You can use that argument, but then you get other inconsistencies. For example, why didn't they use the same super[1] fuel of the shuttles to also get them into

You can use that argument, but then you get other inconsistencies. For example, why didn't they use the same super[1] fuel of the shuttles to also get them into earth orbit and use the extra capacity to add fuel for even more launches into orbit? Or if we go further down the plot, think about the gigantic gravity well necessary to create a time dilation of 1hour/7years ~= 10^-5. Instead of going down to this one planet they should easily have been able to visit each of the other 11 planets. [1] The improvements above current technologies would have to be enormous: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition30/tryanny.html http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedi...