APOD: Shuttle Re-Entry Streak from Space

I had always wondered what it would look like from above to see a Shuttle as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.  Now we have a glimpse!  (This image can be found at http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110801.html)

The streaking starts to occur at a point called entry interface (abbreviated EI) which occurs at an arbitrary altitude of 400,000 feet when the Shuttle begins to feel the effects of the Earth's atmosphere.

Want to know more about how a Shuttle comes home? Here is a link to the article about entry from the Human Space Flight page at NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/shutref/events/entry/.