why is atmosphere reentry such an issue? If it is just because of speed hitting the atmosphere why can’t the spacecraft just slow down before and synchronise with earth rotation?
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To slow down in a vacuum, you need to spend as much energy (fuel) as you used speeding up. More fuel=more weight=more complexity to the mission. It’s much easier and lighter to add a heat shield and some parachutes and let the atmosphere turn velocity into heat for free.
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