We speculated about this morbid topic last February. Here's an article from the New York Times about indications the crew survived at least a minute after their last voice transmission. If true, then it seems they had to know something was catestrophically wrong.

The Columbia astronauts lived for almost a minute after their final communication with mission control, well after signs that the craft was in serious trouble, investigators at NASA and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said yesterday.

Investigators are scrutinizing data from an on-board sensor recording system that continued to function far into the breakup of the Columbia for clues about how to improve the survivability of future space vehicles, possibly even the three remaining shuttles.

NASA is planning to disclose more information soon about the fate of the crew, drawing from analysis of debris, information on where the debris was found and data from an on-board data recorder, according to people involved in the investigation.

While some news reports after the Feb. 1 accident suggested that the astronauts died as soon as the shuttle broke apart, the space agency and the investigation board have been circumspect about any such details. Even in the hangar at the Kennedy Space Center, the debris from the crew cabin is laid out separately in a private area, and officials have promised to not disclose what they characterize as morbid details. Records indicate, though, that the crew capsule would have been severely buffeted, and the crew was aware of sensor readings indicating major problems.

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