The saucer shape
Tell me what you think about this idea as a crew return vehicle.
A saucer shape inverted so that the bulge of the saucer is pointed downward during reentry, imagine a frisbee upside down.
A jacket of oil or water keeps the metal from melting and a vacuum layer and other insulation insulates the crew area.
The light wide diameter slows the descent until the saucer flips over at some point and uses the air foil effect like a frisbee or a parachute is deployed while it lands inverted.