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AeternusDoleo t1_itzemuc wrote

Terminal velocity is the speed at which gravity and atmospheric friction cancel each other out. So if an object enters the atmosphere faster then terminal velocity, earths gravity will not be able to speed up the object enough to prevent the atmosphere from slowing it down. As a result, the object would lose speed - until it either disintegrates from the heat of atmospheric friction, surface impact ('though technically that makes its speed zero) or it's speed being equal to terminal velocity.

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