Well, see, that’s the thing! I put enough parachutes on, AND made sure I could hit the atmo enough to slowly drag my velocity down to an entry arc, AND had enough fuel to keep my velocity low enough at that point, that I never lost any parts, landed them all and recovered!
Ok, did you ever feel regret when realizing how many items you wasted going for that approach? Just use a reusable booster stage.
Well, see, that’s the thing! I put enough parachutes on, AND made sure I could hit the atmo enough to slowly drag my velocity down to an entry arc, AND had enough fuel to keep my velocity low enough at that point, that I never lost any parts, landed them all and recovered!
I was a horrible designer.
BUT THE FUEL