The textbook next to Abed in the control room says Sunnydale on the side. Sunnydale is name of the town and the community college in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
This episode is largely a parody of "SpaceCamp": The study group enters a space shuttle simulator and is accidentally "launched" into space (towed off campus).
Abed's story of not being able to take the trip to "space" and needing to help the crew to get back to Greendale spoofs Gary Sinise's sub plot in the movie; the crew getting rescued out of the caravan at the end is similar to the Apollo-crew landing safely back on earth and being welcomed back by a crowd of people in the movie