (almost always referring to Earth entry).

The fundamental design objective in atmospheric entry of a spacecraft is to dissipate the energy of a spacecraft that is traveling at
hypersonic speed as it enters an atmosphere such that equipment, cargo, and any passengers are slowed and land near a specific
destination on the surface at zero velocity while keeping stresses on the spacecraft and any passengers within acceptable limits.[8]
This may be accomplished by propulsive or aerodynamic (vehicle characteristics or parachute) means, or by some combination.

Entry vehicle shapes

There are several basic shapes used in designing entry vehicles:

Sphere or spherical section

The simplest axisymmetric shape is the sphere or spherical section.[9] This can either be
a complete sphere or a spherical section forebody with a converging conical afterbody.
The aerodynamics of a sphere or spherical section are easy to model analytically using
Newtonian impact theory. Likewise, the spherical section's heat flux can be accurately
modeled with the Fay-Riddell equation.[10] The static stability of a spherical section is
assured if the vehicle's center of mass is upstream from the center of curvature (dynamic
stability is more problematic). Pure spheres have no lift. However, by flying at an angle
of attack, a spherical section has modest aerodynamic lift thus providing some cross-
range capability and widening its entry corridor. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, high-
speed computers were not yet available and computational fluid dynamics was still Apollo command module flying with
the blunt end of the heat shield at a
embryonic. Because the spherical section was amenable to closed-form analysis, that
non-zero angle of attack in order to
geometry became the default for conservative design. Consequently, manned capsules of
establish a lifting entry and control
that era were based upon the spherical section.
the landing site (artistic rendition)
Pure spherical entry vehicles were used in the early Soviet Vostok and Voskhod
capsules and in Soviet Mars and Venera descent vehicles. The Apollo command module
used a spherical section forebody heat shield with a converging conical afterbody. It flew a lifting entry with a hypersonic trim
angle of attack of −27° (0° is blunt-end first) to yield an average L/D (lift-to-drag ratio) of 0.368.[11] The resultant lift achieved a
measure of cross-range control by offsetting the vehicle's center of mass from its axis of symmetry, allowing the lift force to be
directed left or right by rolling the capsule on its longitudinal axis. Other examples of the spherical section geometry in manned
capsules are Soyuz/Zond, Gemini, and Mercury. Even these small amounts of lift allow trajectories that have very significant
effects on peak g-force, reducing it from 8–9 g for a purely ballistic (slowed only by drag) trajectory to 4–5 g, as well as greatly
reducing the peak reentry heat.[12]

Sphere-cone
The sphere-cone is a spherical section with a frustum or blunted cone attached. The sphere-cone's dynamic stability is typically
better than that of a spherical section. The vehicle enters sphere-first. With a sufficiently small half-angle and properly placed
center of mass, a sphere-cone can provide aerodynamic stability from Keplerian entry to surface impact. (The half-angle is the
angle between the cone's axis of rotational symmetry and its outer surface, and thus half the angle made by the cone's surface
edges.)

The original American sphere-cone aeroshell was the Mk-2 RV (reentry vehicle), which
was developed in 1955 by the General Electric Corp. The Mk-2's design was derived
from blunt-body theory and used a radiatively cooled thermal protection system (TPS)
based upon a metallic heat shield (the different TPS types are later described in this
article). The Mk-2 had significant defects as a weapon delivery system, i.e., it loitered
too long in the upper atmosphere due to its lower ballistic coefficient and also trailed a
stream of vaporized metal making it very visible to radar. These defects made the Mk-2
overly susceptible to anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems. Consequently, an alternative
sphere-cone RV to the Mk-2 was developed by General Electric.
Prototype of the Mk-2 Reentry This new RV was the Mk-6 which used a non-metallic
Vehicle (RV), based on blunt body ablative TPS, a nylon phenolic. This new TPS was so
theory. effective as a reentry heat shield that significantly
reduced bluntness was possible. However, the Mk-6
was a huge RV with an entry mass of 3,360 kg, a
length of 3.1 m and a half-angle of 12.5°. Subsequent advances in nuclear weapon and ablative
TPS design allowed RVs to become significantly smaller with a further reduced bluntness ratio
compared to the Mk-6. Since the 1960s, the sphere-cone has become the preferred geometry for
modern ICBM RVs with typical half-angles being between 10° to 11°.

Reconnaissance satellite RVs (recovery vehicles) also used a

sphere-cone shape and were the first American example of a
non-munition entry vehicle (Discoverer-I, launched on 28 Mk-6 RV, Cold War weapon
February 1959). The sphere-cone was later used for space and ancestor to most of the
exploration missions to other celestial bodies or for return from U.S. missile entry vehicles.
open space; e.g., Stardust probe. Unlike with military RVs, the
advantage of the blunt body's lower TPS mass
remained with space exploration entry vehicles like the
Galileo Probe with a half-angle of 45° or the Viking
aeroshell with a half-angle of 70°. Space exploration
sphere-cone entry vehicles have landed on the surface
or entered the atmospheres of Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and
"Discoverer" type Titan.
reconnaissance satellite film
Recovery Vehicle (RV)

Galileo Probe during final assembly

Biconic

The biconic is a sphere-cone with an additional frustum attached. The biconic offers a significantly improved L/D ratio. A
biconic designed for Mars aerocapture typically has an L/D of approximately 1.0 compared to an L/D of 0.368 for the Apollo-
CM. The higher L/D makes a biconic shape better suited for transporting people to Mars due to the lower peak deceleration.
Arguably, the most significant biconic ever flown was the Advanced Maneuverable Reentry Vehicle (AMaRV). Four AMaRVs
were made by the McDonnell Douglas Corp. and represented a significant leap in RV sophistication. Three AMaRVs were
launched by Minuteman-1 ICBMs on 20 December 1979, 8 October 1980 and 4 October 1981. AMaRV had an entry mass of
approximately 470 kg, a nose radius of 2.34 cm, a forward-frustum half-angle of 10.4°, an inter-frustum radius of 14.6 cm, aft-
frustum half-angle of 6°, and an axial length of 2.079 meters. No accurate diagram or picture of AMaRV has ever appeared in
the open literature. However, a schematic sketch of an AMaRV-like vehicle along with trajectory plots showing hairpin turns has
been published.[13]
AMaRV's attitude was controlled through a split body flap (also called a split-windward flap)
along with two yaw flaps mounted on the vehicle's sides. Hydraulic actuation was used for
controlling the flaps. AMaRV was guided by a fully autonomous navigation system designed
for evading anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interception. The McDonnell Douglas DC-X (also a
biconic) was essentially a scaled-up version of AMaRV. AMaRV and the DC-X also served as
the basis for an unsuccessful proposal for what eventually became the Lockheed Martin X-33.

Non-axisymmetric shapes

Non-axisymmetric shapes have been used for manned entry vehicles. One example is the
winged orbit vehicle that uses a delta wing for maneuvering during descent much like a
conventional glider. This approach has been used by the American Space Shuttle and the Soviet
Buran. The lifting body is another entry vehicle geometry and was used with the X-23 PRIME
(Precision Recovery Including Maneuvering Entry) vehicle.
The DC-X, shown during its
Reentry heating first flight, was a prototype
single stage to orbit vehicle,
and used a biconic shape
Objects entering an atmosphere from space at high velocities relative to the atmosphere will similar to AMaRV.
cause very high levels of heating. Reentry heating comes principally from two sources:[14]

convective heating, of two types:

hot gas flow past the surface of the body and
catalytic chemical recombination reactions between the object surface
and the atmospheric gases
radiative heating, from the energetic shock layer that forms in front and to
the sides of the object

As velocity increases, both convective and radiative heating increase. At very high
Cabin view of the Space Shuttle
speeds, radiative heating will come to quickly dominate the convective heat fluxes, as
during STS-42 re-entry. Due to the
convective heating is proportional to the velocity cubed, while radiative heating is
compression and friction of the air,
proportional to the velocity exponentiated to the eighth power. Radiative heating— the molecules generate a very hot
which is highly wavelength dependent—thus predominates very early in atmospheric plasma which glows in the red-
entry while convection predominates in the later phases.[14] orange spectrum.

Shock layer gas physics

At typical reentry temperatures, the air in the shock layer is both ionized and dissociated. This chemical dissociation necessitates
various physical models to describe the shock layer's thermal and chemical properties. There are four basic physical models of a
gas that are important to aeronautical engineers who design heat shields:

Perfect gas model

Almost all aeronautical engineers are taught the perfect (ideal) gas model during their undergraduate education. Most of the
important perfect gas equations along with their corresponding tables and graphs are shown in NACA Report 1135.[15] Excerpts
from NACA Report 1135 often appear in the appendices of thermodynamics textbooks and are familiar to most aeronautical
engineers who design supersonic aircraft.

The perfect gas theory is elegant and extremely useful for designing aircraft but assumes that the gas is chemically inert. From the
standpoint of aircraft design, air can be assumed to be inert for temperatures less than 550 K at one atmosphere pressure. The
perfect gas theory begins to break down at 550 K and is not usable at temperatures greater than 2,000 K. For temperatures
greater than 2,000 K, a heat shield designer must use a real gas model.

Real (equilibrium) gas model

An entry vehicle's pitching moment can be significantly influenced by real-gas effects. Both the Apollo command module and
the Space Shuttle were designed using incorrect pitching moments determined through inaccurate real-gas modelling. The
Apollo-CM's trim-angle angle of attack was higher than originally estimated, resulting in a narrower lunar return entry corridor.
The actual aerodynamic center of the Columbia was upstream from the calculated value due to real-gas effects. On Columbia's
maiden flight (STS-1), astronauts John W. Young and Robert Crippen had some anxious moments during reentry when there
was concern about losing control of the vehicle.[16]

An equilibrium real-gas model assumes that a gas is chemically reactive, but also assumes all chemical reactions have had time to
complete and all components of the gas have the same temperature (this is called thermodynamic equilibrium). When air is
processed by a shock wave, it is superheated by compression and chemically dissociates through many different reactions. Direct
friction upon the reentry object is not the main cause of shock-layer heating. It is caused mainly from isentropic heating of the air
molecules within the compression wave. Friction based entropy increases of the molecules within the wave also account for
some heating. The distance from the shock wave to the stagnation point on the entry vehicle's leading edge is called shock wave
stand off. An approximate rule of thumb for shock wave standoff distance is 0.14 times the nose radius. One can estimate the
time of travel for a gas molecule from the shock wave to the stagnation point by assuming a free stream velocity of 7.8 km/s and
a nose radius of 1 meter, i.e., time of travel is about 18 microseconds. This is roughly the time required for shock-wave-initiated
chemical dissociation to approach chemical equilibrium in a shock layer for a 7.8 km/s entry into air during peak heat flux.
Consequently, as air approaches the entry vehicle's stagnation point, the air effectively reaches chemical equilibrium thus
enabling an equilibrium model to be usable. For this case, most of the shock layer between the shock wave and leading edge of
an entry vehicle is chemically reacting and not in a state of equilibrium. The Fay-Riddell equation,[10] which is of extreme
importance towards modeling heat flux, owes its validity to the stagnation point being in chemical equilibrium. The time required
for the shock layer gas to reach equilibrium is strongly dependent upon the shock layer's pressure. For example, in the case of the
Galileo probe's entry into Jupiter's atmosphere, the shock layer was mostly in equilibrium during peak heat flux due to the very
high pressures experienced (this is counterintuitive given the free stream velocity was 39 km/s during peak heat flux).

Determining the thermodynamic state of the stagnation point is more difficult under an equilibrium gas model than a perfect gas
model. Under a perfect gas model, the ratio of specific heats (also called isentropic exponent, adiabatic index, gamma, or kappa)
is assumed to be constant along with the gas constant. For a real gas, the ratio of specific heats can wildly oscillate as a function
of temperature. Under a perfect gas model there is an elegant set of equations for determining thermodynamic state along a
constant entropy stream line called the isentropic chain. For a real gas, the isentropic chain is unusable and a Mollier diagram
would be used instead for manual calculation. However, graphical solution with a Mollier diagram is now considered obsolete
with modern heat shield designers using computer programs based upon a digital lookup table (another form of Mollier diagram)
or a chemistry based thermodynamics program. The chemical composition of a gas in equilibrium with fixed pressure and
temperature can be determined through the Gibbs free energy method. Gibbs free energy is simply the total enthalpy of the gas
minus its total entropy times temperature. A chemical equilibrium program normally does not require chemical formulas or
reaction-rate equations. The program works by preserving the original elemental abundances specified for the gas and varying
the different molecular combinations of the elements through numerical iteration until the lowest possible Gibbs free energy is
calculated (a Newton-Raphson method is the usual numerical scheme). The data base for a Gibbs free energy program comes
from spectroscopic data used in defining partition functions. Among the best equilibrium codes in existence is the program
Chemical Equilibrium with Applications (CEA) which was written by Bonnie J. McBride and Sanford Gordon at NASA Lewis
(now renamed "NASA Glenn Research Center"). Other names for CEA are the "Gordon and McBride Code" and the "Lewis
Code". CEA is quite accurate up to 10,000 K for planetary atmospheric gases, but unusable beyond 20,000 K (double ionization
is not modelled). CEA can be downloaded from the Internet (https://web.archive.org/web/20200205195610/https://www.grc.nas
a.gov/WWW/CEAWeb/) along with full documentation and will compile on Linux under the G77 Fortran compiler.

Real (non-equilibrium) gas model

A non-equilibrium real gas model is the most accurate model of a shock layer's gas physics, but is more difficult to solve than an
equilibrium model. As of 1958, the simplest non-equilibrium model was the Lighthill-Freeman model.[17][18] The Lighthill-
Freeman model initially assumes a gas made up of a single diatomic species susceptible to only one chemical formula and its
reverse; e.g., N2 ? N + N and N + N ? N2 (dissociation and recombination). Because of its simplicity, the Lighthill-Freeman
model is a useful pedagogical tool, but is unfortunately too simple for modelling non-equilibrium air. Air is typically assumed to
have a mole fraction composition of 0.7812 molecular nitrogen, 0.2095 molecular oxygen and 0.0093 argon. The simplest real
gas model for air is the five species model, which is based upon N2 , O2 , NO, N, and O. The five species model assumes no
ionization and ignores trace species like carbon dioxide.

When running a Gibbs free energy equilibrium program, the iterative process from the originally specified molecular composition
to the final calculated equilibrium composition is essentially random and not time accurate. With a non-equilibrium program, the
computation process is time accurate and follows a solution path dictated by chemical and reaction rate formulas. The five
species model has 17 chemical formulas (34 when counting reverse formulas). The Lighthill-Freeman model is based upon a
single ordinary differential equation and one algebraic equation. The five species model is based upon 5 ordinary differential
equations and 17 algebraic equations. Because the 5 ordinary differential equations are tightly coupled, the system is numerically
"stiff" and difficult to solve. The five species model is only usable for entry from low Earth orbit where entry velocity is
approximately 7.8 km/s (28,000 km/h; 17,000 mph). For lunar return entry of 11 km/s,[19] the shock layer contains a significant
amount of ionized nitrogen and oxygen. The five-species model is no longer accurate and a twelve-species model must be used
instead. Atmospheric entry interface velocities on a Mars–Earth trajectory are on the order of 12 km/s (43,000 km/h;
27,000 mph).[20] Modeling high-speed Mars atmospheric entry—which involves a carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon
atmosphere—is even more complex requiring a 19-species model.

An important aspect of modelling non-equilibrium real gas effects is radiative heat flux. If a vehicle is entering an atmosphere at
very high speed (hyperbolic trajectory, lunar return) and has a large nose radius then radiative heat flux can dominate TPS
heating. Radiative heat flux during entry into an air or carbon dioxide atmosphere typically comes from asymmetric diatomic
molecules; e.g., cyanogen (CN), carbon monoxide, nitric oxide (NO), single ionized molecular nitrogen etc. These molecules are
formed by the shock wave dissociating ambient atmospheric gas followed by recombination within the shock layer into new
molecular species. The newly formed diatomic molecules initially have a very high vibrational temperature that efficiently
transforms the vibrational energy into radiant energy; i.e., radiative heat flux. The whole process takes place in less than a
millisecond which makes modelling a challenge. The experimental measurement of radiative heat flux (typically done with shock
tubes) along with theoretical calculation through the unsteady Schrödinger equation are among the more esoteric aspects of
aerospace engineering. Most of the aerospace research work related to understanding radiative heat flux was done in the 1960s,
but largely discontinued after conclusion of the Apollo Program. Radiative heat flux in air was just sufficiently understood to
ensure Apollo's success. However, radiative heat flux in carbon dioxide (Mars entry) is still barely understood and will require
major research.

Frozen gas model

The frozen gas model describes a special case of a gas that is not in equilibrium. The name "frozen gas" can be misleading. A
frozen gas is not "frozen" like ice is frozen water. Rather a frozen gas is "frozen" in time (all chemical reactions are assumed to
have stopped). Chemical reactions are normally driven by collisions between molecules. If gas pressure is slowly reduced such
that chemical reactions can continue then the gas can remain in equilibrium. However, it is possible for gas pressure to be so
suddenly reduced that almost all chemical reactions stop. For that situation the gas is considered frozen.

The distinction between equilibrium and frozen is important because it is possible for a gas such as air to have significantly
different properties (speed-of-sound, viscosity etc.) for the same thermodynamic state; e.g., pressure and temperature. Frozen gas
can be a significant issue in the wake behind an entry vehicle. During reentry, free stream air is compressed to high temperature
and pressure by the entry vehicle's shock wave. Non-equilibrium air in the shock layer is then transported past the entry vehicle's
leading side into a region of rapidly expanding flow that causes freezing. The frozen air can then be entrained into a trailing
vortex behind the entry vehicle. Correctly modelling the flow in the wake of an entry vehicle is very difficult. Thermal protection
shield (TPS) heating in the vehicle's afterbody is usually not very high, but the geometry and unsteadiness of the vehicle's wake
can significantly influence aerodynamics (pitching moment) and particularly dynamic stability.

Thermal protection systems

A thermal protection system, or TPS, is the barrier that protects a spacecraft during the searing heat of atmospheric reentry. A
secondary goal may be to protect the spacecraft from the heat and cold of space while in orbit. Multiple approaches for the
thermal protection of spacecraft are in use, among them ablative heat shields, passive cooling, and active cooling of spacecraft
surfaces.

Ablative

The ablative heat shield functions by lifting the hot shock layer gas away from the heat
shield's outer wall (creating a cooler boundary layer). The boundary layer comes from
blowing of gaseous reaction products from the heat shield material and provides
protection against all forms of heat flux. The overall process of reducing the heat flux
experienced by the heat shield's outer wall by way of a boundary layer is called
blockage. Ablation occurs at two levels in an ablative TPS: the outer surface of the TPS
material chars, melts, and sublimes, while the bulk of the TPS material undergoes
pyrolysis and expels product gases. The gas produced by pyrolysis is what drives
Ablative heat shield (after use) on
blowing and causes blockage of convective and catalytic heat flux. Pyrolysis can be
Apollo 12 capsule
measured in real time using thermogravimetric analysis, so that the ablative performance
can be evaluated.[21] Ablation can also provide blockage against radiative heat flux by
introducing carbon into the shock layer thus making it optically opaque. Radiative heat
flux blockage was the primary thermal protection mechanism of the Galileo Probe TPS material (carbon phenolic). Carbon
phenolic was originally developed as a rocket nozzle throat material (used in the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster) and for
reentry-vehicle nose tips.

Early research on ablation technology in the USA was centered at NASA's Ames Research Center located at Moffett Field,
California. Ames Research Center was ideal, since it had numerous wind tunnels capable of generating varying wind velocities.
Initial experiments typically mounted a mock-up of the ablative material to be analyzed within a hypersonic wind tunnel.[22]
Testing of ablative materials occurs at the Ames Arc Jet Complex. Many spacecraft thermal protection systems have been tested
in this facility, including the Apollo, space shuttle, and Orion heat shield materials.[23]

The thermal conductivity of a particular TPS material is usually proportional to the material's
density.[24] Carbon phenolic is a very effective ablative material, but also has high density which
is undesirable. If the heat flux experienced by an entry vehicle is insufficient to cause pyrolysis
then the TPS material's conductivity could allow heat flux conduction into the TPS bondline
material thus leading to TPS failure. Consequently, for entry trajectories causing lower heat flux,
carbon phenolic is sometimes inappropriate and lower-density TPS materials such as the
following examples can be better design choices:

Super light-weight ablator

SLA in SLA-561V stands for super light-weight ablator. SLA-561V is a proprietary ablative
made by Lockheed Martin that has been used as the primary TPS material on all of the 70°
sphere-cone entry vehicles sent by NASA to Mars other than the Mars Science Laboratory Mars Pathfinder during final
(MSL). SLA-561V begins significant ablation at a heat flux of approximately 110 W/cm2 , but assembly showing the
will fail for heat fluxes greater than 300 W/cm2 . The MSL aeroshell TPS is currently designed aeroshell, cruise ring and
to withstand a peak heat flux of 234 W/cm2 . The peak heat flux experienced by the Viking 1 solid rocket motor
aeroshell which landed on Mars was 21 W/cm2 . For Viking 1, the TPS acted as a charred
thermal insulator and never experienced significant ablation. Viking 1 was the first Mars lander
and based upon a very conservative design. The Viking aeroshell had a base diameter of 3.54 meters (the largest used on Mars
until Mars Science Laboratory). SLA-561V is applied by packing the ablative material into a honeycomb core that is pre-bonded
to the aeroshell's structure thus enabling construction of a large heat shield.[25]

Phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator

Phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA), a carbon fiber preform impregnated in phenolic

resin,[26] is a modern TPS material and has the advantages of low density (much lighter than
carbon phenolic) coupled with efficient ablative ability at high heat flux. It is a good choice for
ablative applications such as high-peak-heating conditions found on sample-return missions or
lunar-return missions. PICA's thermal conductivity is lower than other high-heat-flux-ablative
materials, such as conventional carbon phenolics.

PICA was patented by NASA Ames Research Center in the 1990s and was the primary TPS
material for the Stardust aeroshell.[27] The Stardust sample-return capsule was the fastest man-
NASA's Stardust sample made object ever to reenter Earth's atmosphere (12.4 km/s (28,000 mph) at 135 km altitude).
return capsule successfully This was faster than the Apollo mission capsules and 70% faster than the Shuttle.[28] PICA was
landed at the USAF Utah critical for the viability of the Stardust mission, which returned to Earth in 2006. Stardust's heat
Range.
shield (0.81 m base diameter) was made of one monolithic piece sized to withstand a nominal
peak heating rate of 1.2 kW/cm2 . A PICA heat shield was also used for the Mars Science
Laboratory entry into the Martian atmosphere.[29]

PICA-X

An improved and easier to produce version called PICA-X was developed by SpaceX in 2006–2010[29] for the Dragon space
capsule.[30] The first reentry test of a PICA-X heat shield was on the Dragon C1 mission on 8 December 2010.[31] The PICA-X
heat shield was designed, developed and fully qualified by a small team of only a dozen engineers and technicians in less than
four years.[29] PICA-X is ten times less expensive to manufacture than the NASA PICA heat shield material.[32]

PICA-3
A second enhanced version of PICA—called PICA-3—was developed by SpaceX during the mid-2010s. It was first flight
tested on the Crew Dragon spacecraft in 2019 during the flight demonstration mission, in April 2019, and put into regular service
on that spacecraft in 2020.[33]

SIRCA

Silicone-impregnated reusable ceramic ablator (SIRCA) was also developed at NASA

Ames Research Center and was used on the Backshell Interface Plate (BIP) of the Mars
Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) aeroshells. The BIP was at the
attachment points between the aeroshell's backshell (also called the afterbody or aft
cover) and the cruise ring (also called the cruise stage). SIRCA was also the primary
TPS material for the unsuccessful Deep Space 2 (DS/2) Mars impactor probes with their
0.35-meter-base-diameter (1.1 ft) aeroshells. SIRCA is a monolithic, insulating material
that can provide thermal protection through ablation. It is the only TPS material that can
Deep Space 2 impactor aeroshell, a
be machined to custom shapes and then applied directly to the spacecraft. There is no
classic 45° sphere-cone with
post-processing, heat treating, or additional coatings required (unlike Space Shuttle
spherical section afterbody enabling
tiles). Since SIRCA can be machined to precise shapes, it can be applied as tiles, leading aerodynamic stability from
edge sections, full nose caps, or in any number of custom shapes or sizes. As of 1996, atmospheric entry to surface impact
SIRCA had been demonstrated in backshell interface applications, but not yet as a
forebody TPS material.[34]

AVCOAT

AVCOAT is a NASA-specified ablative heat shield, a glass-filled epoxy–novolac system.[35]

NASA originally used it for the Apollo capsule in the 1960s, and then utilized the material for its next-generation beyond low-
Earth-orbit Orion spacecraft, slated to fly in the late 2010s.[36] The Avcoat to be used on Orion has been reformulated to meet
environmental legislation that has been passed since the end of Apollo.[37][38]

Thermal soak

Thermal soak is a part of almost all TPS

schemes. For example, an ablative heat shield
loses most of its thermal protection effectiveness
when the outer wall temperature drops below
the minimum necessary for pyrolysis. From that
time to the end of the heat pulse, heat from the
shock layer convects into the heat shield's outer
wall and would eventually conduct to the
Astronaut Andrew S. W. Thomas
payload. This outcome is prevented by ejecting
takes a close look at TPS tiles
the heat shield (with its heat soak) prior to the Rigid black LI-900 tiles were used on
underneath Space Shuttle Atlantis.
heat conducting to the inner wall. the Space Shuttle.

Typical Space Shuttle TPS tiles (LI-900) have

remarkable thermal protection properties. An LI-900 tile exposed to a temperature of 1,000 K on one side will remain merely
warm to the touch on the other side. However, they are relatively brittle and break easily, and cannot survive in-flight rain.

Passively cooled

In some early ballistic missile RVs (e.g., the Mk-2 and the sub-orbital Mercury spacecraft), radiatively cooled TPS were used to
initially absorb heat flux during the heat pulse, and, then, after the heat pulse, radiate and convect the stored heat back into the
atmosphere. However, the earlier version of this technique required a considerable quantity of metal TPS (e.g., titanium,
beryllium, copper, etc.). Modern designers prefer to avoid this added mass by using ablative and thermal-soak TPS instead.

Thermal protection systems relying on emissivity use high emissivity coatings (HECs) to facilitate radiative cooling, while an
underlying porous ceramic layer serves to protect the structure from high surface temperatures. High thermally stable emissivity
values coupled with low thermal conductivity are key to the functionality of such systems.[39]
 Radiatively cooled TPS can be found on modern entry vehicles, but reinforced carbon–carbon
(RCC) (also called carbon–carbon) is normally used instead of metal. RCC was the TPS
material on the Space Shuttle's nose cone and wing leading edges, and was also proposed as the
leading-edge material for the X-33. Carbon is the most refractory material known, with a one-
atmosphere sublimation temperature of 3,825 °C (6,917 °F) for graphite. This high temperature
made carbon an obvious choice as a radiatively cooled TPS material. Disadvantages of RCC are
that it is currently expensive to manufacture, is heavy, and lacks robust impact resistance.[40]

Some high-velocity aircraft, such as the SR-71 Blackbird and Concorde, deal with heating
similar to that experienced by spacecraft, but at much lower intensity, and for hours at a time.
The Mercury capsule design Studies of the SR-71's titanium skin revealed that the metal structure was restored to its original
(shown here with its escape strength through annealing due to aerodynamic heating. In the case of the Concorde, the
tower) originally used a aluminium nose was permitted to reach a maximum operating temperature of 127 °C (261 °F)
radiatively cooled TPS, but
(approximately 180 °C (324 °F) warmer than the normally sub-zero, ambient air); the
was later converted to an
metallurgical implications (loss of temper) that would be associated with a higher peak
ablative TPS.
temperature were the most significant factors determining the top speed of the aircraft.

A radiatively cooled TPS for an entry vehicle is often called a hot-metal TPS. Early TPS
designs for the Space Shuttle called for a hot-metal TPS based upon a nickel superalloy (dubbed René 41) and titanium
shingles.[41] This Shuttle TPS concept was rejected, because it was believed a silica tile-based TPS would involve lower
development and manufacturing costs. A nickel superalloy-shingle TPS was again proposed for the unsuccessful X-33 single-
stage-to-orbit (SSTO) prototype.[42]

Recently, newer radiatively cooled TPS materials have been developed that could be superior to RCC. Known as Ultra-High
Temperature Ceramics, they were developed for the prototype vehicle Slender Hypervelocity Aerothermodynamic Research
Probe (SHARP). These TPS materials are based on zirconium diboride and hafnium diboride. SHARP TPS have suggested
performance improvements allowing for sustained Mach 7 flight at sea level, Mach 11 flight at 100,000-foot (30,000 m) altitudes,
and significant improvements for vehicles designed for continuous hypersonic flight. SHARP TPS materials enable sharp
leading edges and nose cones to greatly reduce drag for airbreathing combined-cycle-propelled spaceplanes and lifting bodies.
SHARP materials have exhibited effective TPS characteristics from zero to more than 2,000 °C (3,630 °F), with melting points
over 3,500 °C (6,330 °F). They are structurally stronger than RCC, and, thus, do not require structural reinforcement with
materials such as Inconel. SHARP materials are extremely efficient at reradiating absorbed heat, thus eliminating the need for
additional TPS behind and between the SHARP materials and conventional vehicle structure. NASA initially funded (and
discontinued) a multi-phase R&D program through the University of Montana in 2001 to test SHARP materials on test
vehicles.[43][44]

Actively cooled

Various advanced reusable spacecraft and hypersonic aircraft designs have been proposed to employ heat shields made from
temperature-resistant metal alloys that incorporate a refrigerant or cryogenic fuel circulating through them, and one such
spacecraft design is currently under development.

Such a TPS concept was proposed for the X-30 National Aerospace Plane (NASP). The NASP was supposed to have been a
scramjet powered hypersonic aircraft, but failed in development.

SpaceX is currently developing an actively cooled heat shield for its Starship spacecraft where a part of the thermal protection
system will be a transpirationally cooled outer-skin design for the reentering spaceship.[45][46]

In the early 1960s various TPS systems were proposed to use water or other cooling liquid sprayed into the shock layer, or
passed through channels in the heat shield. Advantages included the possibility of more all-metal designs which would be
cheaper to develop, be more rugged, and eliminate the need for classified technology. The disadvantages are increased weight
and complexity, and lower reliability. The concept has never been flown, but a similar technology (the plug nozzle[47]) did
undergo extensive ground testing.

Feathered reentry
In 2004, aircraft designer Burt Rutan demonstrated the feasibility of a shape-changing airfoil for reentry with the sub-orbital
SpaceShipOne. The wings on this craft rotate upward into the feather configuration that provides a shuttlecock effect. Thus
SpaceShipOne achieves much more aerodynamic drag on reentry while not experiencing significant thermal loads.
The configuration increases drag, as the craft is now less streamlined and results in more atmospheric gas particles hitting the
spacecraft at higher altitudes than otherwise. The aircraft thus slows down more in higher atmospheric layers which is the key to
efficient reentry. Secondly, the aircraft will automatically orient itself in this state to a high drag attitude.[48]

However, the velocity attained by SpaceShipOne prior to reentry is much lower than that of an orbital spacecraft, and engineers,
including Rutan, recognize that a feathered reentry technique is not suitable for return from orbit.

On 4 May 2011, the first test on the SpaceShipTwo of the feathering mechanism was made during a glideflight after release from
the White Knight Two. Premature deployment of the feathering system was responsible for the 2014 VSS Enterprise crash, in
which the aircraft disintegrated, killing the co-pilot.

The feathered reentry was first described by Dean Chapman of NACA in 1958.[49] In the section of his report on Composite
Entry, Chapman described a solution to the problem using a high-drag device:

It may be desirable to combine lifting and nonlifting entry in order to achieve some advantages... For landing
maneuverability it obviously is advantageous to employ a lifting vehicle. The total heat absorbed by a lifting
vehicle, however, is much higher than for a nonlifting vehicle... Nonlifting vehicles can more easily be
constructed... by employing, for example, a large, light drag device... The larger the device, the smaller is the
heating rate.

Nonlifting vehicles with shuttlecock stability are advantageous also from the viewpoint of minimum control
requirements during entry.

... an evident composite type of entry, which combines some of the desirable features of lifting and nonlifting
trajectories, would be to enter first without lift but with a... drag device; then, when the velocity is reduced to a
certain value... the device is jettisoned or retracted, leaving a lifting vehicle... for the remainder of the descent.

The North American X-15 used a similar mechanism.

Inflatable heat shield reentry

Deceleration for atmospheric reentry, especially for higher-speed Mars-return missions, benefits from maximizing "the drag area
of the entry system. The larger the diameter of the aeroshell, the bigger the payload can be."[50] An inflatable aeroshell provides
one alternative for enlarging the drag area with a low-mass design.

Non-US

Such an inflatable shield/aerobrake was designed for the penetrators of Mars 96 mission. Since the mission failed due to the
launcher malfunction, the NPO Lavochkin and DASA/ESA have designed a mission for Earth orbit. The Inflatable Reentry and
Descent Technology (IRDT) demonstrator was launched on Soyuz-Fregat on 8 February 2000. The inflatable shield was
designed as a cone with two stages of inflation. Although the second stage of the shield failed to inflate, the demonstrator
survived the orbital reentry and was recovered.[51][52] The subsequent missions flown on the Volna rocket failed due to launcher
failure.[53]

NASA IRVE

NASA launched an inflatable heat shield experimental spacecraft on 17 August 2009

with the successful first test flight of the Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE).
The heat shield had been vacuum-packed into a 15-inch-diameter (38 cm) payload
shroud and launched on a Black Brant 9 sounding rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight
Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. "Nitrogen inflated the 10-foot-diameter (3.0 m) heat
shield, made of several layers of silicone-coated [Kevlar] fabric, to a mushroom shape in
space several minutes after liftoff."[50] The rocket apogee was at an altitude of 131 miles NASA engineers check IRVE.
(211 km) where it began its descent to supersonic speed. Less than a minute later the
shield was released from its cover to inflate at an altitude of 124 miles (200 km). The
inflation of the shield took less than 90 seconds.[50]
NASA HIAD

Following the success of the initial IRVE experiments, NASA developed the concept into the more ambitious Hypersonic
Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD). The current design is shaped like a shallow cone, with the structure built up as a
stack of circular inflated tubes of gradually increasing major diameter. The forward (convex) face of the cone is covered with a
flexible thermal protection system robust enough to withstand the stresses of atmospheric entry (or reentry).[54][55]

In 2012, a HIAD was tested as Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3 (IRVE-3) using a sub-orbital sounding rocket and
worked.[56]:8

In 2020 there were plans to launch in 2022 a 6 m inflatable as Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator
(LOFTID).[57]

Entry vehicle design considerations

There are four critical parameters considered when designing a vehicle for atmospheric entry:

1. Peak heat flux

2. Heat load
3. Peak deceleration
4. Peak dynamic pressure

Peak heat flux and dynamic pressure selects the TPS material. Heat load selects the thickness of the TPS material stack. Peak
deceleration is of major importance for manned missions. The upper limit for manned return to Earth from low Earth orbit (LEO)
or lunar return is 10g.[58] For Martian atmospheric entry after long exposure to zero gravity, the upper limit is 4g.[58] Peak
dynamic pressure can also influence the selection of the outermost TPS material if spallation is an issue.

Starting from the principle of conservative design, the engineer typically considers two worst-case trajectories, the undershoot
and overshoot trajectories. The overshoot trajectory is typically defined as the shallowest-allowable entry velocity angle prior to
atmospheric skip-off. The overshoot trajectory has the highest heat load and sets the TPS thickness. The undershoot trajectory is
defined by the steepest allowable trajectory. For manned missions the steepest entry angle is limited by the peak deceleration.
The undershoot trajectory also has the highest peak heat flux and dynamic pressure. Consequently, the undershoot trajectory is
the basis for selecting the TPS material. There is no "one size fits all" TPS material. A TPS material that is ideal for high heat
flux may be too conductive (too dense) for a long duration heat load. A low-density TPS material might lack the tensile strength
to resist spallation if the dynamic pressure is too high. A TPS material can perform well for a specific peak heat flux, but fail
catastrophically for the same peak heat flux if the wall pressure is significantly increased (this happened with NASA's R-4 test
spacecraft).[58] Older TPS materials tend to be more labor-intensive and expensive to manufacture compared to modern
materials. However, modern TPS materials often lack the flight history of the older materials (an important consideration for a
risk-averse designer).

Based upon Allen and Eggers discovery, maximum aeroshell bluntness (maximum drag) yields minimum TPS mass. Maximum
bluntness (minimum ballistic coefficient) also yields a minimal terminal velocity at maximum altitude (very important for Mars
EDL, but detrimental for military RVs). However, there is an upper limit to bluntness imposed by aerodynamic stability
considerations based upon shock wave detachment. A shock wave will remain attached to the tip of a sharp cone if the cone's
half-angle is below a critical value. This critical half-angle can be estimated using perfect gas theory (this specific aerodynamic
instability occurs below hypersonic speeds). For a nitrogen atmosphere (Earth or Titan), the maximum allowed half-angle is
approximately 60°. For a carbon dioxide atmosphere (Mars or Venus), the maximum-allowed half-angle is approximately 70°.
After shock wave detachment, an entry vehicle must carry significantly more shocklayer gas around the leading edge stagnation
point (the subsonic cap). Consequently, the aerodynamic center moves upstream thus causing aerodynamic instability. It is
incorrect to reapply an aeroshell design intended for Titan entry (Huygens probe in a nitrogen atmosphere) for Mars entry
(Beagle 2 in a carbon dioxide atmosphere). Prior to being abandoned, the Soviet Mars lander program achieved one successful
landing (Mars 3), on the second of three entry attempts (the others were Mars 2 and Mars 6). The Soviet Mars landers were
based upon a 60° half-angle aeroshell design.

A 45° half-angle sphere-cone is typically used for atmospheric probes (surface landing not intended) even though TPS mass is
not minimized. The rationale for a 45° half-angle is to have either aerodynamic stability from entry-to-impact (the heat shield is
not jettisoned) or a short-and-sharp heat pulse followed by prompt heat shield jettison. A 45° sphere-cone design was used with
the DS/2 Mars impactor and Pioneer Venus probes.

Notable atmospheric entry accidents

 Reentry window

A. Friction with air

B. In air flight
C. Expulsion lower angle
D. Perpendicular to the entry point
E. Excess friction 6.9° to 90°
F. Repulsion of 5.5° or less
G. Explosion friction
H. Plane tangential to the entry point

Not all atmospheric reentries have been successful and some have resulted in significant disasters.

Voskhod 2 – The service module failed to detach for some time, but the crew survived.
Soyuz 1 – The attitude control system failed while still in orbit and later parachutes got entangled during the
emergency landing sequence (entry, descent, and landing (EDL) failure). Lone cosmonaut Vladimir
Mikhailovich Komarov died.
Soyuz 5 – The service module failed to detach, but the crew survived.
Soyuz 11 – After tri-module separation, a valve was weakened by the blast and failed on reentry. The cabin
depressurized killing all three crew members.
Mars Polar Lander – Failed during EDL. The failure was believed to be the consequence of a software error.
The precise cause is unknown for lack of real-time telemetry.
Space Shuttle Columbia
STS-1 – a combination of launch damage, protruding gap filler, and tile installation error resulted in serious
damage to the orbiter, only some of which the crew was privy to. Had the crew known the true extent of the
damage before attempting reentry, they would have flown the shuttle to a safe altitude and then bailed out.
Nevertheless, reentry was successful, and the orbiter proceeded to a normal landing.
STS-107 – The failure of an RCC panel on a wing leading edge caused by debris impact at launch led to
breakup of the orbiter on reentry resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.

Genesis – The parachute failed to deploy due to a G-switch having been

installed backwards (a similar error delayed parachute deployment for the
Galileo Probe). Consequently, the Genesis entry vehicle crashed into the
desert floor. The payload was damaged, but most scientific data were
recoverable.
Soyuz TMA-11 – The Soyuz propulsion module failed to separate properly;
fallback ballistic reentry was executed that subjected the crew to
accelerations of about 8 standard gravities (78 m/s2).[59] The crew survived.
Genesis entry vehicle after crash

Uncontrolled and unprotected reentries

Of satellites that reenter, approximately 10–40% of the mass of the object is likely to reach the surface of the Earth.[60] On
average, about one catalogued object reenters per day.[61]
Due to the Earth's surface being primarily water, most objects that survive reentry land in one of the world's oceans. The
estimated chances that a given person will get hit and injured during his/her lifetime is around 1 in a trillion.[62]

On January 24, 1978, the Soviet Kosmos 954 (3,800 kilograms [8,400 lb]) reentered and crashed near Great Slave Lake in the
Northwest Territories of Canada. The satellite was nuclear-powered and left radioactive debris near its impact site.[63]

On July 11, 1979, the US Skylab space station (77,100 kilograms [170,000 lb]) reentered and spread debris across the Australian
Outback.[64] The reentry was a major media event largely due to the Cosmos 954 incident, but not viewed as much as a potential
disaster since it did not carry toxic nuclear or hydrazine fuel. NASA had originally hoped to use a Space Shuttle mission to either
extend its life or enable a controlled reentry, but delays in the Shuttle program, plus unexpectedly high solar activity, made this
impossible.[65][66]

On February 7, 1991, the Soviet Salyut 7 space station (19,820 kilograms [43,700 lb]), with the Kosmos 1686 module (20,000
kilograms [44,000 lb]) attached, reentered and scattered debris over the town of Capitán Bermúdez, Argentina.[67][68][69] The
station had been boosted to a higher orbit in August 1986 in an attempt to keep it up until 1994, but in a scenario similar to
Skylab, the planned Buran shuttle was cancelled and high solar activity caused it to come down sooner than expected.

On September 7, 2011, NASA announced the impending uncontrolled reentry of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
(6,540 kilograms [14,420 lb]) and noted that there was a small risk to the public.[70] The decommissioned satellite reentered the
atmosphere on September 24, 2011, and some pieces are presumed to have crashed into the South Pacific Ocean over a debris
field 500 miles (800 km) long.[71]

On April 1, 2018, the Chinese Tiangong-1 space station (8,510 kilograms [18,760 lb]) reentered over the Pacific Ocean, halfway
between Australia and South America.[72] The China Manned Space Engineering Office had intended to control the reentry, but
lost telemetry and control in March 2017.[73]

On May 11, 2020, the core stage of Chinese Long March 5B (COSPAR ID 2020-027C) weighing roughly 20,000 kilograms
[44,000 lb]) made an uncontrolled reentry over the Atlantic Ocean, near West African coast.[74][75] Few pieces of rocket debris
reportedly survived reentry and fell over at least two villages in Ivory Coast.[76][77]

Deorbit disposal

Salyut 1, the world's first space station, was deliberately de-orbited into the Pacific Ocean in 1971 following the Soyuz 11
accident. Its successor, Salyut 6, was de-orbited in a controlled manner as well.

On June 4, 2000 the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was deliberately de-orbited after one of its gyroscopes failed. The
debris that did not burn up fell harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean. The observatory was still operational, but the failure of another
gyroscope would have made de-orbiting much more difficult and dangerous. With some controversy, NASA decided in the
interest of public safety that a controlled crash was preferable to letting the craft come down at random.

In 2001, the Russian Mir space station was deliberately de-orbited, and broke apart in the fashion expected by the command
center during atmospheric reentry. Mir entered the Earth's atmosphere on March 23, 2001, near Nadi, Fiji, and fell into the South
Pacific Ocean.

On February 21, 2008, a disabled U.S. spy satellite, USA-193, was hit at an altitude of approximately 246 kilometers (153 mi)
with an SM-3 missile fired from the U.S. Navy cruiser Lake Erie off the coast of Hawaii. The satellite was inoperative, having
failed to reach its intended orbit when it was launched in 2006. Due to its rapidly deteriorating orbit it was destined for
uncontrolled reentry within a month. U.S. Department of Defense expressed concern that the 1,000-pound (450 kg) fuel tank
containing highly toxic hydrazine might survive reentry to reach the Earth's surface intact. Several governments including those
of Russia, China, and Belarus protested the action as a thinly-veiled demonstration of US anti-satellite capabilities.[78] China had
previously caused an international incident when it tested an anti-satellite missile in 2007.
 Closeup of Gemini 2 Cross section of
heat shield Gemini 2 heat shield

Successful atmospheric reentries from orbital velocities

Manned orbital reentry, by country/governmental entity

China – Shenzhou
Soviet Union/ Russia – Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz
United States – Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle

Manned orbital reentry, by commercial entity

SpaceX – Dragon 2

Unmanned orbital reentry, by country/governmental entity

China
European Space Agency[79]
India / Indian Space Research Organisation
Japan
Soviet Union/ Russia
United States IXV once landed

Unmanned orbital reentry, by commercial entity

SpaceX – Dragon

Selected atmospheric reentries

This list includes some notable atmospheric entries in which the spacecraft was not intended to be recovered, but was destroyed
in the atmosphere.

Reentry
Spacecraft
year
Phobos-Grunt 2012
ROSAT 2011
UARS 2011
Mir 2001
Skylab 1979

See also
Van Allen radiation belt – Zone of energetic charged particles around the planet Earth
Aerocapture
Decelerated micrometeorites
 Ionization blackout
Intercontinental ballistic missile – Ballistic missile with a range of more than 5,500 kilometres
Lander (spacecraft)
Landing footprint
NASA reentry prototypes
Skip reentry
Space capsule – Type of spacecraft
Space Shuttle thermal protection system – Space Shuttle heat shielding system
Paper plane launched from space

Further reading
Launius, Roger D.; Jenkins, Dennis R. (October 10, 2012). Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space
(http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/coming_home_detail.html). NASA. ISBN 9780160910647.
OCLC 802182873 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/802182873). Retrieved August 21, 2014.
Martin, John J. (1966). Atmospheric Entry – An Introduction to Its Science and Engineering. Old Tappan, New
Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Regan, Frank J. (1984). Re-Entry Vehicle Dynamics (AIAA Education Series). New York: American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. ISBN 978-0-915928-78-1.
Etkin, Bernard (1972). Dynamics of Atmospheric Flight. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-471-
24620-6.
Vincenti, Walter G.; Kruger Jr, Charles H. (1986). Introduction to Physical Gas Dynamics. Malabar, Florida:
Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-88275-309-6.
Hansen, C. Frederick (1976). Molecular Physics of Equilibrium Gases, A Handbook for Engineers. NASA.
Bibcode:1976mpeg.book.....H (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1976mpeg.book.....H). NASA SP-3096.
Hayes, Wallace D.; Probstein, Ronald F. (1959). Hypersonic Flow Theory. New York and London: Academic
Press. A revised version of this classic text has been reissued as an inexpensive paperback: Hayes, Wallace D.
(1966). Hypersonic Inviscid Flow. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-43281-6. reissued
in 2004
Anderson, John D. Jr. (1989). Hypersonic and High Temperature Gas Dynamics. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-07-001671-2.

Notes and references

1. http://www.jpaerospace.com/atohandout.pdf
2. GROSS, F. (1965). "Buoyant Probes into the Venus Atmosphere". Unmanned Spacecraft Meeting 1965.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. doi:10.2514/6.1965-1407 (https://doi.org/10.2514%2F6.196
5-1407).
3. Goddard, Robert H. (Mar 1920). "Report Concerning Further Developments" (http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exh
ibits/documents/goddardmarch1920.htm). The Smithsonian Institution Archives. Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20090626145252/http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exhibits/documents/goddardmarch1920.htm) from the
original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
4. Boris Chertok, "Rockets and People", NASA History Series, 2006
5. Hansen, James R. (Jun 1987). "Chapter 12: Hypersonics and the Transition to Space" (https://history.nasa.gov/
SP-4305/ch12.htm). Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917–1958 (https://
history.nasa.gov/SP-4305/sp4305.htm). The NASA History Series. sp-4305. United States Government
Printing. ISBN 978-0-318-23455-7.
6. Allen, H. Julian; Eggers, A. J. Jr. (1958). "A Study of the Motion and Aerodynamic Heating of Ballistic Missiles
Entering the Earth's Atmosphere at High Supersonic Speeds" (https://web.archive.org/web/20151013182336/ht
tp://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/reports/1958/naca-report-1381.pdf) (PDF). NACA Annual Report. NASA
Technical Reports. 44.2 (NACA-TR-1381): 1125–1140. Archived from the original (http://naca.central.cranfield.a
c.uk/reports/1958/naca-report-1381.pdf) (PDF) on October 13, 2015.
7. http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/501326main_TA09-EDL-DRAFT-Nov2010-A.pdf
 8. Graves, Claude A.; Harpold, Jon C. (March 1972). Apollo Experience Report - Mission Planning for Apollo
Entry (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720013191.pdf) (PDF). NASA Technical Note
(TN) D-6725. "The purpose of the Apollo entry maneuver is to dissipate the energy of a spacecraft traveling at
high speed through the atmosphere of the earth so that the flight crew, their equipment, and their cargo are
returned safely to a preselected location on the surface of the earth. This purpose must be accomplished while
stresses on both the spacecraft and the flight crew are maintained within acceptable limits."
9. Przadka, W.; Miedzik, J.; Goujon-Durand, S.; Wesfreid, J.E. "The wake behind the sphere; analysis of vortices
during transition from steadiness to unsteadiness" (http://sphere.meil.pw.edu.pl/publi/AoM_60_2008_6.pdf)
(PDF). Polish french cooperation in fluid research. Archive of Mechanics., 60, 6, pp. 467–474, Warszawa 2008.
Received May 29, 2008; revised version November 13, 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
10. Fay, J. A.; Riddell, F. R. (February 1958). "Theory of Stagnation Point Heat Transfer in Dissociated Air" (https://
web.archive.org/web/20050107202757/http://pdf.aiaa.org/downloads/TOCPDFs/36_373-386.pdf) (PDF).
Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences. 25 (2): 73–85. doi:10.2514/8.7517 (https://doi.org/10.2514%2F8.7517).
Archived from the original (http://pdf.aiaa.org/downloads/TOCPDFs/36_373-386.pdf) (PDF Reprint) on 2005-
01-07. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
11. Hillje, Ernest R., "Entry Aerodynamics at Lunar Return Conditions Obtained from the Flight of Apollo 4 (AS-
501)," NASA TN D-5399, (1969). (https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690029435_1969029
435.pdf)
12. Whittington, Kurt Thomas. "A Tool to Extrapolate Thermal Reentry Atmosphere Parameters Along a Body in
Trajectory Space" (http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/6817/1/etd.pdf) (PDF). NCSU Libraries
Technical Reports Repository. A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in
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External links
Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (The Aerospace Corporation) (http://www.aerospace.org/cords/)
Apollo Atmospheric Entry Phase (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW5ozq4Tqew), 1968, NASA Mission
Planning and Analysis Division, Project Apollo. video (25:14).
Buran's heat shield (http://www.buran-energia.com/bourane/bourane-consti-bouclier.php)
Encyclopedia Astronautica article (http://www.astronautix.com/fam/rescue.htm) on the history of space rescue
crafts, including some reentry craft designs.

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