Because what every good recession needs is a plan to go to space. NASA today announced their new launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), which should be able to take astronauts past the moon to near-Earth asteroids, and eventually to Mars some time in the 2030s.

It’s weird that the 2030s really aren’t that far off. As it is, NASA aims to have the first unmanned test flight in 2017, with the first manned flight in 2021 – and, if all goes well, the first asteroid mission around 2025.

So far as the geek specs go – the SLS is set to use an upgraded version of the Saturn V engine that they used in the Apollo missions, with a multi-stage propulsion system. Thrust will be 10% greater than in the Saturn V models – lifting off with about 3 million kgs of thrust.

All of which sounds fancy and stuff, but rests on the assumption that NASA can come up with the $18 billion it needs to develop the program for the next five years. Good luck, spaceboys.

[Source: NASA]