I think the idea there is that it would pass through the portion of the atmosphere offering significant friction vertically (i.e., taking the shortest possible

I think the idea there is that it would pass through the portion of the atmosphere offering significant friction vertically (i.e., taking the shortest possible path) and too quickly to heat up to the temperature needed to vaporize. I believe "what really happened to that manhole cover?" was the topic of a few fun scientific debates on Usenet back in the day. I think the question might have landed on one of the groups' FAQs.