"rules can be broken to save human life"
I've seen similiar statements in many orders. Unfortunately, in some cases, lives wouldn't have been lost if the rules weren't broken...someone else would have done the mission. That wasn't the case in this mission, see the thread in the military forum.
I have no intent to condemn the crew for their actions, in fact the contrary. Well done. However, I hope that in the future we all learn from this and remember to consider other means rather than pushing your machine and/or risking your crew when it may not be necessary.
Matthew. (a SAR guy)