[chaosagent]

"my idea would have been to transfer Columbia personnel in suits or those spiffy rescue bubbles I heard about years ago (but they probably didn't have aboard Columbia either) out Columbia's rear airlock to Soyuz"

It has been the practice in past not to fly the airlock module on non-EVA flights. I have not heard any thing different on this flight. There would be no way to exit the Shuttle.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Besides, I believe (I could be mistaken here) that the airlock module was not there because the double lab module was on board....