Wondering how NASA's big new rocket compares? Check this cool graphic

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - NASA and its prime contractors, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and ATK, are furiously working on the space agency's big new rocket as they try to meet a series of tough deadlines in the next few years. Want an easy reference for what they're trying to build? Check the info graphic below, prepared by Karl Tate, a contributor to the online website, last September when the new heavy-lift rocket was announced.

The new rocket system is called the Space Launch System. In NASA-speak, that's SLS, and you'll hear the acronym frequently. SLS consists of the new heavy-lift rocket, a two-version scalable system being designed and tested at Huntsville's Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Orion crew capsule that sits on top. How does it all work? What does it look like? See the graphic below.

Source: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration