The space shuttle heats up when it enters the atmosphere because it encounters friction from the atmosphere. This is why the space shuttle is covered with special tiles that dissipates heat very quickly. You can hold a red hot one with the tips of your fingers. At the time of the deorbit burn the space shuttle is going 14,500 miles an hour. The atmosphere friction slows it down slow enough it open it's parachutes.
Space Shuttle Columbia
Although it reaches incredible speeds, a Space Shuttle is not going fast when it enters the atmosphere. The gravitational pull of Earth, or just gravity, are pulling down on the space shuttle with immense force.
The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated while re-entering the atmosphere; it did not explode.
it is not painted black its a reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) , in order to withstand a high temperature while entering into earths atmosphere it is used .....
The leading edges of the Space Shuttle's wings get to almost 3000 deg F during a normal reentry into earth's atmosphere.
Space Shuttle Columbia
Although it reaches incredible speeds, a Space Shuttle is not going fast when it enters the atmosphere. The gravitational pull of Earth, or just gravity, are pulling down on the space shuttle with immense force.
230 miles out into space
The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated while re-entering the atmosphere; it did not explode.
3,000+ F
it is not painted black its a reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) , in order to withstand a high temperature while entering into earths atmosphere it is used .....
The leading edges of the Space Shuttle's wings get to almost 3000 deg F during a normal reentry into earth's atmosphere.
The shuttle spacecraft does nort burn up at all when it does reenters the earths atmosphere, even of the heat. The reason is that there are all heat preventing tiles on the spacecraft from burning, and keeping the astronauts safe.
it feels good
It has to travel at least 17,000MPH.
The space station is not too far out of the Earths atmosphere so they just send up a space shuttle!
When the shuttle goes from the vacuum of space and enters the earths atmosphere, it heats up because of simple friction. The friction is from the shuttle going so fast and hitting the atmosphere. Same reason you sometimes see meteor showers.