They got Apollo 13 home with folder covers, duct tape, and incredible hands-on flying skills. Who knows what someone might have thought up for a solution.
Perhaps you have more insight into what might have been accomplished?
Apollo 13 had an intact reentry module. They just had to get it into position and tough it out without freezing or running out of O2. They had a way to get down.
It seems like some here do not appreciate just what reentry actually entails. It ain't a parachute drop.
I await your explanation for what any of that has to do with a viable reentry vehicle, and not just getting into position for reentry?