OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

First, the spacecraft fires its engines to slow down. Then it enters Earth’s atmosphere, where the air rubs against it and makes it extremely hot. A special heat shield protects the spacecraft from burning up. Finally, parachutes pop open to slow it down even more. Some spacecraft land in the ocean, and others land on the ground.

• The outside of a spacecraft can reach over 3,000 degrees during reentry!
• The Space Shuttle used to land on a runway like an airplane.
• SpaceX capsules splash down in the ocean, and boats pick up the astronauts.