Challenge: Highest Orbit & Safe Return

[@@]

This is a challenge for the highest circular orbit with a safe return.

The spec are, that you must make 2 complete orbits of Kearth, with no power. Evidence must be taken to prove such great feats. Highest orbit will be measured from the perigee. So radical ellipticals be ware. You must then return to the surface of the planet safely, a safe landing or else! All parachutes deployed, with a m/s of 15 or less will be considered safe, if they blow up upon touch down due to terrain bug. My call. STANDARD PARTS ONLY.

I have no submission for this yet, but I do know my best so far has been a 500k, so I figure others out there can do a lot better.

[Letum]

Well...if you can reach escape velocity and return, than you can orbit at any altitude.

Go to 1,000,000,000k and slow down to 0km/s and you may well be in a very, very slow orbit.

[@@]

Gotta have some horizontal speed. 8)

[Tim_Barrett]

It would take forever to tell if you are in an orbit at some point.

[Letum]

Gotta have some horizontal speed. 8)

Yer, but at extreme altitudes, you need less than 0.00001kms to orbit.

If the reading in 0.0kms, it's likely your just moving very slowly and at very high altitudes, that means you may well be orbiting. Move any faster and you will stop orbiting.

[foamyesque]

Gotta have some horizontal speed. 8)

It's my understanding that right now, gravity is bugged, and turns off after around three hundred thousand kilometres.

As such, no, you don't.

[happy_trauma]

I\'ve created a variation of this challenge, for my own enjoyment. The challenge is: achieve escape velocity, then turn around and re-enter Kearth\'s gravitational pull for a safe return. I\'ve done this using only stock parts (I don\'t have any mods installed). I guess a more interesting variation of the challenge would be to see how far away you can get away from Kearth at escape velocity before turning around and saving the crew.