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

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

Later this summer, the heat shield will be transported to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

How the heat shield would perform was a point of focus in the run-up to the launch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The retropack, it was hoped, would keep the potentially loose heat shield in place.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly