[Ditter]

Have they ever said that they could have gotten Columbia safely down immediately after the foam broke off or was it doomed from that point no matter how long it remained in orbit?

[rabidralph]

During the Challenger investigation, they did say that there is an emergency procedure to bail out of the shuttle before it leaves the atmosphere. So, it's possible that if someone made the call after seeing the foam hit, they could have saved the crew.

[Phil V.]

. . . or was it doomed from that point no matter how long it remained in orbit?

Columbia (as I understand) did not have the fuel required to change orbit to reach the space station. That leaves a rapid launch of another shuttle to rescue . . . another shuttle subject to the same foam risk that doomed Columbia. It would have been a huge roll of the dice to launch another shuttle knowing that the rescue ship was subject to the same risk as the ones that caused structural failure on Columbia.

It would not have been impossible. But I do not see the call being made.

[Prospero]

Actually, O'Keefe said, during an informal news conference on the night of Opportunity's bounce-down, had there been real-time consensus of the actual danger - the terminal danger - that Columbia was in, they would have rolled out Endeavor and, although unprecedented and unplanned and, therefore, dangerous they would have changed launch vectors and performed a rescue mission.

Imagine the activity at the Vehicle Assembly Building as they removed ISS components and rolled out a rendevous mission in 21 days.

Alas, having one vector - to the ISS - and a backup bird ready to roll out will be the norm for what remains of the Shuttle's mission. (One, among many reasons the Hubble will not be serviced, at least as it was in the past).

Alas, had they had better, real-time down-range launch cameras, they would have had time to Abort to Spain or Morocco - something they have planned for since the beginning and have never actually had to perform.

Alas, alas. Quoth Harlow Shapley - "Through Rugged Ways to the Stars."