About the resupply missions in "The Martian".

ICBMs have been repurposed in the past to launch satellites

I believe the ICBMs were refurbed in place, they would rotate them thru ready to launch, and down for maintence on a regular basis.

teams would come in and perform maintence

In article ,
says...

ICBMs have been repurposed in the past to launch satellites


You're a broken record Bob. Read the link I posted, you might learn
something.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_(rocket_family)

It would not have been as simple as you suggest. Better to take an EELV
already in the processing flow and re-purpose that for such a mission.
Bigger payload, better orbital insertion accuracy, and etc.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer

In article ,
says...

Jeff Findley wrote:

In article ,
says...

ICBMs have been repurposed in the past to launch satellites


You're a broken record Bob. Read the link I posted, you might learn
something.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_(rocket_family)


I posted the same link, Jeff. We already know by now that once
Bobbert has a pet scheme reality simply doesn't intrude.

Agreed.

I think that going forward, for ISS and pretty much any manned LEO space
travel, two Commercial Cargo providers and two Commercial Crew providers
out to be enough investment in this sort of thing. Having independent,
domestic, backups for each ought to provide the US with assured access
to LEO.

Jeff
--
"the perennial claim that hypersonic airbreathing propulsion would
magically make space launch cheaper is nonsense -- LOX is much cheaper
than advanced airbreathing engines, and so are the tanks to put it in
and the extra thrust to carry it." - Henry Spencer