/sci/ - Science & Math

>>12637813

>>12368216
>You know, there is nothing we can do about damage to the [thermal protection system]. If it has been damaged it's probably better not to know. I think the crew would rather not know. Don't you think it would be better for them to have a happy successful flight and die unexpectedly during entry than to stay on orbit, knowing that there was nothing to be done, until the air ran out?
This will forever remain the most heartless and soulless statement ever made in the history of manned spaceflight. On Apollo 13 the greatest minds in the country came together to get those men home, plus other nations like the USSR offered their expertise. For Columbia the NASA management threw all that away for a "hope for the best" mentality