when coming back from space, why do astronauts don’t just use a parachute all the way down?

Question

when coming back from space, why do astronauts don’t just use a parachute all the way down?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

To get to space you need to drive straight up for 4 hours.

To stay in space you need to drive sideways at 8 km/s or 5 miles per second.

So, the problem isn’t the drop, it’s the going sideways at ridiculous speeds that will do you in.