On Wednesday, NASA tested their solid rocket boosters for their Space Launch System, the super heavy-lift vehicle being designed for NASA's deep space exploration plans to Mars and beyond.

Watch the raw power of one of these bad boys:

The Space Launch System (SLS) has been in the works since 2011. This megarocket is more powerful than the infamous Saturn V that put Americans on the moon, and plans to send "the first woman and the next man" back to the moon by 2024 through the Artemis program, with Mars to follow.

Whether NASA will beat eccentric billionaire Elon Musk and the folks at SpaceX to Mars remains to be seen. One thing's for sure though: NASA has to create a name cooler than the "Space Launch System" if they're going to sell it – especially when Elon is over here naming his vehicles things like "Dragon."

However it plays out, I'm just excited for a good ol' fashioned space race again!

[Starts chanting "USA, USA!"]