Let's assume we have an honest-to-Heinlein VTVL SSTO, with a bell-like shape for optimized hypersonic aerodynamics.
How would you go about landing such a machine? Would you aerobrake engines-in, or aerobrake with your bow and then flip?
I read an article on Dragon V2, and it mentioned that it would be able to land with parachutes or by burning retrograde and landing on legs. What is the point of burning retrograde when you can just use parachutes and have a lighter craft?