Definition of heat shield
: a barrier of ablative material to protect a space capsule from heat on its entry into an atmosphere
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Recent Examples of heat shield from the Web
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But inflatable heat shields can get unwieldy when falling from high heights.
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Before the shuttle docks with the other craft, the space station crew examines the shuttle's bottom heat shield.
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The balloon might refer to something like NASA’s HIAD system (Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator), which is a heat shield that inflates upon reentry.
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Unfortunately, loss of the heat shield made the temperature in the capsule rise unexpectedly, taking its toll on Laika.
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If the affected vehicle's exhaust silencer fatigues and cracks, the heat shield may not manage heat, which may lead to melting of nearby components or fire.
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An investigation later pinned the cause of the disaster on a piece of foam insulation from Columbia’s external fuel tank, which broke off and punched a hole in the heat shield on the orbiter’s left wing during launch, two weeks before the tragedy.
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These will autonomously fire in quick bursts to keep the probe aligned so that the heat shield is perfectly facing the Sun’s surface at all times.
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The whole structure is covered in a four and a half-inch thick heat shield made from a single layer of carbon foam, layered between two panels of carbon fiber to withstand the 2,500 degree F temperatures.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heat shield.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of heat shield
1962
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