Heavy Future: Promising NASA rocket

NASA has officially submitted a draft Space Launch System - extra-heavy launch vehicle for future human missions beyond Earth space - to the moon, asteroids and Mars.

Space Launch System (SLS) is being developed for launch manned spacecraftOrion (read about it: " The Return "Orion" "), as well as the necessary additional cargo, equipment and scientific instruments. In addition, it can take over and some transport functions for the ISS.
The head of NASA, Charles Bolden, promised that the project SLS «will create many new, well-paying jobs, maintain U.S. leadership in space and inspire millions of people around the world" - and added: "If I am proud that flew on the shuttle, the discoverers the future will also dream of flying to Mars. "
It is expected that the support of SLS will use engines running on hydrogen-oxygen propellants: the first stage - the engine of RS-25D / E, whose previous versions were equipped with boats Space Shuttle; second stage - the new engine J-2X (modified J-2 , standing even in the 1970s at the old man Saturn). So what really new missile will not name all of the old layout of this development. But the promises very impressive load capacity - up to 70 tons, and in the expanded version - up to 130 or even 143 m. The first test flight of the sponsors promise to spend at the end of 2017
Apparently, a family of launch vehicles SLS will be as developed in Russia today PH " Angara ", have a modular architecture so that the capacity (and, hence, cost) to be varied, depending on the needs of any particular run. Note that the "Angara" must first take to the air as early as 2013, although this date is postponed for eight (!) Times. However, if the same "Angara" - a project already being implemented, this can be said about the SLS, for which, in addition to the date of 2017 does not provide any sort of specific numbers or plans.
SLS carriers for NASA to become the first pure "research" missiles since the legendary giant Saturn V , which once brought people to the moon. Huge capacity SLS, comparable to the "Saturn", which are still the most powerful of the really used rockets, will open the way for mankind beyond the Moon's orbit - to asteroids, Mars and its satellites. And - who knows - perhaps even to more distant limits.
Note that the "Angara" of such capacity is no different. In this sense, closer to the SLS another promising family of Russian launch vehicles - " Rus-M ", under which may appear super-heavy, with a capacity of up to 100 tons, an option. And when you consider that launches rockets from Russian space centers, located farther from the equator known than American, and the Earth's rotation is not so helps our carriers, the difference in power and all can be, if not zero, then - the vanishing ...