Hey Facthunter, the molecules exhibit the vibration of something at high temperature. The thermosphere is so sparse that when satellites encounter these molecules, the effect is so tiny as to be insignificant. I guess that when something is entering the thermosphere at extreme speeds, the cumulative effect of encountering the molecules will heat it up.
The nature of the shielding used in construction of satellites allows them to be reflective, I guess. But I don’t really know about satellites, as I said.
