And of course a whole lot of hope.

Once upon a time we hade heros. Now we have Justin fucking Beiber.

Judging by what was deduced to have happened, it's very remotely possible that just stuffing a woollen jumper into the hole might have made enough of a difference to let them pancake on a flooded saltpan.

When there's nothing to lose, and everything to gain, you attempt the impossible, you don't salvage the mission and wait with bureaucratic indifference for seven people to die in ignorance of their own fate.


Other options were discarded very early in the design process, on the presumption that any disaster would be immediate and catastrophic, OR could be overcome by mounting a rescue mission. However, no serious planning for the latter was ever done.