X-Rays and AI Reveal How Spacecraft Heat Shields Burn in Real Time

What happened

Improving them has been a bit of a challenge though, as typically researchers only get “before” and “after” pictures of when the heat shield completes its job of helping a spacecraft land safely back on Earth. Heat shields are undeniably one of the most important parts of any spacecraft that intends to enter an atmosphere.

And the material they are made out of is absolutely critical. That changed recently, though, with a collaboration between NASA and the Advanced Light Source (ALS) located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which allowed researchers to watch a heat shield fall apart in real time.