7 Ways SpaceX Will Get Us To Mars By 2018

5. Getting In With NASA

For all of our bashing of NASA's inefficiencies, they're still a pretty big deal in the world of space travel, and SpaceX's buddying up with them is just another sign that they think big and mean business.

As far as Mars is concerned, SpaceX plans to work with NASA in a "no-exchange-of-funds" arrangement. SpaceX will handle the journey, Martian entry, descent, and landing side of things, and NASA will lend its technical support and communications networks.

This is basically the space travel equivalent of the old sage taking on a brilliant young apprentice and fighting crime with some sweet kung fu or something.

SpaceX has also been delivering payloads to the ISS since 2012, so they're definitely playing with the big boys.