"Once the reactors are removed, to put the ship back in any shape to where it still resembles a ship the cost would be over the moon, " said Maus.

CNN: USS Enterprise sailing off to history's scrap heap

The Space Launch System will be NASA's first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took American astronauts to the moon over 40 years ago.

ENGADGET: NASA's Space Launch System to rocket into deep space, unravel the universe's mysteries (video)