A quick follow-up to http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/6506/re-entry-heat-shield-alternative 

Instead of looking for an alternative to heat-shield, I'd like to draw an analogy naval tactics I heard about. Back in the 1950s/1960s or thereabouts, in heavy weather, ships stream (or used to stream) oil over the waters for ease of passage. 

Would it be possible for a re-entry capsule to use something similar to reduce it's re-entry velocity to relatively manageable levels? Say, nylon/silk threads/sheet after them - sort of like deploying a drogue, or even the chute. Pack multiple chutes, and discard each in stages as a function of air-speed.

What is the maximum re-entry velocity (I know this will vary depending upon the mass & form of the capsule - but say we're talking about Soyuz TMA?M) that would allow heat generated by passage of air to be dissipated without special shielding?