The figure shows the Shuttle after it has passed through the re-entry regime. The Space Shuttle flies as a glider during reentry and landing.
If the angle is too shallow, on the other hand, the spacecraft skims off the edge of the atmosphere like a stone skimming along the surface of a pond.

The space shuttle orbits the Earth at about 17,500 miles per hour, which is about Mach 25. The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system that was operated from 1981 to 2011 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as … The ideal re-entry trajectory is a narrow band between these two extremes. During reentry the Space Shuttle is moving at several times the speed of sound. The Shuttle uses a rocket propulsion system to get into orbit, but during re-entry the aircraft is actually an un-powered glider. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was a fatal incident in the United States space program that occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere, killing all seven crew members. The Space Shuttle in orbit has a mass of The shuttle usually landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida or its backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California; Re-entry was a one way trip. The technologies for the reentry and recovery from space might change over time, but the challenge remains one of the most important and vexing in the rigorous efforts to bring spacecraft and their crews and cargo home successfully. A secondary goal was to protect from the heat and cold of space while in orbit. NASA's space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003, in a tragic disaster that killed the shuttle's seven-astronaut crew. Whether the space shuttle lands at the prime landing site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida or its backup landing site at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the Virtual Launch Control Center is the only place online to get breaking information directly from NASA. Coming Home: Reentry and Recovery from Space | NASA

The project is in active development and currently has the spacecrafts from Project Mercury (alpha stage), Project Gemini (alpha …

The subsequent investigation revealed the cause of the accident. The technologies for the reentry and recovery from space might change over time, but the challenge remains one of the most important and vexing in the rigorous efforts to bring spacecraft and their crews and cargo home successfully.

Spacecraft re-entry is tricky business for several reasons. Soyuz reentry from the ISS, using body lift to control the trajectory, typically incurs no more than 4.5g force on reentry. The orbiter's maximum glide ratio/lift-to-drag ratio varies considerably with speed, ranging from 1:1 at hypersonic speeds, 2:1 at supersonic speeds and reaching 4.5:1 at subsonic speeds during approach and landing.

After investigation, NASA discovered that damage to the left wing (that actually occurred during liftoff), let hot air in upon re-entry and caused the shuttle to lose control and burn up. High resolution calibrated near infrared (NIR) imagery of the Space Shuttle Orbiter was obtained during hypervelocity atmospheric re-entry of the STS-119, STS-125, STS-128, STS-131, STS-132, STS-133, and STS-134 missions. During ascent, thrust is provided by the three Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME's) at the base of the orbiter and the two Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB's) that are joined to the orange External Fuel Tank (ET). The insulation damaged the heat protection tiles on the wing. This data has provided information on the distribution of surface temperature and the state of the airflow over the windward Strong shock waves are generated on the lower surface of the spacecraft. On the morning of February 1st, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, more than 200,000 feet above Texas. The technologies for the reentry and recovery from space might change over time, but the challenge remains one of the most important and vexing in the rigorous efforts to bring spacecraft and their crews and cargo home successfully. meteor streaking across the night sky shows that re-entry can get hot! This intense heat is a result of friction between the speeding meteor and the air. The Apollo program, which moved several manned ships back and forth from space during the 1960s and 1970s, coated the command module with special ablative material that burned up upon re-entry, absorbing heat. “Reentry - An Orbital Simulator is a physics-based space flight simulator where you will learn how to operate and fly spacecrafts used in real life. The Space Shuttle was a partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system that was operated from 1981 to 2011 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program.Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development.

video from undocking to landing at KSC runway 33 see also my launch video.