This is assuming the top kill goes forward: it's never been tried at this depth, and it might make things worse.

When it was confirmed, this weekend, that the top kill had failed, the news felt more like a blunt blow than a shock.

The "top kill" failed, and the "cut and cap" has already hit a snag.

To blame for the top kill's failure: A broken disk a thousand feet below the ocean floor, according to BP officials.

And BP's "top kill" failed, which means the oil gush could last through the summer.

And it could be another forty-eight hours before we know whether the top kill of the Deepwater Horizon well worked.

If the top kill fails, the company may try to use another giant steel contraption known as a containment dome to trap the spewing oil.

If the top kill fails, which could take two days to ascertain, BP may move on to its next plugging plan: the "junk shot."

We're still waiting for definitive word on whether the top kill has killed the gushing Deepwater Horizon well.

BP announces plan to force feed heavy drilling mud in a project called "top kill".