COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Storm Team 4’s meteorologist Liz McGiffin met up with Kevin Seymour, Director of Offsite Educational Experiences at COSI to talk about how hot rockets get as they head into space, and the technology used to keep astronauts safe despite the extreme heat.

Back in the day of space shuttles, tiles were created out of a low density silica, very similar to sand, which means that it is light and a very poor conductor of heat.

As astronauts traveled back from space, friction from that travel can warm up those tiles to thousands of degrees.

You can watch a demonstration in the video player above.

To learn more about COSI, look into exhibits that are currently there, or check hours and days that they are open, you can visit COSI.org.