Why Does a Spacecraft Need a Heat Shield?

Did you watch the Orion spacecraft come back from its trip around the Moon? Besides the parachutes, what is one key piece of the spacecraft that helps to protect the astronauts upon re-entry? The heat shield!! But just how is a heat shield made and why is it so important? Take a listen to the fantastic Dr. Sarah D'Souza, the Orion Thermal Protection Deputy System Manager at NASA Ames. She is on our show today to give us the scoop on this amazing engineering!