I just found another reference where the drag of a cup-shaped object is quoted as 2.3 at http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question...cs/q0231.shtml

so plugging in values of even higher
mass 140,000 LB
Drag = 2.3
cross-section area 280,000 sq ft
density of atmosphere 0.002 kg/m3
gravity 1

produced terminal velocity of 334 ft/sec or 227mph

This would be at high altitude with very thin air. By the time the air is even one third density of ground zero the speed drops to 21 ft/sec or 14mph

My point being the re-entry of a large 140,000LB object from LEO to say the stratosphere needs only a 600 ft diameter chute to arrive at somewhere between 14mph and 227mph at which point an aerodynamic wing can be utilized, with no heating or protective tiles.

So why has this never been tested even with say one of the LOX tanks used to get the NASA shuttlle aloft ?