Video: The Airstream Astrovan Helped Take Humans to the Stars

A while back, Wildsam magazine profiled the Clark Cortez as part of its regular Road Icon column. The Cortez was a motorhome that NASA used to shuttle astronauts to the launch pad back in the early 1960s. But it turns out, it wasn’t the only RV that was used in that capacity. During the Space Shuttle era of the 1980s and 902, another vehicle took over those duties. It was the Airstream Astrovan, which is the subject of the fun and fascinating video above. 

The video, which was shot during the 69th annual Airstream Club International Rally in Minot, ND, is hosted by the company’s Content Manager, Jay Cullis, who also serves as Airstream’s unofficial historian. He takes us through the early history of the company, including a look at founder Wally Byam’s fondness for leading RV caravans to some incredibly remote places around the world. Those adventures included a nine-month-long journey from Cape Town, South Africa, to Cairo, Egypt, where participants camped at the base of the pyramids. 

But the main story here is the Astrovan itself, which just so happened to be the first Airstream that Cullis ever saw. As a child, he frequently visited his grandparents in Florida, where he also witnessed two Space Shuttle launches. At the time, the vehicle that carried the crew of those historic missions was a heavily modified 27′ Airstream Excella motorhome, which comfortably took the astronauts from the Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center to the launch pad where the shuttle waited to take them into orbit. 

The original Excella RV had most of the features that we’ve come to know and love in modern vehicles, including a kitchen and a spacious living room. But those two areas were removed and replaced with bench seats with enough room for all of the astronauts and their bulky space suits. The Astrovan did keep the onboard bathroom and refrigerator, however, but the rear was also modified to include a cargo hatch and steps for loading and unloading equipment. 

NASA used the Airstream Astrovan from 1983 to the final Space Shuttle mission in July of 2011. Over that time, the vehicle racked up just 26,500 miles, mostly because it was only used during launch dress rehearsals and on launch day itself. The rig was frequently spotted in the background as the Shuttle crew exited their ground transport to board the spacecraft that would carry them out of the Earth’s atmosphere to conduct their missions. 

The video takes you through much of this history and shares photos that have rarely been seen outside of the Airstream archive. It is definitely worth a watch for anyone who is an Airstream or NASA fan or enjoys RV history. The clip runs about 35 minutes in length, so be sure to get comfortable. It is well worth a watch. And if you’re interested, the Astrovan is still on display for visitors at the Kennedy Space Center.