reentry capsule
Atmospheric descent vessel
A reentry capsule is the portion of a spacecraft designed to survive the intense heat and forces of returning to Earth's atmosphere.
It carries astronauts or cargo back from orbit, protected by a heat shield that absorbs or deflects temperatures reaching thousands of degrees.
The capsule typically detaches from larger craft components that burn up on descent: The reentry capsule splashed down in the Pacific.
- heat shieldBarrier against extreme temperatures
- heatshieldProtective layer against friction
- splashdownSpacecraft's water landing
- Pacific OceanLargest body of water
- astronautSpacecraft crew member
parachute · crew module · ablative · atmosphere · descent · radio blackout · terminal velocity · spacecraft · orbit · NASA · fireball · recovery · rescue team · module · Soyuz · Apollo · scorched · jettison
- spaceflightlaunch, astronaut, spacecraft, liftoff, orbit
- capsulesgel cap, softgel, gel caps, softgels, coffee pod
- rocketryrocket, rockets, rocket fuel, rocket engine, rocket engines
- Space Programsrocket launch, satellite launch, launch vehicles, space station, lunar mission
- reentryheat shield, ablative, thermal protection, deorbit, thermal tiles
- spacecraft partsengine, thrusters, antenna array, thruster, fuel tank
reentry capsulelaunch vehicle
Rocket carrying spacecraft upward
rocket booster · booster rocket · first stage · rocket · booster
reentry, capsule, entry, enter, re-enter, reenter, entered, entering, enters