Ah very true. It comes in third in terms of "cool" factor, looking more like something a local retirement home would take to bingo night than something deserving the astrovan name. But I respect it nonetheless.
I can't do these one-sentence-per-paragraph, you-have-zero-attention-span we-have-AI articles. If I wanted LinkedIn I'd go there. This has no right being #1 on HN.
Finding a picture of said astrovan turned out to be a little bit of a chore. Despite being mentioned in the headline, no picture in the article. No picture of the current astrovan on the wiki page (though it was interesting to see the historical models). Had to go to the manufacturer to find any pretty pictures:
"Before NASA sends astronauts to actually land on the Moon in 2028, they need to be absolutely certain that the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System rocket, and all the life-support systems work exactly as intended in the deep space environment where no quick rescue is possible."
They did it 53 years ago. Right? So what’s the problem?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_transfer_van
Notably, not the Chevy Astro / GMC Safari van.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Astro
Both are iconic, but one more than the other
You're already building a rocket. Why add a superflous procurement side quest to that.
https://www.airstream.com/space/
They did it 53 years ago. Right? So what’s the problem?
It's not the new one though. But you'll enjoy this one more.
Video from today: https://x.com/NASAArtemis/status/2039411225205886979
I wonder how long they’ll keep running with Canoo being defunct.
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/kennedy/new-flee...