01 Suit & strap in
Don launch and entry suits; verify comms and abort handles reachable.
Scores are relative 0–100 marks within this atlas. Use them to browse, not as an engineering spec.
SpeedPractical top speed relative to the other forty-eight types in this atlas.
98
EfficiencyEnergy used per useful trip, relative across the atlas.
12
AccessibilityHow easily an ordinary person can use this mode without special training or wealth.
2
SafetyHow safe the mode is per trip, given normal operation and current regulation.
70
Cultural impactHow deeply this mode has shaped language, status and everyday imagination.
88
Tech disruptionHow much this mode is being rewritten by new technology right now.
80
Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Which local authority or corridor rules matter for this type?
Start with the local lens: type approval, operator licences and the hubs named on this page — not a single global checklist.
Is this a buying guide?
No. Tool-Lifes /vehicles is an educational atlas. It explains history, systems and culture without affiliate rankings.
Are the scores official?
No. The six scores are relative editorial 0–100 marks across the twenty-four types on this site.
Where do the photos come from?
Lead images resolve from Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia titles on the English masters, with licences recorded on the credits page.
Why metric units?
Metric is the default. Regional notes (US customary, local brand culture) appear in culture and market chapters.
How is this different from a wiki article?
Each type gets seven fixed-depth chapters, comparable scores and cross-type labs — structured for browsing, not a single freeform page.
Operating a Crewed capsule is a closed loop: sense, decide, actuate, and stay inside certified envelopes.
Principles and steps here are physics-first; brand procedures differ, but the envelopes are shared.
Principles
Abort envelope
Launch escape covers pad to high altitude regimes with different motor profiles.
G-load on reentry
Lift vector control spreads heating and caps deceleration for crew comfort.
Splashdown vs land
Water landing needs recovery fleet; land landing needs retro rockets and crush structure.
Docking alignment
Relative navigation lidar and manual retargeting share approach corridor.
Microgravity duration
Consumables and radiation exposure cap mission length independent of delta-V.
Diagrams
Launch abort decision
Anomaly detectsense
Abort logicdecide
Escape motorpull
Sep stackfree
Ballistic arcrecover
Reentry to splashdown
Entry interfaceheat
Drogue deployslow
Main chutesdescend
Splashdownland
Recoveryegress
Operating steps
02 Ascent & stage events
Monitor G and abort modes through max-Q and stage sep.
03 Orbit ops & dock
Configure ECLSS; execute phasing burns and soft capture at station.
04 Undock & deorbit burn
Close hatches, jettison trunk if applicable, and align entry interface.
05 Reentry blackout
Maintain attitude through plasma blackout; deploy drogues in sequence.
06 Recovery
Crew egress after stable landing; medical and hardware safing follow.
Hard limits
Crew rating
Human factors and abort coverage certify capsule for people, not just cargo mass.
Landing weather
Wind and sea state windows constrain deorbit timing for water landings.
Radiation limits
Solar particle events may force sheltering in storm conditions beyond design stay.