To remove or vaporize material from a surface, usually through heat or erosion; to wear away gradually.
From Latin 'ablatus,' past participle of 'auferre' (to carry away). The term was adopted into English in the 1950s-60s in aerospace engineering to describe how heat shields protect spacecraft during reentry.
When spacecraft reenter Earth's atmosphere at 17,500 mph, special materials are engineered to ablate—literally burn away layer by layer—to protect the astronauts inside. It's controlled sacrifice.
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