The landing boat was a blunt arrowhead coated with ablative material.

Additionally, these vehicles had ablative material that sublimates into a gas at high temperature.

By coating a surface with an ablative material, much heat can be dissipated before the primary structure is affected.

Ames people then invented and built arc jet tunnels to prove which were the best specific ablative materials.

But ablative material is used as a heat shield on many space vehicles.

The lower nozzle has an expansion ratio of 21.5 and is lined with an ablative material.

So instead of merely using ablative material, they must incorporate durable insulation.

An ablative material is one that merely wears away.

Or was it the ablative material that's behind the foam?

"We found out the ablative material underneath the foam really doesn't serve a purpose," General Barry said.