As NASA prepares to send four astronauts around the Moon on Artemis II, a photograph of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield sparked a wave of online concern in early 2026. A visible spot on the capsule ...

As the world watched the Artemis II capsule burn its way back to Earth, eagle–eyed social media users spotted a worrying detail. Fans noticed what appeared to be a large patch of damaged or missing ...

HOUSTON — NASA has chosen the material for a heat shield that will protect a new generation of space explorers when they return from the moon. After extensive study, NASA has selected the Avcoat ...

You all know what a heat shield is: a key component on a spacecraft, meant to protect it from the extreme temperatures of atmospheric re-entry. But did you know that NASA has invented a new type of ...

After Artemis 2 splashed down, the spaceflight community was quick to begin its own review of the heat shield based on photos ...

Initial reports have confirmed NASA's assessment that the Orion heat shield kept the Artemis II crew safe during re-entry.

Scientists have developed a new material that could shield humans and critical technology from harmful radiation.

Despite problems during the unpiloted Artemis I reentry, the Artemis II crew is confident their heat shield will protect them during a fiery descent to Earth.

Rather than completely burning up when a spacecraft reenters Earth's atmosphere, its heat shield's outer surface is sacrificed to protect the rest of the vehicle. The carbon fibers decompose, ...

Smoke billowing off NASA’s heat shield material during a recent test at Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For decades, Sandia National ...

Two years ago next week, NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean to wrap up what, at first glance, seemed to be a highly successful unpiloted test flight that made a return to the ...

Off the coast of Baja California in December 2022, sun sparkled over the rippling sea as waves sloshed around the USS Portland dock ship. Navy officials on the deck scrutinized the sky in search of a ...