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Come on. NASA hasn't prepared for a shuttle-to-shuttle rescue requiring an unplanned launch on a one-week turnaround, docking or tethering and an EVA involving an entire Shuttle crew. What have you been smoking?

Prior to Saturday, they were hard put to launch a mission every three months with four Shuttles.

Back in the days when DOD had some flights, there was a minimal setup called LON (Launch On Need) but having been out the shuttle areana for about 10 years I don't know if they still have that capability. Given that it would take a many hours to roll-out an orbiter, and even more time to get a crew prepared, and then time involved in fueling, then you gotta count hours to load and test gpc's, etc.

I just don't think that a "rescue" mission would have worked, and that is given that there was even a known problem. As I stated earlier I haven't been involved in shuttle software for some time, but I believe that my arguments have a good foundation.