Failure at Re-Entry

It's one of the most challenging and dangerous phases of space exploration: bringing a spacecraft back to Earth. For decades, NASA and Soviet engineers and designers have struggled to build machines that can withstand the unforgivable heat and unthinkable speeds caused by re-entry into our atmosphere. Join us on some white-knuckled journeys home, as we reveal terrifying close calls, and devastating failures just moments from touchdown, from the tragic maiden flight of Soyuz to the 1979 Skylab panic to the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.