Last year, I was trying to create my own space program that is to deploy a satellite to Earth’s orbit and later get back to Earth safely. Below is when the space shuttle starts its re-entry - the most dangerous phase of any space mission. The other is the liftoff which happens after the ignition for a few seconds.

When the vehicle sinks into the Earth’s atmosphere, its bottom faces and compresses the air ahead. As high pressure comes with frictional force, the bottom generates a lot of heat. This is why a heat shield which is made of panels of superheated carbon-carbon composite sandwiching a lightweight thick carbon foam core is attached to cover the vehicle. It protects the vehicle from burning.

Similarly, if the Earth attracts any object from space and causes it to fall through the atmosphere, the object will get burned and break into small parts before it touches and damages the Earth’s surface. That falling object is called a shooting star or meteor and people usually make wishes upon seeing it. There is no scientific proof behind this action so we just consider this a belief.

The atmosphere acts as a shield to protect the earth’s surface. Any object or debris gets burned off or breaks into pieces during falling. This dramatically reduces the damages or risks of hitting the surface.

On the 1st attempt my space shuttle just spun or stood upright like this, it was hard to get the vehicle balanced. After making several attempts to gain more experience, I have finally mastered the skill to pilot it effectively. For advanced and precise maneuvers, the community provides scripting support, allowing you to write autopilot code.

Feb 1, 2023, is the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia disaster. The disaster was caused by a small piece of shell falling from the external fuel tank during the liftoff that damaged the protective carbon tiles on the left wing. When the vehicle was making its re-entry at a speed of 18 times the speed of sound, the heat was increased inside which led to the explosion. The event reminds me of this experience.