Look at this astronaut's face during reentry, knowing the capsule exterior is at 5,000°F. The physics of why he's alive are wild. The air in front of the capsule compresses so violently at Mach 25 that it turns into plasma. 5,000°F on the surface. Half the temperature of the sun. The heat shield absorbs that energy by literally burning itself away, layer by layer, carrying the heat with it as gas. One inch of material is the entire margin. On the outside of that inch: 5,000°F. On the inside: 75°F. Room temperature. The thermal gradient across that single inch is the steepest temperature drop humans have ever engineered. The orange glow in the window is ionized nitrogen and oxygen. That plasma is why comms go black for six minutes during reentry. Ground control can't reach the crew. The astronauts are alone inside a fireball, falling at 25,000 mph, watching the laws of thermodynamics keep them alive through a 1-inch wall. Artemis II did exactly this last night. Four astronauts hit Earth's atmosphere at 24,664 mph, rode a 4,900°F plasma sheath for six minutes of radio silence, and splashed down a mile from target. The heat shield is now being inspected for cracks. They found over 100 on the last unmanned test.

Huntsville City Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay tomorrow on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. HCS will push back bus pick-up times, employee reporting times, and school start times by 2 hours.  View story at huntsvillecityschools.org/we….

Seriously, extend their contract @ UA Athletics

HCS Chief Technology Officer Emily Elam Receives Sally Moore Award huntsvillecityschools.org/o/…

Huntsville City Schools Named Among Forbes’ 2025 Best Employers by State huntsvillecityschools.org/o/…

HCS welcomed back a special group of former administrators, teachers, staff, & friends for a visit with The Schools Foundation! These retirees toured new Central Office & Huntsville Center for Technology, which are 2 spaces that represent the continued growth of our district.

I had the absolute pleasure of spending the morning with the Lee High and New Century feeder patterns—what an energizing kickoff to what’s sure to be an incredible year for their students! What made it even more special? It was completely teacher-led and student-focused. 🍎👏

HCS is proud to announce Angelear Warren has been officially approved by the Huntsville City Board of Education to serve as the next principal of Mountain Gap Elementary School!

HCS Technology Coach Recognized With Award huntsvillecityschools.org/o/…

Every child and educator deserves to be seen, heard and celebrated! Let’s start a revolution in #education so we can build a system that supports our #teachers and students! They deserve so much more! I am looking forward to visiting #schools for talks and PD sessions! #Leaders

Huntsville City Schools is entering a new era with the development of a state-of-the-art campus that will house both the district’s new Central Office and the Huntsville Center for Technology. huntsvillecityschools.org/ar…

Students and their parents had the opportunity to learn more about HCS schools and programs at the annual Curriculum Showcase over the weekend. The event was held this year at the Von Braun Center East Hall.

RT @HSVk12: The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber hosted its annual State of the Schools event! Educators and area superintendents discusse…

CTE Spotlight: Aiden Hensley huntsvillecityschools.org/o/…

CTE Spotlight: Hampton Cove Middle Green Power Team huntsvillecityschools.org/o/…

The Lee High School softball team opened its season on Tuesday afternoon, hosting the Tanner Rattlers. Before the first pitch, a ribbon-cutting was held to dedicate the new turf field for the home team.

New Century Technology High School has received a special gift. The school was awarded a tree from a seedling that was on the Artemis I mission that circled the moon.

More than 400 educators across HCS experienced and incredible day of learning, collaboration and innovation at the "Mission Excellence: Taking Teaching and Learning to New Heights" conference!

February is Career Technical Education Month! Huntsville City Schools has more than twenty programs under the career tech umbrella. HCS Career Tech Director, Zack McWhorter, is excited about the many opportunities available to students throughout the district.

The @HSVk12 Mission Excellence Conference was incredible! Hats off to Talent Management for ALL the work it took to pull this off. Loved Dr. Sutton’s timely keynote message! I enjoyed the opportunity to present to K-12 educators on strategies for increasing student achievement.