Dry Reentry with the Dry Ice Engine

Recovering rocket second stages and sample return capsules is usually achieved by heavy duty heatshields and splashing into the ocean. With some reduced load capacity, a dry iced powered rocket engine can be utilized to slow down the rocket stage. Carbon dioxide has the highest vapor pressure as seen on the chart. Storing it as solid is easy, dry ice. The dry ice storage and the nozzle would be outside at the reentry point of the rocket. Dry ice container should have good thermal conductivity and high melting point. Alloys of copper and aluminum can be studied for that. As the pressure inside the dry ice container reaches a certain level the valve would open and release the heated carbon dioxide from the nozzle. There is no need for a chemical reaction to achieve high gas pressure for thrust. Carbon dioxide's very high vapor pressure and the reentry heat is enough. As the dry ice engine produce thrust, the rocket stage would slow down and the dry ice casing temperature stays stable. Therefore, no need for a very high melting temperature requirement for the fuel casing. The remaining of the rocket stage can be light weight heatshield.

At certain altitude the reentry rocket stage or the capsule can be recovered on air by the flying rocket catcher I had proposed earlier. The rocket engines on the rocket catcher allows high speed recovery and slowing down by the heavy-duty parachutes.

Dry landing with the dry ice!