Aerodynamic heating

Some heat is produced by fluid compression at and near stagnation points such as the vehicle nose and wing leading edges.

Aerodynamic heating, which occurs at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, adds an additional consideration in wing structure analysis.

[citation needed] Another issue that aerodynamic heating causes for aircraft design is the effect of high temperatures on common material properties.

Common materials used in aircraft wing design, such as aluminum and steel, experience a decrease in strength as temperatures get extremely high.

Some designs for hypersonic missiles have used liquid cooling of the leading edges (usually the fuel en route to the engine).

[9] Heating caused by the very high reentry speeds (greater than Mach 20) is sufficient to destroy the vehicle unless special techniques are used.

The early space capsules such as used on Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo were given blunt shapes to produce a stand-off bow shock, allowing most of the heat to dissipate into the surrounding air.

[10] The Space Shuttle used insulating tiles on its lower surface to absorb and radiate heat while preventing conduction to the aluminium airframe.

Damage to the heat shield during liftoff of Space Shuttle Columbia contributed to its destruction upon reentry.