Did Prometheus have a heat shield?

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_entry]Here you go; knock yourself out.[/url]

Xenotron: Great wikipedia source. Takes me back to my missile days... Andy's Cat: Looking at the film, I'd say the re-entry angle was around 3 to 5 degrees. Considering Prometheus traversed space to LV223 in over two years, a space warp technology would be used to do the job. Magnetic field production strong enough to warp space would presumably also be able to produce force fields around the ship to act as a way to slow the ship down from orbital speed using the force fields as the shield itself. At a re-entry angle of 3 to 5 degrees, the force field would act as an 'aerobrake' to slow Prometheus from orbital speed (say, 17,800 mph if LV223 is similar to earth in mass and gravity); Prometheus 'bleeds off" the speed as it de-orbits and the heat from atmospheric friction is dissipated by the force field. The 3 to 5 degree of attack also allows Prometheus to complete its scan of LV223's surface covering a large area of the planet a one time. It may take two full trips around LV223 to complete planetary coverage and identify the areas of metal mentioned in the film. Descent after re-entry into the atmosphere would probably be around 3 degrees, which is around the glide slope used by aircraft for landing. It is an angle of approach that gives the pilot ample time to access the landing spot without bringing the aircraft in too steeply or too fast. Just a thought...

So that's what you reckon the film-makers attempt was, maybe they had some technical support from NASA? I'm aware of the speed issue and often see satellites at night along with rare overhead sightings of the ISS when its orbit is changed to pass over the UK. Oh, the link on wick was good at showing the diagram for the space shuttle. One wrong calculated error and its a nose dive, not good. I don't know why I didn't think of using Wicky for some answers but its film at the end of the day.

You're right about the nose dive. Steeper re-entry angle for the shuttle would not only cause it to burn up, but would crush the crew from excessive g-forces as well. A "bad way to fly" either way. Aside from the horror and scare factor (minimal in this film), the technical aspects of the sciences used in the film is pretty well thought out. Definitely had some knowledgeable technical advisors. However, I will need to review the carbon dioxide ratio compared to the other gases in our present atmosphere....

"..Prometheus was coming in rather fast and should have been toasted..." When the ship came in contact with the moon David opened up all of the window coverings(which I could assume would work as an heat shield) just opposite if they were designed to protect the ship from burning up... When Prometheus was closer to the moon's surface Janek wants to slow the ship down 100 Knots... and that seemed to me left the Prometheus going too slow searching for an landing spot. I guess the old Marine terms are still going to be used,,