[SirAllen]

The point is this: if the crew were faced with the choice of remaining in space until they die from lack of life support, or give reentry a try, they would have given reentry a try. Because no matter how many resources NASA used to determine wing damage, there probably would still have remained in the accessment that there was a possiblity of a successful reentry. The bottom line, the same result would have happened except with weeks(days?) of heart-wrenching drama if they had known beforehand, thus being better FOR ALL that it happened the way it did.

[Sonar5]

You are entitled to your opinion but I disagree.

You Said:
"The point is this: if the crew were faced with the choice of remaining in space until they die from lack of life support, or give reentry a try, they would have given reentry a try."

You cannot make that statement, IMHO. None of us can know what Shuttle Commander Husband would have done.

It is not outside the realm of possibility that they could have pushed to a higher orbit and been rescued by another shuttle or even a soyuz. Who Knows. We never will, nor will we know what you are inferring, that of a decision that was never made.

Under your assumption, do you think the families would have liked one more opportunity to say their goodbyes?

You are making an assumption of an event that never occured.

The only ones that know what decision would have been made, and the ones who should have been given the option to make that decision perished in the Columbia.

And by NASA protocal, the fact remains tha all aborts after launch are decided by the flight crew, not the ground crew.

And that decision belongs to Shuttle Commander Husband.

Regards,
Joe