heat shield

American  

noun

Aerospace.

1. a coating or structure that surrounds part of the nose cone or other vulnerable surfaces of a spacecraft and, by heat absorption or ablation, protects them from excessive heating during reentry.

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heat shield British  

noun

1. a coating or barrier for shielding from excessive heat, such as that experienced by a spacecraft on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere

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heat shield Scientific  

1. A barrier that prevents a substance from absorbing heat energy from an outside source by absorbing and dissipating, or simply reflecting, that heat. Heat shields are commonly used to protect parts of a device from heat generated by its energy source, as in isolating the cabin of a car from its motor. Many spacecraft dissipate heat generated by friction with the atmosphere upon reentry using heat shields that melt and vaporize, dissipating the energy back into the atmosphere.

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Etymology

Origin of heat shield

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heat shield

It will also test upgrades to Starship's heat shield.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026

The mission tested Orion's life-support and communication systems and gave engineers their first detailed look at how the heat shield performs on a lunar return.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

The upper stage has several test objectives, including cargo deployment and heat shield development.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

This data will help pinpoint when minor surface changes occurred and provide deeper insight into how the heat shield behaved under extreme conditions.

From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026

I think as the heat shield breaks away, and the floor below Fly and me drops, allowing my bottom cameras to view Mars for the very first time.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga