The word ablation is derived from the suppletive past particle of the Latin auferre, which means to remove. It was originally used in the geologic sense to describe the combined, predominantly thermal, processes by which a glacier wastes. The present use of the word maintains the thermal aspect and describes the absorption, dissipation, and blockage of heat associated with high speed entry into the atmosphere. Thus ablative, thermal protection materials are used to protect vehicles from damage during atmospheric reentry. The need for these materials was first realized during the development of operational ballistic missiles in Pennemunde, Germany, when a large percentage of V-2s failed to reach their targets because of missile skin disintegration caused by aerodynamic heating (1). Ablative materials are also used to protect rocket nozzles and ship hulls from propellant gas erosion, as protection from laser beams, and to protect land-based structures from high heat environments.
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