why are the noses of rocket, shuttles, planes, missile(…) half spheres instead of spikes?

Question

why are the noses of rocket, shuttles, planes, missile(…) half spheres instead of spikes?

In: 5557

Answer 1

Great question. Long story short it’s thermal control. Blunt nose designs are only appropriate for really really high-speed, or hypersonic stuff. Pointy noses are great until heating becomes an issue. A blunt nose is pushing back the boundary layer flow and to keep the shockwave stood off from the surface or ‘stagnation point’.