Why can’t the space shuttle just go slow enough to not be heated up by friction with earths atmosphere on re-entry?
In: 5
The earth is rotating at 1000 miles an hr.
If it slowed down when entering the atmosphere, it would just get destroyed or bounce back into space.
Also when it enters the atmosphere its relying on friction and gravity to slow down. They typically wont have any fuel or even any “brakes” on the space shuttle. So the speed is all just from “coasting”.
The atmosphere is like a whirlpool. If you dont go fast enough to break the current, you just burn up.
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