On September 16th, NASA officially declared the winners for the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCAP) contract, the US attempt to get back into business of manned spaceflight. And who did they choose? Boeing and SpaceX, aka two capsule designs. Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser was left out, most likely because it is an orbiter.
Seriously NASA: are you that scared? :-/
Granted, a capsule is safer during a re-entry because it's rotational symmetry guarantees that it's heat shield will always point into the right direction, an advantage a shuttle will never have. But let's be honest: aligning the spacecraft properly for a re-entry was