In hypersonic flight, an aircraft or spacecraft moves at least five times faster than the speed of sound--producing extreme heat that can push the craft beyond its physical limits. The difficulty and importance of protecting vehicles against those conditions were tragically illustrated in 2003 when slight damage to heat-shielding tiles caused the Space Shuttle Columbia to disintegrate while re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
In hypersonic flight, an aircraft or spacecraft moves at least five times faster than the speed of sound--producing extreme heat that can push the craft beyond its physical limits. The difficulty and importance of protecting vehicles against those conditions were tragically illustrated in 2003 when slight damage to heat-shielding tiles caused the Space Shuttle Columbia to disintegrate while re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
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