Photo: r/NASA
It's not often that the automotive and space travel industries intersect in a way that people from both sides of the aisle can appreciate. The old NASA Astrovans immediately pop into mind, but is there anything else out there? Well, as it turns out, there is! Although it's probably not from a place you'd expect. Just take a look at this 1969 Ford Galaxie XL coupe with the 429 cubic-inch V8. At the same time Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were galavanting around the Lunar Sea of Tranquility, this Galaxie was purported to be a support vehicle at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.
In its day, the fourth-generation Ford Galaxie was something like the era's equivalent to the Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7-Series. A large, comfortable, family-oriented runabout that was just as suited to dropping the kids off at school every morning as it was bringing that same family on a cross-country road trip that summer. With a plethora of straight-six and V8 engines ranging in size from 240 cubic inches (3.9 L) up to a colossal 460 cubic inches (7.5 L), the Galaxie was the archetypal large American family car of the day.
With its striking white paint with a black hood flanked by an amber warning light on the vehicle's roof, the outward appearance of this Galaxie sure screams "government vehicle," as do the white-painted steel wheels. But it's only when one peeps the NASA-certified inspection sticker for the Langley Research Center that you get an idea of the kind of life this Galaxie once led decades ago. It's tough to say what kind of work this car found itself involved in all those years ago. Since the original Craigslist advertisement for the vehicle is now deleted, that won't lend us any clues either. But a series of photos posted to Reddit's r/NASA forum, presumably by the current owner, seem to yield more fruitful results.
Testimonies in the comments sections from genuine NASA employees indicate there was indeed research being conducted by Langley on the physics of hydroplaning during the time this Galaxie was at the base. It's because of the research done at Langley as well as elsewhere that all modern automobiles sold in the U.S. Domestic Market come equipped with anti-lock braking systems that prevent spinouts in heavily wet road conditions. It'd be easy to assume this old Ford land barge was utilized either directly or indirectly in this line of work.
Whatever the case, it's hard not to be star-struck by any NASA vehicle that operated at the same time as the Apollo program. Safe to say, whoever owns the car nowadays has some stories to tell every time they have new company over. Hopefully, they're just as into classic cars and space travel as we are.
With its striking white paint with a black hood flanked by an amber warning light on the vehicle's roof, the outward appearance of this Galaxie sure screams "government vehicle," as do the white-painted steel wheels. But it's only when one peeps the NASA-certified inspection sticker for the Langley Research Center that you get an idea of the kind of life this Galaxie once led decades ago. It's tough to say what kind of work this car found itself involved in all those years ago. Since the original Craigslist advertisement for the vehicle is now deleted, that won't lend us any clues either. But a series of photos posted to Reddit's r/NASA forum, presumably by the current owner, seem to yield more fruitful results.
Testimonies in the comments sections from genuine NASA employees indicate there was indeed research being conducted by Langley on the physics of hydroplaning during the time this Galaxie was at the base. It's because of the research done at Langley as well as elsewhere that all modern automobiles sold in the U.S. Domestic Market come equipped with anti-lock braking systems that prevent spinouts in heavily wet road conditions. It'd be easy to assume this old Ford land barge was utilized either directly or indirectly in this line of work.
Whatever the case, it's hard not to be star-struck by any NASA vehicle that operated at the same time as the Apollo program. Safe to say, whoever owns the car nowadays has some stories to tell every time they have new company over. Hopefully, they're just as into classic cars and space travel as we are.
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