For K-12 Students · Atmospheric Reentry
Atmospheric Reentry for a glider
Built for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework. Simulate a glider live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.
Atmospheric ReentryLive
the fire of coming home
Controls
Presets
A returning spacecraft sheds nearly all its 7.8 km/s orbital speed as heat in the upper atmosphere. Too shallow an angle and it skips back into space; too steep and the deceleration g-load and heating spike to lethal levels. The ballistic coefficient sets how deep it plunges before the thickening air finally slows it.
Data Inspector
Peak deceleration0.0 g
Entry angle5°
Survivable?yes
Governing equation
Reading this result: A moderate entry angle keeps peak deceleration within a survivable range while shedding orbital speed as heat.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is this good for k-12 students?
- Yes — this version of "Atmospheric Reentry for a glider" is framed for k-12 students learning it in middle or high school. Watch the idea come alive with plain-language steps and everyday examples — perfect for projects and homework.
- Do I need to install anything?
- No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.