&gt; Also, if you are going to have a potentially rough landing, would you rather do so sitting 6&quot; from a box containing a parachute, or 6&quot; from a tank of rocket fuel?<p>The former, of course.  I agree that a propulsive landing wouldn&#x27;t be likely any time in the near future.  But if it could eventually be shown to be safe (and therefore the quote above doesn&#x27;t apply), I don&#x27;t necessarily agree that it would be more expensive.  You wouldn&#x27;t need large engines or a lot of fuel, as the capsule wouldn&#x27;t be very heavy.  Yes, it would definitely still be more expensive than parachutes in terms of equipment and weight.  However, it would mean you could land right back at your facility, rather than splashing down in the ocean and dealing with retrieval.  When we&#x27;re looking into the future of reusable, commodity space travel, that would be a significant advantage.