NASA knew Columbia was going to burn up but decided not to tell the astronauts

[link to www.rawstory.com]

From the article:

When it became clear that the orbiter was seriously damaged and likely wouldn’t survive re-entry, 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?”


WTF?! Couldn't they send up a second shuttle and do spacewalks to rescue the astronauts onboard? Even if that wasn't feasible, didn't the Columbia astronauts deserve to know that their lives were about to be over? That way they could say their goodbyes to their loved ones and say some prayers.