Theastronaut transfer van, known as theAstrovan during theSpace Shuttle era, was aNASA vehicle used at theKennedy Space Center to transportastronauts from theOperations and Checkout Building to the launch pad before a mission and for launch dress rehearsals, and back to the Operations and Checkout Building following a shuttle landing.[1]
According to driver Ronnie King, the early shuttle astronauts liked the history-filled vehicle, even if it was somewhat old, and even argued against upgrading the vehicle. "We were staged to get a new one," King said, and added that word came that the rookie astronauts wanted to keep the vehicle that was a tradition of the astronauts who traveled those nine miles to the pad before them.[1]
During the twenty-minute drive to thelaunch pad for shuttle launches, the Astrovan usually stopped at least once along the way. An astronaut rode with the crew and was let off near theVehicle Assembly Building to board theShuttle Training Aircraft and assess local weather conditions. Senior NASA managers occasionally rode along as well, and were dropped off at theLaunch Control Center.[1]
An Itasca Suncruiser M-22RB was used to transport theSTS-7 andSTS-8 astronauts to the launch pad, as the size of Space Shuttle crews had increased.
A modified 1983Airstream Excellamotorhome, popularly known as the Astrovan, was used fromSTS-9 through the final Space Shuttle mission (STS-135), and is also on display at the KSC Visitor Center.
On October 21, 2019,the Boeing Company andAirstream announced Astrovan II, a modified Airstream Atlas (with aMercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis) touring coach to carry Boeingcommercial crew astronauts to the launch pad where they will board theCST-100 Starliner on their way to theInternational Space Station. Astrovan II has seating for up to eight (including the driver), and was built at Airstream's Jackson Center, Ohio production facility.
On April 13, 2022, NASA announced thatCanoo Technologies Inc would build three new crew transportation vehicles designed to take the fully suited astronauts, their support team, and their equipment on the nine-mile stretch of road from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the launch pad for theArtemis program.[4]
In Russia and China, cosmonauts and taikonauts have always relied on a bus to take them to the Launch Pad.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.