Slowly, just like with Ship 28, Ship 29 started to get the glow of plasma as the ship hit the atmosphere at over 26,000 kilometers per hour. This happens because the air heats up so much due to friction that it forms into another state of matter called plasma, which is composed of charged particles caused by the incredible energy around the vehicle.

How does NSF get stuff like this wrong? Reentry heating is a result of compression, not friction.

Was that headline written by Randall Munroe?

NSF does good work but damn is their writing horrendous…