The great astronaut bus has to be an emissions-free successor

NASA is looking for a new bus to take astronauts from their habitats to the launch pad. So far this has been followed by the shiny silver Astrovan, which is now technically obsolete.

american space agency NASA Suggestions have been sought from the private sector by the end of October. They should lead to the successor of the previous Astrovan. The iconic, shiny metal bus that has been in use since 1983 and has only one function. It is believed that the astronauts should take a 14.5-kilometer route from their quarters to the launch pad and back from the grounds of the spaceport Kennedy Space Center in the US state of Florida.

The Astrovan is now out of date and has to be replaced with a modern vehicle during the upcoming Artemis mission. NASA can envision an entirely new vehicle as well as converting the existing Astrovan to modern, above all emission-free technology.

It is particularly important to NASA that the new proposals do justice to the importance of the vehicle. like a space agency in your tender It was emphasized that seeing the “shiny silver” Astrovan with its “flashy NASA logo,” which brings “intrepid researchers” to the launch pad, always triggers “pride and excitement.” The authority expects the same from a successor. He must build upon this legacy and “modernize it for a new generation at the same time”.

According to NASA, the proposals should be unique, incorporate new technologies and make Artemis visually accessible to the public. The vehicle should have room for eight people, including four fully equipped crew members. The agency describes further details in a dedicated list of requirements.

moving to a new astrovan is part of it Artemis Mission. With Artemis, NASA will bring “the first woman and the first person of color” to the surface of the Moon and establish a long-term exploration of the Moon in preparation for a manned mission to Mars. That’s what NASA did orion spacecraft And SLS Missile developed. The landing concept is to be complemented by an entrance into lunar orbit.