The Only Part of a Spaceship That Makes It Back Alive This tough little capsule brings cosmonauts back home to Earth. Out in space, it endures temperatures ranging from −150 to 120 degrees Celsius. During reentry, its outer shell heats up to a hellish 1,600 °C. Inside, though, it’s surprisingly comfortable - around 20 °C. This is the descent module of the Soyuz TM-7. It’s the only part of the spacecraft designed to survive the trip back. On the way down, the crew lies strapped into custom-made s