History Main / ReentryScare

* Happens to Obi-Wan and Anakin's ship about 30 minutes into ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''. Obi-Wan quips "another happy landing" moments after the ship crashes into a building, [[FridgeHorror probably killing dozens of people]]. (On the other hand, the EU indicates that control towers are usually computerized or crewed by droids.)

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' opens with the Normandy being badly damaged by a Collector ship. While Commander Shepard manages to get [[TheMenFirst every member of their crew off before the ship hits the atmosphere]], Shepard him/herself does not, and promptly falls into a planet's atmosphere. By some miracle, s/he doesn't die, and human organization Cerberus essentially brings what's left of their flayed charred body BackFromTheDead over a period of two years.

One other side effect of this whole process is that the heat generated strips electrons from the atmosphere. Since radio waves can't penetrate the resulting cloud of plasma, the spacecraft's communications systems are rendered useless for the duration of the process, which lasts for several minutes. Well, it used to--see below.

* The radio blackout part of this trope used to be TruthInTelevision, but [[http://urgentcomm.com/mag/radio_shuttle_blackout_myth/ they've since fixed the problem]]. The trick being to send the radio waves ''up'', since the radio waves aren't blocked in that direction. A satellite picks up the signal and retransmits it to ground.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* In the ''Anime/CowboyBebop episode "Wild Horses", Spike has to deal with the possibility of burning up in the Earth atmosphere along with his Swordfish. But at the last minute he's rescued by a refitted Space Shuttle Columbia. [[HarsherInHindsight In real life, Columbia burned up in reentry due to a damaged heat shield, two years after the episode aired.]]

* The ''Manga/{{Cyborg 009}}'' manga originally ended with [[spoiler:Joe and Jet]] implictly dying in this fashion when [[spoiler:002 tries to save 009 as he's falling back towards Earth, but burns up too much fuel reaching him]]. Creator/ShotaroIshinomori eventually "[[WordOfGod lost to the tears of the fans]]" and {{Retcon}}ned in their survival, courtesy of [[spoiler:Ivan reawakening and using his psychic powers to teleport them to safety]].

[[folder:Comics]]
* ''{{Franchise/Tintin}}''. Happens in ''Explorers on the Moon'' as the "crushing G-Forces" make the crew black out every time (even when landing on and taking off from the Moon). Although the rocketship is designed to land automatically, it's still played up for tension with the usual comm failures and/or engine problems each time, or, in the case of the final return to Earth, everyone on board fainting from lack of oxygen.
* ComicBook/JeanGrey of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' first encountered the Phoenix Force while using her telekinesis to hold the damaged space shuttle she and her friends were in together through re-rentry. While she succeeds in bringing the shuttle to Earth, at the same time a massive solar flare exposes her to a lethal radiation dose, and that's where the Phoenix Force steps in to save her.

* Parodied in the final scene of ''Film/MenInWhite'', where the heroes' spaceship heats up and bursts into flames as it falls through the atmosphere... then the parachute opens, at which point the flames instantly disappear and the spaceship casually drops down.

** During ''ComicBook/FatalAttractions'', the X-Men are forced to leave Avalon in a modified Blackbird when their final fight with Magneto prevents them from teleporting out. As the Blackbird was not designed for space travel at all, Bishop and the other X-Men are forced to try to keep the plane in one piece while keeping Wolverine stable thanks to the damage caused by Magneto stripping the adamantium off his bones. As Jean is one of the X-Men up in the plane, Cyclops even references her encounter with the Phoenix.

* In ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear XV'', the Symphogears are falling back to Earth after being stranded on the Moon. Hibiki decides the team needs to use the Ex-Drive to survive, but Chris warns they don't have the energy to pull it off. Thankfully, the team is able to pull it off and arrive in time for the final fight.

* In the ''VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries'', during the last choice of the "Free Man" ending of ''Completing the Mission'', where Henry is escaping from being imprisoned on the Toppat Clan's orbital station, one of the Fails has Henry choosing to return to Earth with no protection other than his spacesuit, which causes him to burn to death. The right choice involves him using a drop pod to return to Earth, which heats up but survives the trip.

* {{Inverted|Trope}} at the end of ''Videogame/RocketKnightAdventures'': After the FinalBoss is defeated and his space station explodes, the boss comes back one last time for Sparkster while he's trapped in an escape pod with no means to defend himself. Once they both reach the planet's atmosphere, Sparkster survives re-entry just fine in his pod while the boss catches fire and burns into cinders.

* In ''Film/TheRightStuff'', John Glenn is bringing home the Friendship 7 capsule. There was concern that his heat shield had detached and that his craft would burn up on re-entry. In the movie he hums "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" during this stressful time, but he didn't in RealLife.

* In ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', the ''Enterprise''-D had just separated its saucer section from the stardrive as the damage from the Duras Sisters' attack heavily damaged it and was set to explode. They fail to get away far enough and are struck by the explosion's shockwave, sending the saucer section hurtling towards a nearby planet. The first time this happens, the crew is killed. When Kirk and Picard team up to stop Sauron, they're able to level out in time and land ''very'' roughly.

* ''VideoGame/EliminateDown'': This is the reason why the FinalBoss is a TimeLimitBoss- both you and it are falling through the Earth's atmosphere, and if it's not beaten within 100 seconds, you burn up and lose a life.

** What made this disaster all the more tragic was that even while still in orbit, the ground controllers were convinced the malfunctioning spacecraft couldn't make a successful re-entry. Just like Gordo Cooper, he fought the controls and managed to hit his re-entry corridor squarely -- and then, just when he thought the worst was over, his parachutes failed to open.

* This used to be TruthInTelevision, but [[http://urgentcomm.com/mag/radio_shuttle_blackout_myth/ they've fixed the problem.]]
** The trick being to send the radio waves ''up'', since the communications aren't blocked in that direction. A satellite picks up the signal and retransmits it to ground.

* A different take in the AlternateHistory series ''Series/ForAllMankind'' when the Apollo 11 mission has apparently failed when the radio and telemetry are cut off from the ''Eagle'' on landing, indicating a catastrophic crashlanding which would end not only the astronauts lives but also the US space program. The silence goes on for ''hours'' and everyone has given up hope, when Neil Armstrong is finally able to reestablish contact.

See also ComingInHot. Often followed by YouHadUsWorriedThere. Contrast FrictionlessReentry.

* A different take in the AlternateHistory series ''Series/ForAllMankind'' when the Apollo 11 mission has apparently failed when the radio and telemetry are cut off from the ''Eagle'' on landing, indicating a catastrophic crashlanding which would end not only the astronauts lives but also the US space program. The silence goes on for ''hours'' and everyone has given up hope, when Neil Armstrong is able to effect repairs and finally make contact.

* The blackout during the re-entry of Apollo 13 ''really was'' one and a half minutes longer than anticipated. According to mission controller Gene Kranz it was the "Toughest minute and a half we ever had." The Houston controllers didn't start cheering as soon as they re-established radio contact though. They saved that until Lovell reported that they were floating, right side up, in the Pacific Ocean.

* Soyuz 1 suffered a huge number of malfunctions during its ill-fated mission, culminating in the failure of the landing retros and parachutes intended to slow the capsule's impact with the ground to something survivable. Rumour has it that the sole crew member's last radio transmission consisted of him cursing the engineers to Hell as he plummeted to his death.
** It's more than just a rumour now that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z_m7onLw74 the tapes]] have been released, though their authenticity is disputed.
** What made this disaster all the more tragic was that even while still in orbit, the ground controllers were convinced the malfunctioning spacecraft couldn't make a successful re-entry. Komarov's wife was brought into mission control to say her last goodbyes, but the cosmonaut only assured her that he wasn't about to die just yet. Just like Gordo Cooper, he fought the controls and managed to hit his re-entry corridor squarely -- and then, just when he thought the worst was over, his parachutes failed to open.

* Inverted in '''Film/CatWomenOfTheMoon'' which opens with [[HistoryMarchesOn White Sands Missile Base]] desperately calling the crew of Moon Rocket 4 because they've [[ScienceMarchesOn blacked out from the terrible G-forces of takeoff]].

* In the first episode of ''Series/{{OUTCASTS}}'', Carpathia Transporter 9 is on final approach. Despite repairs to the heat shield, the ship is fatally damaged on the already notoriously dangerous Carpathian entry. The communications go down just after entry, but return later on when the captain informs Forthaven that his ship will not survive. The sub-shuttles are released, and CT9 breaks up.

* A cutscene in Stage 3 of ''{{VideoGame/TargetEarth}}'' shows a friendly pilot unable to make it back to the dropship and burning up in Earth's atmosphere. This was deleted in the PAL and NTSC versions and is considered an obvious homage to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''.

* At the end of ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance2'', Super Sonic is attempting to guide an Egg Cell containing a bunch of animal friends and Cream's mother Vanilla back down into the atmosphere. However, it ends up shattering due to it not being protected for such a thing. It spills the animals and Vanilla out and knocks Sonic out of Super Sonic. He ends up having to dive for Vanilla's hand before they both go kersplat.
* Inverted at the end of ''Videogame/RocketKnightAdventures'': After the FinalBoss is defeated and his space station explodes, the boss comes back one last time for Sparkster while he's trapped in an escape pod with no means to defend himself. Once they both reach the planet's atmosphere, Sparkster survives re-entry just fine in his pod while the boss catches fire and burns into cinders.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'', JJJ's son John has to pilot his shuttle when it's damaged by a stray meteor, with the risk that the shuttle might not make it upon reentry. Fortunately, he was able land it safety.

* The blackout during the re-entry of Apollo 13 ''really was'' one and a half minutes longer than anticipated. According to mission controller Gene Kranz it was the the "Toughest minute and a half we ever had." The Houston controllers didn't start cheering as soon as they re-established radio contact though. They saved that until Lovell reported that they were floating, right side up, in the Pacific Ocean.