Scene Context: The Piroe enters the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere at a velocity of roughly 5.8 km/s, and a blinding pink-white plasma glow appears outside the viewport.
Essence of the Phenomenon: During hypersonic entry, a vehicle does not "rub against the air"; instead, it compresses and heats the gas in front of it to a state of high-temperature plasma. It is this shock layer that generates the primary heat flux on the thermal shield and temporarily disrupts radio communication and external navigation.
Scientific Basis: For Martian vehicles like MSL and Mars 2020, the peak aerothermal load and deceleration occur during the hypersonic entry phase. During this time, an ionized layer forms around the hull, which can cause a brownout or brief blackout of the radio channel. For Mars 2020, orbital relays indeed recorded about a minute of UHF communication degradation specifically during the peak heating period.