Book excerpt: Progress in rocket and space technique required the creation of a new types of materials, heat-shielding ones, which prevent decomposition of construction materials by high-temperature flows. During the last 40 years a great number of heat-shielding materials (HSM) were created for different exploitation regimes: Rubbers, foamy materials, asbo-, glass- and carbonic plastics, fireproofs, etc. In the late 50's the creation of a HSM for the internal surface protection of solid propellant rocket engines from high-temperature gas flows of combustion products (up to 4000k) became necessary. HSM's were also created for launching rocket parts and appliances. In most cases, HSM's are for a single use, because coatings are destroyed by highly enthalpic heating. This book discusses the problems of the creation of these elastic heat-shielding materials, the main exploitational drawbacks of these coatings and the safety of such coatings.