heat shield
noun
: a barrier of ablative material to protect a space capsule from heat on its entry into an atmosphere
Examples of heat shield in a Sentence
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Enduring heat shield temperatures up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, the spacecraft rapidly slowed down, deployed four big red-and-white parachutes and settled to an on-target 16-mph splashdown at 12:19 p.m.
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William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025
Flight 8 will likely attempt the same goals as Flight 7 would have achieved, such as testing Starship's payload deployment mechanism and gathering data on novel heat shield materials.
—Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2025
However, delays in the development of the SLS and problems with the Orion crew capsule's heat shield have repeatedly pushed back timetables.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 19 Feb. 2025
As expected, atmospheric friction warmed up its heat shield so much that molten debris flew off.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
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William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025
Flight 8 will likely attempt the same goals as Flight 7 would have achieved, such as testing Starship's payload deployment mechanism and gathering data on novel heat shield materials.
—Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2025
However, delays in the development of the SLS and problems with the Orion crew capsule's heat shield have repeatedly pushed back timetables.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 19 Feb. 2025
As expected, atmospheric friction warmed up its heat shield so much that molten debris flew off.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heat shield
Cite this Entry
“Heat shield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20shield. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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