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

A top lieutenant of Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg for more than 20 years, Bosworth’s outspokenness and hard-charging style have made him a magnet for controversy—and, at times, a useful heat shield for his billionaire boss.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

During its suborbital cruise phase, Starship successfully released its payload of 20 mock Starlink satellites, along with two satellites that scanned its heat shield and sent data back to the ground during the its descent.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

It also deployed its 22 mock satellites, including two that attempted to photograph the spacecraft's heat shield for analysis.

From Barron's • May 22, 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

At the end of the second orbit, an indicator in the capsule suggested that the all-important heat shield was loose.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly