At what speed does stuff burn up?

[kieyard]

hi, everyone.
something iv been pondering recently, is there a set speed at which something burns up in the air/atmosphere, or is it more to do with the surface area of the object traveling through the air, which would mean more of a drag force which means that the extra energy transforms to heat which causes the burn up? which would mean its more of a material and design problem for burning up in the air/atmosphere?

any relevant information would be great. thanks

 

[Orodruin]

It is a combination of several things. Obviously an object with zero velocity will generally not burn up unless it is self combustible. For a moving object, the velocity it will burn up will depend on several things, including its shape and composition.