heat shield

noun

: a barrier of ablative material to protect a space capsule from heat on its entry into an atmosphere

Examples of heat shield in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And while the capsule's heat shield kept the astronauts inside safe, this picture clearly shows the extreme environment that the craft had to ensure. Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026 Engineers will examine the capsule’s heat shield in more detail along with everything else in preparation for next year’s Artemis III docking demo in orbit around Earth. Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 From the crew's perspective, their heat shield did just fine. William Harwood, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026 On this mission, NASA flew the Orion capsule with a suboptimal heat shield. Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for heat shield

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heat shield was in 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Heat shield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20shield. Accessed 16 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

heat shield

noun
: a barrier of insulation to protect a space capsule from heat on its return to earth
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