In the 1960's (I think?) NASA did studies on various emergency situations in preparation for the post-Apollo space stuff that never happened. I remember a zippered inflatable sphere that could be used to EVA a person between vehicles, and I
think there was an inflatable cone-shaped reentry device that got out of orbit, and down to a reasonable altitude, before being discarded and the person used a parachute for landing.
A quick search turns up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Rescue_Enclosure
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracone