Voices from Prison: The Making of Ascenders

by Donald L. Wright PhD

Of course, reentry refers to when a prisoner returns to society. However, my first thought of the term reentry was of a spaceship that has traveled outside Earth’s atmosphere. The launch into space is a miracle, but the mission is not complete until there is a successful reentry. Upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, the spaceship’s exterior can reach 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The entry angle must be exact – if it is too steep, the spacecraft burns up. If the angle is too shallow, the spacecraft skims off the edge of the atmosphere like a stone skimming along the surface of a pond. An imprecise reentry is catastrophic, resulting in a failed mission and loss of crew. Bringing ship and crew home safely is success.