#heat shield

The Space Shuttle’s thermal protection system used silica tiles that dissipated heat so rapidly you could safely handle them just seconds after they’d been exposed to 2,200°F, thanks to their extremely low thermal conductivity.

Artemis Mission Route in 3D

This animation visualizes the Artemis mission trajectory in a dynamic 3D perspective, showing how the spacecraft travels through the Earth–Moon system, while all celestial bodies are in motion.

Instead of a static path, the Sun, Earth and Moon move simultaneously, revealing the true complexity of orbital mechanics.

The result highlights how the Artemis route is not a simple curve, but a constantly shifting trajectory shaped by gravity and motion.

This view provides a clearer understanding of how modern space missions navigate through space in real time.

Right now, Artemis is on its return path to Earth and is expected to arrive back soon as it completes its mission.

Why 2200°F space shuttle heat tiles won’t burn your bare hands

In the video you’ll see a giant industrial oven at Kennedy Space Center baking blocks of the material used in the shuttle’s thermal tiles. The small white cubes are LI-900, a type of low-density surface insulation composed almost entirely of silica glass fibers. They are basically pure quartz sand that are 94% air by volume.

LI-900 can be heated to 2200°F, which is exactly what the blocks in the video are heated to. Even after being subjected to that temperature for so long, they can be picked up almost immediately after being taken out of the oven.

Air and silica glass are both extremely poor conductors of heat, and thus great insulators. That’s why you can touch them after coming out of a super-hot oven. On the Space Shuttle, they protected the aluminum hull from the heat of reentry. The tiles were not mechanically attached to the craft, but were instead glued so they could be easily repaired.