Just before it disintegrated, space shuttle Columbia experienced ... that the thermal tiles that protect the shuttle from burning up during re-entry may have been damaged on Jan. 16.

At a 2008 Space Foundation breakfast ... who has worked on thermal protection systems since the shuttle program. Stewart explains that during reentry, heat is generated not just by friction ...

(CNN) --So long as they work, the white and black tiles that cover NASA's space ... thermal-protection blankets -- some designed to handle the extremely high temperatures of atmospheric re-entry ...

When Space Shuttle Columbia ... to the safety of the orbiting shuttle and its crew. As is all too well known, two weeks later Columbia disintegrated upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

The shuttle’s skin contracts slightly while in orbit, then expands during reentry. In addition ... are particularly vulnerable to strikes from space debris. About 30 to 100 tiles are replaced ...

IDTechEx engineers know that re-entering a planet's atmosphere is one of the toughest obstacles spacecraft face. During a ...

When the space shuttle Columbia erupted into flames on re-entry, killing its crew of seven astronauts, criticism of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration grew to a fever pitch. Attackers ...