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

Streaks cover its heat shield, an indicator of the heat and forces that ripped across it as the vehicle powered back to Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

It is expected to provide valuable information to the company’s engineers, giving them a chance to review in detail how its heat shield performed during re-entry from space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

The approximately one-hour flight also tested upgrades to the mammoth ship's heat shield.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Testing of Orion's heat shield also continues, with individual heat shield blocks undergoing ultrasonic inspections before installation.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

First, it endured reentry via a heat shield.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir