http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 1:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 1:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 4:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.edb.utexas.edu/missiontomars/bench/rt.html
85-260 days, depending on route and how long you want to stay there.
FWIT]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 1:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
+1
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Repeat]]>Dec 28th 2008 1:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/-1 for stupid unnecessary comment.]]>Dec 28th 2008 2:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 2:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 11:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
Three conditions need to be met:

1) lots of hydrocarbons (usually from algae, plankton, trees, etc.)
2) porous rock for this mush to build up in as it decays (like shale)
3) oceans or tons and tons of rock and sediment on top of all that to create heat and pressure which turn it into crude.

I doubt Mars ever had enough of any of these to make a difference. I'll toss a bet on Gold, though.
]]>Dec 28th 2008 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
-1 because you probably started with internet explorer.]]>Dec 28th 2008 5:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 29th 2008 1:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 2:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 10:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 11:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
Maybe Lockheed and Boeing will do "budget" rocket launches, similar what the airlines are doing? I can see that now: Got the rockets, add fuel surcharge, 20 ton payload in the package, pay extra for excess baggage... :D]]>Dec 28th 2008 2:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 2:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 29th 2008 2:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
Now, I wouldn't pay 1.6 billion for that. >_> ]]>Dec 28th 2008 5:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
this is insane. they could have just as well given it to me.]]>Dec 28th 2008 5:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/the Falcon tests weren't really accidents, they were tests of the new rocket, and each time they got a better understanding and fixed it, now more than likely all the following Falcon flights will go smoothly
think of it similar to US's first attempts to launch rockets, they were one failure after another, but after they got it right it wasn't so common]]>Dec 28th 2008 1:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
kinda like commenting, try a few more time and eventually you won't fail]]>Dec 29th 2008 1:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/I don't see why people are making jokes over this it's the best story to come across engadget in a long time.
This is big news for commercial spaceflight and vindicates it.
If this works out it will pave the way for lower cost spaceflight which could very well turn out to be one of the most important advancements of the 21st century.
BTW Orbital has a lot of experience and has launched over 90 satellites.
Spacex has designed the first new LV in the US since the EELVs and the first all new LV since the 80s.
Falcon never had any spectacular failures like Atlas and Soyuz did during their development just mostly minor bugs which is part of the process of designing a new vehicle.
Most of the bugs were guidance software related and not due to the Merlin engine which has proven to be very reliable.]]>Dec 28th 2008 5:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 9:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/
it's an INCREDIBLE WASTE of NASA's money, as explained in this article:

http://www.ghostnasa.com/posts/042moneywasted.html

.]]>Dec 28th 2008 7:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 29th 2008 11:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/nasa-taps-orbital-sciences-spacex-for-iss-resupply-missions/Dec 28th 2008 9:28PM