The "gradual wearing of the vehicle's skin" is called is called ablation. Its a standard way both hyper sonic and reentry vehicles manage heat. Basically the s

The "gradual wearing of the vehicle's skin" is called is called ablation. Its a standard way both hyper sonic and reentry vehicles manage heat. Basically the skin boils off creating a pressure wave that the vehicle flights behind. Wikipedia has a good description of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry#Ablative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_reentry#Ablative