The Voltronic Galaxer was named after Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), which featured Transformer voice actors Neil Ross, Michael Bell, Peter Cullen and Jack Angel.
Professor Haley and his Haley observatory were named after Halley's Comet, which was beginning its once-every-76-years trip through the inner solar system when the episode aired in late 1985.
When launching for the moon trip, Powerglide channels Jackie Gleason by saying, "Bang, zoom, to the moon!"