500 degrees doesn't have to "go" anywhere if you have a material that insulates from heat and can withstand a steady state at that temperature. I don't have to "cool" my oven at home. Heat transfer is minimized enough so that the outside never gets more than pleasantly warm.
Burt's Spaceplane handled this same flight regime with minimal insulation (remember, I'm talking about a static jump from altitude, not re-entry from orbit).
More advanced materials can do this at even orbital speeds, as on the Shuttle, although I believe they do have to actively cool the structure on the ground to keep the remaining heat from soaking into the structure. Ablation and more active cooling are necessary when re-entry temperatures exceed the capacity of any structural material, and heat has to be actively carried away by vaporization or other methods.
Space/Science » in reply to re: Actually Phil is probably wrong.
Not how heat shields have to work.
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