‘Flight Director Jon Harpold said to Hale and others at the meeting, “you know, there is nothing we can do about damage to the TPS (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?”‘
TEN YEARS LATER WE LEARN: NASA KNEW COLUMBIA WOULD NOT SURVIVE RE-ENTRY, BUT DECIDED NOT TO TELL THEM
