Eddiew, what do you mean "need for using parachutes/brakes"? I already slowed down to 700m/s before opening the parachutes, and i opened them only because i was about to miss the runway. If you remain pitched up to 20~30 degrees during descent, you will not burn up (promise :-)). On a related note... More tests led me to conclude that making long range space-planes will be hard 0.0 In alpha/beta this design could at least pull off a Mun fly-by, now it can just barely do an orbit.