What is reentry?

Reentry is when something comes back to Earth after traveling through space.

Imagine you're playing catch with a friend across the yard. You throw the ball high up in the air, and it goes far away, almost like it's going into another room. Then, instead of staying there forever, it comes back down to your hand. That’s kind of like what happens during reentry.

When a spaceship or capsule returns to Earth from space, it has to go through the atmosphere, which is like coming back through a thick blanket of air that wraps around our planet.

This journey is not gentle. The spacecraft gets really hot because it's moving so fast, faster than a race car! It’s like rubbing your hands together really quickly and feeling them get warm.

But just like how you can wear gloves to keep your hands from getting too hot, spaceships have special heat shields that protect them during this fiery return. Once the spacecraft cools down a bit, it lands safely on Earth, just like your ball comes back into your hand after a high throw!