[Arkinsaw]

There are various means of saving the crew, but they all require preparation before the launch, and, obviously, none of them were done on this mission. A rather sad way to treat such brave souls. May the Columbia crew RIP.

What various means are available for saving the crew and which ones were not done on this mission?

[TheDon]

They should not use shuttles that are incapable of reaching the ISS for example. Other posters have stated that Columbia can't reach the ISS orbit. If so, they should have retired it. Shuttles should always have enough fuel to reach the ISS.

Also, they have a shuttle ready to launch next month. They can make sure that a followup shuttle is available for rescue missions.

I'm certain the clever engineers of NASA can come up with many other ways to save the crew in a situation like this.