Space & Astronomy/Space and Astronomy (October 1993).iso/mac/TEXT/SHUTTLE/MIS_PROF.TXT

Text File | 1993-02-05 | 95KB | 1,767 lines

"6_2_4_3_2.TXT" (20973 bytes) was created on 01-02-89

MISSION PLANNING

        As might be expected, crew training and planning for a particular
Space Shuttle mission are closely intertwined.  The key elements of
mission planning outline specific crew activities and essential
flight support functions.  The effort, like astronaut training, is
directed by NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, Mission
Operations Directorate (MOD).  The degree of thoroughness of this
planning probably can best be described as mind boggling.  Since crew
activity planning is the analysis and development of when and what
activities are to be performed on a specific mission, the end result
is a minute-by-minute timeline of each crewmember's activities.

        A second aspect of mission planning is operations support planning.
This is a detailed analysis of flight requirements and ground flight
control operations essential to support a proposed mission.  One part
of this activity includes reviewing flight controller documentation
and up-dating it when flight requirements call for up-date.  This
comprehensive review includes numerous basic Space Shuttle operations
documents including:

        %       Space Transportation System Flight Rules
        %       Console Handbooks
        %       Command Plans
        %       Communications and Data Plans
        %       Mission Control and Tracking Network Support Plans
        %       Systems Operating Procedures
        %       Operations and Maintenance Instructions
        %       Flight Control Operations Handbooks
        %       Flight Software Documentation

        Other important flight planning work is done by the MOD's Flight
Design and Dynamics Division.  Here, a mission's flight  profile is
developed, and flight analysis and the design and production of
mission planning products is accomplished.  Briefly, some of the
major activities of this organization include:

%       Assessment of a specific flight with particular emphasis on ascent
performance.

%       Flight design analysis leading development of flight design ground
rules and constraints

%       Commit-to-flight certification for flight readiness.

%       Development of guidance, navigation and control software as well as
products to reconfigure the Mission Control Center and the Shuttle
Mission Simulators (SMSs) for specific flight operations.

%       Trajectory, navigation and guidance design, as well as performance
analyses for ascent, orbit shaping, separation and collision
avoidance, payload deployment, rendezvous, proximity operations and
descent and landing operations.

%       Development of checklists for ascent, rendezvous proximity
operations and crew descent procedures.

%       Development of flight programs for the Shuttle Portable OnBoard
Computer (SPOC) for flight.

%       Preparation of operating procedures, console handbooks, flight
mission rules and other operational documentation to support flight
operations.

        Payload Integration Process Overview.  The first step in developing
integration procedures for payloads belonging to a user organization
-- a private or governmental organization -- is an administrative one
in which the organization submits a Request for Flight Assignment
Form l628 to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  If the request is
approved, there is set in motion a series of actions that ultimately
lead to space flight.  These actions include signing of a launch
services agreement, development of a payload integration plan,
preparation of engineering designs and analyses, safety analysis and
flight readiness.

        Finally, there is the actual Shuttle mission, spacecraft deployment
or experiment activity, ending in data analysis and distribution.

        The two most important phases of payload integration planning
include the development of the formal agreements between the user and
NASA and the implementation of these agreements.  Other
considerations involved in payload integration planning include
safety reviews of all phases of the mission, such as payload design,
flight operations, ground support equipment design and overall ground
operations.  These preparations are reviewed by a NASA safety panel
working with the user to assess the complexity, technical maturity
and hazard potential of a specific payload and mission plan.

        Cargo Integration and Manifest Development.  The integration
procedures for a Shuttle payload begin with a preliminary flight
assessment and continue through the requirements development phase
with each user.  After the preliminary launch and services agreements
are signed, a series of cargo compatibility assessments are made.
This information is presented to the user and NASA management at a
formal meeting called the Cargo Integration Review.

        Meanwhile, when to schedule a user's payload for flight is the
responsibility of the Flight Assignment Working Group (FAWG) at JSC.
The user's requirements are assessed and other payloads, with
compatible orbital requirements and configurations, are placed on the
launch manifest together, if space and weight constraints permit.
This preliminary flight assessment manifest then is reviewed at KSC
to permit development of a ground processing flow schedule to
establish a realistic launch date for

        These purely administrative activities continue after the
preliminary flight assessment schedule is published.  NASA then does
a preliminary cargo engineering analysis to confirm that the proposed
cargo elements are compatible with each other and the capabilities of
the Shuttle system itself.  These important analyses are based on
information contained in the Payload Integration Plan (PIP) and its
annexes.  Cargo engineering and preliminary flight analyses must be
ready early enough to permit completion of detailed hardware
requirements for the mission.  All of this information is evaluated
at a Cargo Integration Review meeting.  If it is agreed that all
requirements have been met, final flight operations plans are then
prepared.

        Flight operations planning includes final flight design, any
modifications needed in the Mission Control Center (MCC) or the
user's Payload Operations Control Center (POCC), and detailed crew
training programs.  These items are then formally reviewed by the
Flight Operations Review Board, still another level in the
comprehensive process of getting ready for a mission.

        Finally, the payloads or cargo for a specific mission undergo their
final checkouts before launch.  The user or owner of the payload is
responsible for verifying the payload compatibility and functional
interfaces before payload processing procedures start.  NASA, on the
other hand, is responsible for verifying the compatibility of the
integrated cargo.

        Just before a payload is installed in the Shuttle's payload bay, a
Payload Readiness Review is held at KSC.  This review, one of the
last in a long process, assesses the readiness of the the Shuttle and
the payload for what are called the "payload on-line integration
activities."

        The last major cargo/Shuttle review prior to launch is the Flight
Readiness Review which verifies that all integration operations have
been completed satisfactorily and gives final certification that the
flight elements are ready to go.

        Shuttle Cargo Capability.  The allowable cargo weight for a Space
Shuttle flight is a function of the various operational activities
and the type of mission being conducted.  The allowable cargo weight
is constrained by either ascent performance or landing weight limits
if a payload such as Spacelab is returned to Earth.  It also may be
affected by such other factors such as orbital altitude, orbital
inclination, mission duration and rendezvous requirements.

        Payload control weight is another term used for Shuttle cargo
allowances.  It includes the weight of the payload itself, plus any
airborne support equipment and payload-unique hardware, as well as
the weight of payload specialists, their personal equipment and
provisions up to a limit of 490 pounds per individual.  Payload
weight control is an important item in the PIP, and increases only
can be made by a specific agreement amending the original PIP.

        Cargo weight is defined as the payload control weight plus the
weight of the attached hardware used to secure the payload to the
orbiter.  Allowable cargo weight is determined by altitude and
orbital inclination.  For example, on a standard inclination of 28.45
degrees, maximum cargo weight capability in a circular orbit at an
altitude of 100 nautical miles is about 55,000 lb.  This capability
decreases with altitude and falls to about 40,000 lb.  in a 300-mile
circular orbit.  At the higher inclination of 57 degrees (also a
standard inclination), cargo weight capability is 40,000 lb.  in a
100-mile circular orbit.  This decreases to slightly over 20,000 lb.
in a 320-mile-high orbit.  These weights are those for a nominal
ascent for what is described as a "simple, short duration, satellite
deploy mission."

        The allowable cargo weight also is constrained by landing weight
limits.  For spacecraft deployment missions in which the payload or
payloads remain in orbit, the orbiter abort landing weight limit is a
constraining factor.  Although nominal-end-of mission landing weight
applies to all flights, it is only a constraint consideration if a
major portion of the payload is returned to Earth.

        For orbiters Discovery (OV-103) and Atlantis (OV-104) and the
unnamed OV-105 under construction, the abort landing weight
constraints cannot exceed 50,500 lb.  of allowable cargo on the
so-called simple satellite deployment missions.  For longer duration
flights with attached payloads, the allowable cargo weight for
end-of-mission or abort situations is limited to 25,000 lb.  For
Columbia (OV-102), however, these allowable cargo weights are reduced
by 8,400 lb.

        In November 1987, NASA announced that the allowable end-of- mission
total landing weight for Space Shuttle orbiters had been increased
from the earlier limit of 211,000 lb.  to 230,000 lb.  The higher
limit was attributed to an on-going structural analysis and
additional review of forces encountered by the orbiter during
maneuvers just before touch down.  This new capability increases the
performance capability between lift capacity to orbit and the
allowable return weight during reentry and landing.  Thus, the
Shuttle will be able to carry a cumulative weight in excess of
100,000 lb.  of additional cargo through 1993.  This additional
capability is expected to be an important factor in delivering
materials for construction of the Space Station.  Moreover, the new
allowable landing weights are expected to aid in relieving the
payload backlog which resulted from the STS 51-L Challenger accident.

        Payload Accommodations.  The Space Shuttle has three basic payload
accommodation categories.  These are dedicated, standard and middeck
accommodations.

        Dedicated payloads up the entire cargo-carrying capacity and
services of the orbiter such as the the Spacelab and some Department
of Defense payloads.

        Standard payloads -- usually geosynchronous communications
satellites -- are the primary type of cargo carried by the Shuttle.
Normally, accommodations are available in the payload bay for up to
four standard payloads per flight.  Space is allocated based on
specific requirements of a payload and load factors.

        Middeck payloads-small, usually self-contained packages - are stored
in compartments on the middeck.  These are often
manufacturing-in-space or small life sciences experiments.

        For standard-type payloads, the payload bay has structural support
points along its length for payload mounting fixtures provided by the
user.  Payloads can be supported by attach fittings at 248 locations
along both sides of the payload bay.  There are 104 attach points
along the payload bay floor at the orbiter's keel centerline.  For
deployable payloads, active fittings are used.  The attachment
provisions are adaptable to various payload designs and provide load
reaction and strain isolation between the orbiter and the payload
itself.  The most common attachment devices are known as the three-
and five-point types.

        The avionics services for standard payloads -- power, command and
data services are provided through what is called a standard mixed
cargo harness (SMCH).  The harness consists of cables which are
routed to a payload through wire trays located on either side of the
payload bay.  Cables on the right or starboard side of the payload
bay area contain the electrical interfaces -- plugs -- while those on
the left or port side provide signal and control interfaces.  It is
possible to access the SMCH from the cable trays at almost any
location along the payload bay sides.

        Electrical power from the orbiter to the payloads is distributed
through the standard interface panel.  A nominal of 28 volt direct
current is available during ground operations, ascent, orbital
operations, and descent.  During prelaunch operations up to 250 watts
of power is available to perform payload checkouts.  During ascent or
descent, the amount of continuous power available to payloads is 250
watts maximum.  Higher power levels are available for brief periods
to facilitate payload checkout or to accommodate active operations,
especially payload deployments.

        A variety of command services are available for payloads either from
the orbiter itself, the MCC or from the POCC.  Ground-originated
commands to payloads are relayed through the orbiter's communications
system.  If necessary, the flight crew can send payload commands,
through the standard switch panel or by placing command instructions
through the keyboard into the orbiter's avionics system.

        Monitoring and processing payload data can be done on board the
orbiter, through the MCC or the user POCC.  Payload telemetry is
funnelled through the orbiter's communications to the MCC or the
POCC.  Eventually, the operational Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
System (TDRSS) -- the space network -- will make payload data
available for practically an entire orbit which is not the case with
ground tracking stations.

        The standard payload data recording capability on board the orbiter
includes three parallel tape recording channels, one analog and two
digital.  Ten-minute segments of recording time are available during
ascent, payload deployment and descent.

        Timing services for standard payloads include one mission elapsed
time (MET) signal and two Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) signals in what
is known as the interrange instrumentation Group- B (IRIG-B) modified
code format.

        The orbiter's thermal accommodations for payloads provide nominal
thermal environments which meet the requirements of practically all
standard payloads.  During prelaunch and postlanding operations, the
payload bay "purge" provides limited thermal conditioning.  The
actual thermal environment depends on a number of factors including
the thermal interactions between the orbiter and the payloads.  For
mixed cargo payloads, the payload design must be compatible with
standard purge and attitude requirements.

        The pointing capability of the orbiter at an inertial attitude is a
remarkable plus or minus one degree.  For dedicated flights -- those
with a single payload -- the selected attitude can be maintained as
long as the thermal constraints of the orbiter itself are not
exceeded.  For mixed standard cargos, a given attitude cannot be
maintained longer than the standard mixed cargo thermal criteria
allow, unless specified in the payload integration plan.

        Small Payload Accommodations.  Small payloads mounted in the payload
bay do not need the full range of accommodations required for large,
standard payloads.  Small payloads can be mounted in either a
side-mounted or an across-the-bay configuration.  In the side-mounted
method, the payload is mounted on a side wall payload carrier.  This
only can be done on the right or starboard side of the payload bay.
In the across-the-bay configuration, the payload is mounted on a
structure provided by the payload user which is attached to an
avionics outlet similar to the ones used by standard payloads.

        The maximum electrical power available for small payloads, during
pre-launch checkout and orbital operations, is l,400 watts or a
nominal 28 volts of direct current.  During high power use by other
payloads on board -- especially during deployment of standard
payloads -- electrical power for small payloads may be cut to 300
watts.

        Small payloads can be commanded by limited discrete commands from
the flight crew or by serial digital commands originating from user's
POCC and relayed to the payload through the MCC.  Command services
are available on a time-shared basis with the orbiter and other
payload operations.

        Data processing and display is done on the orbiter and at the user's
POCC.  Telemetry data is made available at the user's POCC on a
time-shared basis with other on board payloads.

        The critically-important timing information for small payloads is
available from one MET signal and through the IRIG-B in modified code
format, similar to that available to standard payloads.

        Small payload thermal conditions are those experienced in payload
bay thermal environments.  NASA recommends that small payloads be
designed with a self-contained thermal control system and that the
thermal attitude capability be essentially equivalent to that of the
orbiter.

        Middeck Payload Accommodations.  In addition to the payload bay
area, the Space Shuttle can accommodate small payloads in the middeck
of the crew compartment.  This location is ideal for payloads that
require a pressurized crew cabin environment or must be operated
directly by the crew.  Another advantage of the middeck is that small
payloads can be stowed on board shortly before launch and they can be
removed quickly and easily after landing.

        Middeck payloads are stored in small, 2-cubic-foot lockers.  Each
locker can hold up to 60 lb.  of cargo.  Moreover, trays with
dividers can be installed to divide each locker into 16 compartments.
 Payload hardware that replaces one or more lockers -- using standard
locker mounting locations -- also can be accommodated.

        Electrical power available for middeck payloads during on- orbit
operations ranges up to 5 amps of nominal 28-volt direct current.
Continuous power used by a middeck payload is limited to 115 watts
for no more than 8 hours or no more than 200 watts peak for periods
of 10 seconds or less.  For middeck payloads that require electrical
power, standard cables are available for routing power from utility
outlets to the payload.  The heat load from middeck experiments is
dissipated into the crew compartment.

        Command and monitoring of middeck payloads is limited to internal
controls, displays and data collection capabilities built into the
payloads.  Remote Manipulator System

        The remote manipulator system (RMS) is the Canadian-built mechanical
arm component of the payload deployment and retrieval system (PDRS).
It is used for payload deployment, retrieval, special handling
operations and orbiter servicing activities.  The arm is 50 ft., 3
in.  long and is mounted along the left or port side of the payload
bay, outside a 15-ft.  diameter envelope reserved for cargo.  The RMS
has proven to be a versatile and invaluable instrument for Shuttle
operations.

        Crew Related Services.  To support payload missions, members of the
flight crew can provide unique ancillary services in three specific
areas.  These are extravehicular activity (EVA), intravehicular
activity (IVA) and in-flight maintenance (IFM).

        Extravehicular activity refers to those activities during which crew
members don pressurized space suits and life support systems, leave
the orbiter cabin and perform various payload- related activities in
the vacuum of space, frequently outside the payload bay -- becoming,
in effect, human satellites.  The requirements for performing EVAs
are spelled out in the PIP.

        IVA includes all activities during which crew members dressed in
space suits and using life support systems perform hands-on
operations "internal to a customer-supplied crew module." The
requirements for performing IVA also are specified in the PIP.  (IVAs
performed in the Spacelab do not require crew members to dress in
space suits with life support systems.)

Finally, IFM is any off-normal, on-orbit maintenance or repair action
conducted to repair a malfunctioning payload.  In- flight maintenance
procedures, for planned payload maintenance or repair, are developed
before a flight and often involve EVA.


"6_2_4_3_3.TXT" (19045 bytes) was created on 01-02-89

ASTRONAUT SELECTION AND TRAINING

        The first group of astronauts -- known as the Mercury seven -- was
selected by NASA in 1959.  Since then ll other groups of astronaut
candidates have been selected.  Through the end of 1987, there have
been 172 graduates of the astronaut program.

        With the advent of the Space Shuttle, the first astronaut candidates
for that program -- 35 in all -- were selected in January 1978.  They
began training at JSC the following June.  The group consisted of 20
mission specialists and 15 pilots and included six women and four
members of minority groups.  They completed their 1-year basic
training program in August 1979.

        Since then, four additional groups of pilots and mission specialists
were selected to become members of the astronaut corps.  They
included 19 selected in July 1980, 17 in July 1984, 13 in August 1985
and 15 in June 1987.  In addition, a new crew category, the payload
specialist, was added to meet expanded capabilities of the Space
Shuttle program.

        The astronaut candidate program is an ongoing and NASA accepts
applications from qualified individuals -- from both civilian and
military walks of life -- on a continuing basis, selecting candidates
as needed for the rigorous, 1-year training program directed by JSC.
Upon completing the course, successful candidates become regular
members of the astronaut corps.  Usually they are eligible for a
flight assignment about 1 year after completing the basic training
program.

        Pilot Astronauts.  Early in the U.S.  manned space program, jet
aircraft and engineering training were prerequisites for selection as
an astronaut.  Today, scientific education and experience are equally
important prerequisites in selecting both pilots and mission
specialists.

        Pilot astronauts play a key role in Shuttle flights, serving as
either commanders or pilots.  During flights, commanders are
responsible for the vehicle, the crew, mission success and safety --
duties analogous to those of the captain of a ship.  Shuttle
commanders are assisted by pilot astronauts who are second in command
and whose primary responsibilities involve controlling and operating
the Shuttle.  During flights, commanders and pilots usually assist in
spacecraft deployment and retrieval operations using the RMS arm or
other payload-unique equipment on board the Shuttle.

        To be selected as a pilot astronaut candidate an applicant must meet
a number of basic qualification requirements.  A bachelor's degree in
engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics is
required.  A graduate degree is desired, although not essential.  The
applicant must have had at least l,000 hours flying time in jet
aircraft.  Experience as a test pilot is desirable, but not required.
 All applicants -- pilots and missions specialists -- must be
citizens of the United States.

        Physically, an applicant must pass a strict physical examination and
have a distant visual acuity no greater than 20/50 uncorrected,
correctable to 20/20.  Blood pressure, while sitting, must be no
greater than 140 over 90.  An applicant also must also be between 64"
to 76" tall.

        Mission Specialist Astronauts.  Mission specialist astronauts,
working closely with the commander and pilot, are responsible for
coordinating on board operations involving crew activity planning,
use and monitoring of the Shuttle's consumables (fuel, water, food,
etc.), and conducting experiment and payload activities.  They are
required to have a detailed knowledge of Shuttle systems and the
"operational characteristics, mission requirements and objectives and
supporting systems for each of the experiments to be conducted on the
assigned missions." Mission specialists perform on-board experiments,
spacewalks (called extravehicular activity (EVA) and payload handling
functions involving the RMS arm.

        The basic physical qualifications for selection as a mission
specialist astronaut are the same as those for pilots, except that
uncorrected visual acuity can be as high as 20/100, correctable to
20/20.  A candidate's height can range from 60" to 76".

        Academically, applicants must have a bachelor's degree in
engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics plus
at least 3 years of related and progressively responsible
professional experience.  An advanced degree can be substituted for
part or all of the experience requirement, 1 year for a master's
degree and 3 years for a doctoral degree.

        Payload Specialists.  This newest category of Shuttle crew member,
the payload specialist, is a professional in the physical or life
sciences or a technician skilled in operating Shuttle-unique
equipment.  Selection of a payload specialist for a particular
mission is made by the payload sponsor or customer.  For
NASA-sponsored spacecraft or experiments requiring a payload
specialist, the specialist is nominated by an investigator working
group and approved by NASA.

        Payload specialists for major non-NASA payloads or experiments are
selected by the sponsoring organization.  payload specialists do not
have to be U.S.  citizens.  However, they must meet strict NASA
health and physical fitness standards.

        In addition to intensive training for a specific mission assignment
at a company plant, a university or government agency, the payload
specialist also must take a comprehensive flight training course to
become familiar with Shuttle systems, payload support equipment, crew
operations, housekeeping techniques and emergency procedures.  This
training is conducted at JSC and other locations, as required.
Payload specialist training may begin as much as 2 years before a
flight.

        Since the STS 51-L accident, the payload specialist program has been
under review by NASA and a decision is pending on whether to continue
with this special crew member category.

        Astronaut Training.  Astronaut training is highly specialized and
requires the efforts of literally hundreds of persons and numerous
facilities.  It is conducted under the auspices of JSC's Mission
Operations Directorate.

        As manned space flight programs have become more sophisticated over
the years so too has the complex and length training process needed
to meet the demands of operating the Space Shuttle.

        Initial training for new candidates consists of a series of short
courses in aircraft safety, including instruction in ejection,
parachute and survival to prepare them in the event their aircraft is
disabled and they have to eject or make an emergency landing.  Pilot
and mission specialist astronauts are trained to fly T-38
high-performance jet aircraft, which are based at Ellington Field
near JSC.

        Flying these aircraft, pilot astronauts are able to maintain their
flying skills and mission specialists are able to become familiar
with high-performance jets.

        In the formal academic areas, the novice astronauts are given a full
range of basic science and technical courses, including mathematics,
Earth resources, meteorology, guidance and navigation, astronomy,
physics and computer sciences.

        Basic knowledge of the Shuttle system, including payloads, is
obtained through lectures, briefings, text books and flight
operations manuals.  Mockups of the orbiter flight and middecks, as
well as the mid-body, including a full-scale payload bay, train
future crew members in orbiter habitability, routine housekeeping and
maintenance, waste management and stowage, television operations and
extravehicular activities.

        As training progresses, the student astronauts gain one-on- one
experience in the single systems trainers (SST) located in Building 4
at JSC.  The SSTs contain computer data bases with software allowing
students to interact with controls and displays like those of a
Shuttle crew station.  Here they can develop work procedures and
react to malfunction situations in a Shuttle-like environment.

        Learning to function in a weightless or environment is simulated in
aircraft and in an enormous "neutral buoyancy" water tank at JSC.

        Aircraft weightless training is conducted in a modified KC- 135
four-engine jet transport.  Flying a parabolic course, the aircraft
is able to create up to 30 seconds of weightlessness when flying a
parabolic maneuver.  During this rather brief period of time,
astronauts can practice eating and drinking as well as use various
kinds of Shuttle-type equipment.  Training sessions in the KC-135
normally last from 1 to 2 hours, providing an exciting prelude to the
sustained weightless experience of space flight.

        Longer periods of weightlessness are possible in the neutral
buoyancy tank, officially called the Weightless Environment Training
Facility (WETF), in Building 29 at JSC.  Here, a full- scale mockup
of the orbiter payload bay and airlock can be placed in the
25-foot-deep water tank permitting extended training periods for
practicing EVA -- space walks -- by trainees wearing pressurized EVA
suits.

        The facility also is an essential tool for the design, testing and
development of spacecraft and EVA crew equipment.  In addition, it
makes possible evaluation of payload bay body restraints and
handholds, permits development of various crew procedures and,
perhaps most importantly, helps determine an astronaut's EVA
capabilities and workload limitations.

        Other major operations training facilities at JSC include the
Computer-Aided Instructional Trainer (CAIT) in Building 4, which
fills the gap between textbook lessons and more complex trainers and
simulators; the Crew Software Trainer (CST) used to demonstrate
orbiter software capabilities before students go on to the SSTs; the
Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) described earlier; the Orbiter Crew
Compartment Trainer in Building 9A, used to train crew members for
most of their on-orbit duties; as well as engineering mockups of
orbiter work stations, the Spacelab and the remote manipulator system.

        Most of these training facilities also are used by regular members
of the astronaut corps to help them maintain proficiency in their
areas of specialization.

        Since the orbiter lands on a runway much like a high- performance
aircraft, pilot astronauts use conventional and modified aircraft to
simulate actual landings.  In addition to the T-38 trainers, the
four-engine KC-135 provides experience in handling large, heavy
aircraft.  Pilot astronauts also use a modified Grumman Gulfstream
II, known as the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), which is configured
to simulate the handling characteristics of the orbiter.  It is used
extensively for landing practice, particularly at the Ames-Dryden
Flight Research Facility (DFRF) in California and at KSC's Shuttle
Landing Facility.

        Advanced Training.  Advanced training follows the 1-year basic
training course for new astronauts.  The Mission Operations
Directorate's Flight and Systems Branches at JSC direct this advanced
training which includes 16 different course curricula covering all
Shuttle- related crew training requirements.  The courses range from
guidance, navigation and control systems to payload deployment and
retrieval systems.  This advanced training encompasses two specific
types of instruction.  These are system-related and phase-related
training.

        The bulk of system-related training is carried out in the various
low and medium fidelity trainers and computer-aided instructional
trainers at JSC.  This approach permits self-paced, interactive
programmed instruction for both initial and refresher systems
training.  Systems instructors provide one-on-one training by
controlling simulator software, setting up staged malfunctions and
letting the trainee solve them.

        System training is designed to provide instruction in orbiter
systems.  It is not related to a specific mission or its cargo.  It
is designed to familiarize the trainee with a feel for what it's like
to work and live in space.  Generally, systems training is completed
before an astronaut is assigned to a mission.

        As its name implies, the second type of advanced training,
phase-related training, concentrates on the specific skills an
astronaut needs to perform successfully in space.  This training is
conducted in the SMS, which is the primary facility for training
astronauts in all phases of a mission from liftoff to landing.

        Phase-related training continues after a crew is assigned to a
specific mission, normally about 7 months to 1 year before the
scheduled launch date.

        From this point on, crew training becomes more structured and is
directed by a training management team.  At any one time, there are
nine structured Shuttle Mission Simulator teams operating at JSC.
Each is assigned to a specific Shuttle flight.  These specialized
teams are responsible for directing the remaining advanced training
needed for a specific flight.  This includes what is described as
"stand-alone training and flight-specific integrated and joint
integrated training." It involves carefully developed scripts and
scenarios for the mission.  This intensive training is designed to
permit the crew to operate as a closely integrated team, performing
normal flight operations according to a flight timeline.

        At about 10 weeks before a scheduled launch, the crew begins what
are called "flight-specific integrated simulations, designed to
provide a dynamic testing ground for mission rules and flight
procedures." Just as during a real mission, the crew works at
designated stations interacting with the flight control team who man
their positions in the operationally-configured MCC.

        These final pre-launch segments of training are called integrated
and joint integrated simulations and normally include the payload
users' operations control centers.  Everything from EVA operations to
interaction with the tracking networks can be simulated during these
training sessions.

        The integrated simulations are directed by a simulation supervisor,
who is referred to as the "sim sup," assisted by a team of
flight-specific instructors who direct and observe the simulations,
evaluate crew and controller responses to malfunctions and other
flight-unique situations.  This final intensive training joint
crew/flight controller effort is carried out in parallel with the
complex and extensive activity called mission planning.

        Shuttle Mission Simulator.  The Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) is
the primary system for training Space Shuttle crews.  Located in
Building 5 at JSC, it is described as the only high-fidelity
simulator capable of training crews for all phases of a mission
beginning at T-minus 30 minutes, including such simulated events as
launch, ascent, abort, orbit, rendezvous, docking, payload handling,
undocking, deorbit, entry, approach, landing and rollout.

        The unique simulator system can duplicate main engine and solid
rocket booster performance, external tank and support equipment and
interface with the MCC.  The SMS construction was completed in 1977
at a cost of about $100 million.  The SMS, is operated for NASA by
the Link Flight Simulation Division of The Singer Co., Binghamton,
N.Y.

        Major components of the SMS are two orbiter cockpits, one called the
motion-base crew station (MBCS) and the other the fixed-base crew
station (FBCS).  Each is equipped with the identical controls,
displays and consoles, of an actual orbiter.  Although in many ways
more complex, the crew station simulators are similar to the trainers
used for commercial airline pilots.

        The MBCS is configured for Shuttle commander and pilot positions.
It operates with motion cues supplied by a modified
6-degree-of-freedom motion system providing motion simulation for all
phases of a flight from launch to descent and landing.  A special
tilt frame provides a 90-degree upward tilt that simulates
acceleration of liftoff and ascent.

        The FBCS is configured for the commander, pilot, mission specialist
and payload operations crew positions.  While it does not simulate
motion, it does have navigation, rendezvous, remote manipulator and
payload accommodation systems configured to simulate specific payload
activities planned for future missions.  The FBCS is located on an
elevated platform and it is entered through a hatch like the one on
the orbiter.  During long-duration mission simulations water and food
are provided in the FBCS.

        Visual simulations for the two training stations are provided by
four independent digital image generation (DIG) systems.  The DIG can
display scenes for every phase of a Shuttle mission from pre-launch
pad views to landing and rollout on the runway.  The views are
displayed in color in the six orbiter forward windows of the two
stations, while the overhead and two aft widows have a green hue.
The Earth, sun, moon and stars are included in these visual scenes.
A closed circuit television display provides proper spatial ordering
of moving objects for aft window and closed circuit TV fields of
view.  The closed circuit TV also permits viewing the payload through
fixed cameras or through cameras mounted on remote manipulator arms.
This is important for payload deployment and retrieval training.

        Computer-generated sound simulations come from hidden loudspeakers
which duplicate those experienced during an actual flight, including
the onboard pumps, blowers, mechanical valves, aerodynamic
vibrations, thruster firings, pyrotechnic explosions, gear deployment
and runway touchdown.

        SMS instructors at consoles act as devil's advocates in devising
scenarios of systems failures or other circumstances to which
astronaut crews and flight control teams must react.  There are about
6,800 malfunction simulations that can be activated from the
instructor consoles.  Both SMS trainers can be used separately or in
integrated simulations linked to flight control teams in the MCC.

        Two independent computer facilities comprise the SMS computer
system.  Each has a Univac 110/40 host computer containing a majority
of the mathematical modes used for simulated flights.  Fourteen
microcomputers perform data collection and transfer as well as other
functions.  There are two simulation interface devices (called SIDs)
that communicate with flight computer systems.  The flight computer
systems, like those actually on the Shuttle, are five IBM AP 101s.
Finally, four DIG computers and various input/output processors
complete the basic SMS computer system.

        The SMS can be interfaced with other simulators to duplicate various
Shuttle missions.  The European Space Agency's Spacelab Simulator
(SLS), also in Building 5, is one of these.

        The SMS design is modular which allows easy installation of update
kits as well as specialized mission and payload simulation kits.

        SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING


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SPACE SHUTTLE PROCESSING


        Launch Processing System.  Space Shuttle processing, checkout and
countdown procedures are more automated and streamlined than those of
earlier manned space flight programs thanks to the Launch Processing
System (LPS).  This unique system automatically controls and performs
much of the Shuttle processing from the arrival of individual
components and their integration, to launch pad operations and,
ultimately, the launch itself.

        The LPS consists of three basic subsystems: the Central Data
Subsystem (CDS) located on the second floor of the Launch Control
Center (LCC), the Checkout, Control and Monitor Subsystem (CCMS)
located in in the firing rooms and the Record and Playback Subsystem
(RPS).

        The CDS consists of large-scale computers which store such vital
data as test procedures, vehicle processing data, a master program
library, historical data, pre- and post-test data analysis as well as
other essential information.  This information is automatically
available to the smaller capacity computers of the CCMS.

        Actual processing and launch of the Space Shuttle is controlled by
the CCMS.  These tasks are accomplished by using computer programs to
monitor and record the pre-launch performance of all Shuttle
electrical and mechanical systems.  Command signals from the
subsystem computer are sent to hundreds of components and test
circuits.  While a vehicle component is functioning, a sensor
measures its performance and sends data back to the LPS.  The data is
compared against the checkout limits stored in the system's computer
memory.  Pre-determined measurements related to test requirements
launch commit criteria and performance specifications are stored in
the CCMS computers.

        Finally, the RPS, mentioned above, records unprocessed Shuttle
instrumentation data during test and launch countdowns.  This data
can be played back for post-test analysis when firing room engineers
are troubleshooting Shuttle or LPS problems.

        RPS consists of tape records, telemetry demultiplexing equipment,
chart recorders and computers to provide data reduction capabilities.

        Solid Rocket Booster Processing Facilities.  After a Space Shuttle
launch, the expended solid rocket boosters (SRB) are parachuted into
the Atlantic Ocean off shore from the Complex 39 launch site.  The
boosters are retrieved by recovery vessels and towed back to
facilities on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) where they
are taken apart and cleaned.

        The empty propellant-carrying segments are taken then to booster
processing facilities at Complex 39 where they are inspected, packed
and shipped by rail to the Morton-Thiokol manufacturing plant in Utah
for propellant reloading.  The remaining SRB components are taken to
an assembly and refurbishment facility several miles south of Complex
39 where they are reconditioned and readied for future Space Shuttle
launches.

        Assembly and Refurbishment Facility.  The solid rocket Assembly and
Refurbishment Facility consists of four main buildings on a 45-acre
site south of the KSC Industrial Area.  The site includes facilities
for solid rocket processing and servicing and needed administrative
offices.

        SRB components including aft and forward skirts, frustums, nose
caps, recovery systems, electronics and instrumentation as well as
elements of the trust vector control system, are refurbished,
assembled and tested here.

        Rotation Processing and Surge Facility.  The Rotation Processing
Building (RPSF), located north of the VAB, is where new and reloaded
SRB segments are received after being shipped by rail from the
Morton-Thiokol's Utah plant.  Completed aft skirt assemblies from the
Assembly and Refurbishment Facility are integrated here with the SRB
aft segments.  The remaining SRB components are integrated with the
booster stack surge building -- during final mating operations in the
VAB.

        The two Surge Buildings store SRB flight segments stored after they
have been transferred from the nearby Rotation Processing Building.
The segments remain there until they are moved to the VAB for
integration with other flight-ready SRB components received from the
Assembly and Refurbishment Facility.

        Orbiter Processing Facility.  Between missions, Space Shuttle
orbiters are prepared for flight in the Orbiter Processing Facility
(OPF) which a resembles modern aircraft maintenance hanger.  The OPF
is located west of the VAB.  It can handle two orbiters at a time.

        The OPF consists of two identical high bays connected by a low bay.
Each high bay is 197 ft.  long, 150 ft.  wide and 95 ft.  high.  Each
bay has two 30-ton bridge-type cranes and contains a complex series
of platforms which surround the orbiter and permit work access.  The
high bays also have under-floor trench systems which contain
electrical, electronic and communications instrumentation as well as
outlets for gaseous nitrogen, oxygen and helium.

        In addition, the high bay areas have emergency exhaust systems which
are used in the event of a fuel spill in the area.  Fire protection
systems are located throughout the facility.

        The low bay is 233 ft.  long, 95 ft.  wide and 25 ft.  high.  In
addition to an office annex, it also contains electronic, mechanical
and electrical support systems.

        Orbiter payloads that must be processed in the horizontal attitude
-- such as the Hubble Space Telescope and Spacelab -- are loaded into
the orbiter's payload bay in the OPF.  Payloads that can be checked
out and installed vertically are placed into the orbiter's payload
bay at the launch pad.

        Orbiter processing procedures are similar to procedures used by
airlines for their aircraft maintenance programs.

        Orbiter Modification and Refurbishment Facility.  The Orbiter
Modification and Refurbishment Facility (OMRF) is a 50,000
square-foot facility located northwest of the VAB.  This facility,
completed in the fall of 1987, is used to perform extensive
modification, rehabilitation and overhaul of orbiters.  The OMRF
permits extensive work on orbiters to be performed without disrupting
routine operational flight processing of orbiters through the OPF.

        The OMRF consists of a single high bay identical to those of the
OPF.  It is 95 ft.  high and has a 2-story low bay area.  It contains
special work platforms, a 30-ton crane, storage and parts areas as
well as office space.

        Initially, only non-hazardous work will be performed in the OMRF.
However, eventually it will be equipped to perform hazardous
operations such as hypergolic deservicing.

        Logistics Facility.  The Logistics Facility is a 324,640 square-foot
building located south of the VAB.  It houses 190,000 Space Shuttle
hardware parts, as well as about 500 NASA and contractor workers.

        Perhaps the most unusual feature of the Logistics Facility is its
state-of-the-art storage retrieval parts system which includes
automated handling equipment designed to find and retrieve specific
Shuttle parts as they are needed.


"6_2_4_3_5.TXT" (9097 bytes) was created on 01-02-89

SPACE SHUTTLE INTEGRATION & ROLLOUT

        Space Shuttle components are brought together from various locations
throughout the country and assembled at Launch Complex 39 (LC-39)
facilities at the Kennedy Space Center.  It is in these facilities
that the components -- the orbiter, solid rocket booster and external
tank -- are assembled into an integrated Space Shuttle vehicle,
tested, rolled out to the launch pad and ultimately launched into
space.

        Vehicle Assembly Building.  The VAB is the heart of operations at
LC-39.  It was originally built to assemble vertically the huge
Saturn launch vehicles used for the Apollo, Skylab and the Apollo
Soyuz Test Project programs.  Its initial construction cost was
$117,000,000.

        The VAB is one of the largest buildings in the world.  It covers a
ground area of 8 acres and has a volume of 129,428,000 cubic ft.  By
contrast, the Pentagon contains 77,025,000 cubic ft.  of space.  In
overall volume, the VAB is exceeded only by the Boeing facility in
Washington state where 747 jet aircraft are built.

        The VAB is 525 ft.  tall, 716 ft.  long and 518 ft.  wide.  It is
divided into a high bay area 525 ft.  high and a low bay area which
is 210 ft.  high.  A transfer aisle, which runs north and south,
connects and transects the two bays thereby allowing the easy
movement of Space Shuttle components.

        There are four separate bays in the high bay area.  The two located
on the west side of the building -- called Bays 2 and 4 -- are used
for storage and processing of the Shuttle's external tank.  The two
bays facing to the east -- Bays l and 3 -- are used for the vertical
assembly of the Shuttle vehicles atop Mobile Launcher Platforms (MLP).

        Movable work platforms, modified to fit the configuration of the
Space Shuttle, provide access during the integration and pre- rollout
preparations.

        The low bay area is used for Shuttle main engine maintenance.  It
contains overhaul shops and serves as a holding area for the SRB
forward assemblies and aft skirts.

        During Shuttle integration operations, the SRB segments are
transferred from the SRB Rotation Processing and Surge Facility
(RPSF) to the VAB.  They are hoisted onto the MLP in either High Bay
l or 3 and the segments are individually mated to form two complete
SRBs.

        The external tanks, after arriving by barge from their assembly
plant in Louisiana, are inspected and stored in either High Bay 2 or
4 until they are needed.  Eventually the tanks are moved to the high
bay where the SRBs already have been assembled.  There the external
tank is attached to the SRB stack.

        The Shuttle orbiter, the last element to be mated, is towed from the
OPF to the VAB transfer aisle where it is raised to a vertical
position and mated to the external tank on the MLP to form the Space
Shuttle vehicle.

        When assembly and checkout of the vehicle are complete, a Crawler
Transporter is moved into the high bay, picks up the MLP and the
assembled Space Shuttle and then proceeds slowly to the launch pad.

        The VAB's high bay door openings are 456 ft. high from ground to
top.  The lower door opening is 192 ft. wide and 114 ft. high with
four door "leaves" that move horizontally.  The upper door opening is
342 ft. high and 76 ft. wide and has seven door leaves that move
vertically.

        The building has more than 70 lifting devices, including two bridge
cranes capable of lifting 250 tons.

        The VAB is designed to withstand winds of up to 125 miles an hour.
Its foundation rests on more than 4,200 open-end steel pipe pilings
which are 16 inches in diameter.  The pilings were driven down into
bedrock to a depth of 160 ft. -- a total of more than 127 miles of
pilings.

        A U.S. flag and the bicentennial emblem were painted on the south
side of the VAB in 1976 for the nation's bicentennial observance.
Over 6,000 gallons of paint were used.  The large flag is 209 by 110
ft. in size and is visible at long distances.

        Mobile Launcher Platforms.  Mobile Launcher Platforms (MLP) are the
transportable launch bases for the Space Shuttle vehicle.  There are
three MLPs at KSC.  Like most of the major Shuttle-dedicated
facilities, the MLPs were originally designed and used for the
Apollo/Saturn program.  Extensive modifications were necessary to
adapt them for Shuttle operations.

        The MLPs are impressive steel structures, 25 ft. high, 160 ft. long
and 135 ft. wide.  They weigh 8,230,000 pounds.  At the launch pad,
with a fueled Shuttle on their 6-inch-thick decks, they weigh
12,700,000 lb.

        There are three exhaust openings in the main deck of an MLP.  Two
are for the exhaust of the SRBs at launch and the third, a center
opening, is for the exhaust from the main engines.  SRB exhaust holes
are 42 ft. long and 20 ft. wide.  The main engine hole is 34 ft. long
and 31 ft. wide.

        On each side of the main engine exhaust hole there are two large
devices called Tail Service Masts.  They are 15 ft. long, 9 ft. wide
and rise 31 ft. above the MLP deck.  Their function is to provide
umbilical connections for liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen lines to
fuel the external tank from storage tanks adjacent to the launch pad.
 Other umbilical lines carry helium and nitrogen, as well as ground
electrical power and connections for vehicle data and communications.

        At launch, the umbilicals are pulled away from the orbiter and
retracted into the masts where protective hoods rotate closed to
protect the umbilicals from possible exhaust flame damage.

        Another feature of the MLPs is the hydrogen burnoff system which
consists of 5-foot-long booms suspended from each Tail Service Mast.
Each boom contains four flare-like devices which burn off gas from a
pre-ignition flow of liquid hydrogen though the main engines.  This
prevents a cloud of excess gaseous hydrogen from forming which could
explode when the main engines are ignited at launch.

        The Space Shuttle vehicle is supported and held on the the MLP by
eight attach posts, four on the aft skirt of each SRB.  These fit
into counterpart posts located in the platform's two SRB support
wells.  At launch, the Shuttle is freed by triggering explosive nuts
which release the giant studs linking the SRB attach posts with the
platform support posts.

        Each MLP has two inner levels containing various rooms housing
electrical test and propellant loading equipment.

        At their parking locations north of the VAB, in the VAB and at the
launch pads, the MLPs rest on six 22-foot-tall pedestals.  Also, at
the launch pad, four extensible columns are used to stiffen the MLP
against rebound loads, should main engine cutoff occur during launch
operations.

        Crawler Transporters.  Fully assembled Space Shuttles mounted on
MLPs, are moved from the VAB to the launch pad by enormous tracked
vehicles called Crawler Transporters.  These vehicles originally were
used during the Apollo and Skylab programs and were modified for the
Shuttle program, as were most of the major Shuttle facilities at KSC.

        The flattop vehicles are about 20 ft. high, 131 ft. long and 114 ft.
wide -- about the size of a baseball diamond.  They weigh 6 million
pounds unloaded and are said to be the largest vehicles of their type
in the world.  They move on four double-tracked crawlers, each of
which is 10 ft. high and 41 ft. long.  Each crawler track shoe weighs
1 ton.  Unloaded the crawlers can move at a speed of 2 miles an hour.
 Loaded they literally crawl along at a maximum of 1 mile an hour.
It normally takes about 6 hours to make the trip to the launch pad
from the VAB.

        The vehicles are powered by two 2,750-horsepower diesel engines
which drive four l,000 kilowatt generators to provide electrical
power to 16 traction motors.  The traction motors, operating through
gears, turn the crawler tracks.

        The vehicles have a leveling system to keep the Shuttle vertical
during the trip to the launch pad.  This system also provides the
leveling needed to move up the ramp leading to the launch pad and to
keep the Shuttle level when it is raised and lowered on pedestals at
the pad.  Once the MLP is attached to the launch pad pedestals, the
crawler is backed down the ramp and returned to its parking area.

        The maintenance facility for Crawler Transporters is located just
north of the OPF where repair and modification of the vehicles is
carried out.  The weather-protected facility includes a high bay with
an overhead crane and a low bay where shops, parts storage and
offices are located.

        Crawlerway.  The roadway from the VAB to the launch pads for the
Crawler Transporters is equally unique.  It is as wide as an
eight-lane freeway, consisting of two 40-ft.-wide lanes separated by
a 50-ft. median strip.  The distance from the VAB to Pad A is 3.44
mile, and to Pad B it is 4.24 mile.  The surface on which the
transporters move is covered with river gravel 8" thick on curves and
4" thick on the straightaway surfaces.


"6_2_4_3_6.TXT" (19061 bytes) was created on 01-02-89

COMPLEX 39 LAUNCH PAD FACILITIES

        Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39 (LC-39), has two identical
launch pads which, like many Space Shuttle facilities, were
originally designed and built for the Apollo lunar landing program.
The pads, built in the 1960s, were used for all of the Apollo/Saturn
V missions and the Skylab space station program.

        Between 1967 and 1975, 12 Saturn V/Apollo vehicles, one Saturn
V/Skylab workshop, three Saturn 1B/Apollo vehicles for Skylab crews,
and one Saturn 1B/Apollo for the joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. Apollo Soyuz
Test Project, were launched from these pads.

        Each of the dual launch pads, designated Pads A and B, covers an
area of about one-quarter of a square mile.  Located not far from the
Atlantic Ocean, Pad A is 48 ft. above sea level, while Pad B is 55
ft. above sea level.  They are octagonal in shape.

        To accommodate the Space Shuttle vehicle, major modifications to the
pads were necessary.  Initially, Pad A modifications were completed
in mid-1978, while Pad B was finished in 1985 and first used for the
ill-fated STS 51-L mission in January 1986.

        Major pad modifications included construction of new hypergolic fuel
and oxidizer support areas at the southwest and southeast corners of
the pads; construction of new Fixed Service Structures (FSS);
addition of a Rotating Service Structure (RSS); addition of
300,000-gallon water towers and associated plumbing; and, finally,
replacement of the original flame deflectors with Shuttle-compatible
deflectors.

        Following the flight schedule delays resulting from the STS 51-L
accident, an additional 105 pad modifications were made.  Among them
were installation of a sophisticated laser parking system on the
Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) to facilitate mounting the Shuttle on
the pad, and emergency escape system modifications to provide
emergency egress for up to 21 people.  The emergency shelter bunker
also was modified to allow easier access from the slidewire baskets.

        Fixed Service Structure.  A Fixed Service Structure (FSS), is
located on the west side of each pad.  It is a square, steel tower
which provides access to the orbiter and the Rotating Service
Structure (RSS).  It is an open framework structure about 40 feet
square and, as its name implies, it is fixed permanently to the
launch pad.

        The FSS tower supports the hinge about which the rotary bridge
supporting the RSS pivots as it moves between the orbiter checkout
position and the retracted position.  A hammerhead crane on the FSS
provides hoisting capabilities as needed for pad operations.  The FSS
is 247 ft. high, and the crane is 265 ft. above the surface of the
launch pad.  Mounted on top of the FSS is a lightning mast (described
later) which is 347 ft. above the pad surface.

        Work platforms on the FSS are located at 20-ft. intervals starting
at 27 ft. above the pad surface.  The FSS has three service arms.
These are the orbiter access arm, the external tank hydrogen vent
line and access arm and the external tank gaseous oxygen vent arm.

        Orbiter Access Arm.  The Orbiter Access Arm (OAA) swings out to the
orbiter crew hatch allowing access to the orbiter crew area.  At the
end of the arm is the environmentally-controlled chamber called the
"White Room" which abuts against the orbiter hatch.  It can hold up
to six people.  It is here that the astronaut flight crew is assisted
in entering the orbiter.

        The OAA remains in its extended position until about 7 minutes
before launch.  This is to provide emergency egress for the crew, if
required.  In an emergency, it can be mechanically or manually
repositioned in 15 seconds.  It is extended and retracted by four
hydraulic cylinders.  In its retracted position, it is latched to the
FSS.

        The OAA is located 147 ft. above the pad surface.  It is 65 ft.
long, 5 ft. wide and 8 ft. high and weighs 52,000 lb.

        External Tank Hydrogen Vent Line and Access Arm.  The external tank
hydrogen vent line and access arm consists of a retractable access
arm and a fixed support structure.  The system allows mating of the
external tank umbilicals and contingency access to the tank interior,
while at the same time, protecting sensitive components of the system
from damage during launch.

        The access arm supports small helium and nitrogen lines and
electrical cables, all of which are located on an 8" diameter
hydrogen vent line.

        At SRB ignition, the umbilical is released from the Shuttle vehicle
and retracted 33" into its latched position by a system of
counterweights.  The service lines rise about 18", pivot and drop to
a vertical position on the fixed structure where they are protected
from damage during launch.  All of this activity occurs in just 2
seconds.  The access arm itself rotates 120 degrees to its stowed
position in approximately 3 minutes.

        The fixed structure is mounted on the northeast corner of the FSS
about 167 ft. above the pad surface.  The access arm is 48 ft. long
and weighs 15,000 lb.

        External Tank Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm.  This retractable arm
supports a vent hood that vacuums away liquid oxygen vapors as they
boil off from the external tank.  It also supports associated systems
such as heated gaseous nitrogen lines, the liquid oxygen vapor ducts
and electrical wiring.

        Before the liquid oxygen and hydrogen are loaded, the arm is swung
into position over the external tank and the vent hood is lowered
into position over the liquid oxygen tank vents.  Two inflatable
"accordion" type seals cover the liquid oxygen vent openings.  A
heated gaseous nitrogen purge of about 25 lb. per minute flows into
the seal cavity, mixing with the cold liquid oxygen vapors preventing
the outside from freezing.

        At about 2 minutes and 30 seconds before launch, the vent hood is
lifted to clear the external tank, and the arm is retracted into the
"latchback" position against the FSS.  In the event a countdown hold
occurs after this time, the arm can be re-extended and the vent hood
relowered onto the external tank.  When the 2-minute, 30-second mark
in the countdown is again reached, the arm once again is retracted.

        Emergency Exit System.  Also located on the FSS is the emergency
exit system -- the "slidewire." This system provides an emergency
escape route for persons in the Shuttle vehicle and on the RSS until
T-minus 30- seconds in the countdown.  Seven slidewires extend from
the orbiter access arm level to the ground on the west side of both
pads.

        A flatbottom basket surrounded by netting is suspended from each
wire.  Each basket can hold up to three persons, if necessary.  When
boarded, the basket quickly slides down a l,200-ft.-long wire to the
emergency shelter bunker located west of each pad.  The baskets are
slowed and brought to a stop at the landing zone by a deceleration
system consisting of a breaking system catch net and drag chain.

        Lightning Mast.  The 80-ft.-tall lightning mast extends above the
FSS to provide protection from lightning strikes.  It is made of
fiberglass and is grounded by a cable anchored in the ground l,100
ft. south of the FSS and extends up and over the mast and then back
down to a second ground anchor l,100 ft. north of the FSS.  The mast
functions as an electrical insulator holding the cable away from the
FSS and as a mechanical support in rolling contact with the cable.
The cable becomes a catenary wire which provides a cone of protection
for the pad and vehicle during a lightning storm.  The mast support
structure is 20 feet tall.

        Rotating Service Structure.  The Rotating Service Structure (RSS)
provides access to and protects the orbiter during changeout and
servicing of payloads at the launch pad

        The RSS is supported by a rotating bridge which pivots about a
vertical axis.  It is located on the west side of each pad's flame
trench.  The RSS rotates 120 degrees (one-third of a circle).  The
hinge column sits on the pad surface and is braced to the FSS.
Support for the outer end of the bridge is provided by two
eight-wheel, motor-driven trucks moving along a circular twin-rail
flush with the pad surface.  The track crosses the flame trench on a
permanent bridge.

        The RSS is 102 feet long, 50 ft. wide and 130 ft. high.  Its main
structure extends from 59 ft. to 189 ft. above the pad floor.

        The RSS has orbiter access platforms at five levels.  These
platforms provide closeout crew access to the payload bay while the
orbiter is being serviced for launch.  Each platform has independent
extendable planks that can be arranged to conform to the shape and
overall dimensions of a specific item of Space Shuttle cargo.

        Payload Changeout Room.  The Payload Changeout Room (PCR) is the
enclosed, environmentally-controlled portion of the RSS which
supports cargo delivery to the pad and subsequent vertical
installation into the orbiter payload bay.  Seals around the mating
surface of the PCR fit against the orbiter and allow the opening of
the payload bay or canister doors and removal of the cargo without
exposure to outside air and contaminants.  A clean-air purge in the
PCR maintains environmental control during PCR cargo operations.
Cargo is removed from the payload canister and installed vertically
in the orbiter by the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM).

        Orbiter Midbody Umbilical Unit.  The Orbiter Midbody Umbilical Unit
(OMBUU) provides access to and permits servicing of the mid-fuselage
area of the orbiter.  A sliding extension platform and a
horizontally-moving line-handling mechanism provide access to the
midbody umbilical door on the left side of the orbiter.  Liquid
oxygen and liquid hydrogen for the fuel cells and gases such as
nitrogen and helium are provided through the OMBUU.  Overall, the
unit is 22 ft. long, 13 ft. wide and 20 ft. high.  The OMBUU extends
from the RSS at levels ranging from 158 ft. to 176 ft. above the pad
surface.

        Hypergolic Umbilical System.  The hypergolic umbilical system (HUS)
carries hypergolic fuel and oxidizer, helium and nitrogen service
lines from the FSS to the Shuttle vehicle.

        The system also provides for rapidly connecting the lines to and
disconnecting them from the vehicle.  Six umbilical handling units,
manually operated and controlled at the pad, are attached to the RSS.
 The umbilical handling units consist of three pairs located  to the
left and right sides of the aft end of the orbiter to  serve the
Orbital Maneuvering Subsystem (OMS) and Reaction  Control System
(RCS), the payload bay, and the nose area of the  orbiter.

        The and the HUS connections with the orbiter are severed when the
RSS is returned to its park site position before launch.

        OMS Pod Heaters.  The OMS pods are made of an epoxy material that
absorbs moisture from the humid Central Florida subtropical climate.
Two large clamshell-like enclosures located at the base of the RSS
completely surround the OMS pods when the RSS is in position around
the orbiter.  These enclosures are purged with heated air which
absorbs the excess moisture.

        Sound Suppression Water System.  The Sound Suppression Water System
is designed to protect the orbiter and its payloads from damage by
acoustical energy --tremendous sounds -- reflected from the Mobile
Launcher Platform when launch occurs.

        The system includes the 290-ft. high water storage tanks adjacent to
each launch pad containing 300,000 gallons of water.  The water is
released just before ignition of the Shuttle's engines.   Water pours
from 16 nozzles on top of the flame deflectors as well as from
outlets in the main engine exhaust hole in the MLP, starting at T-6.6
seconds.  When the SRBs are ignited at T-O, a massive torrent of
water floods onto the MLP from six large "quench" nozzles or
"rainbirds" mounted on its surface.

        In addition, water also is sprayed into the primary SRB exhaust
holes providing overpressure protection to the Shuttle when the SRBs
ignite.  Nine seconds after liftoff the peak water flow takes place.

        The MLP "rainbirds" are 12 ft. high.  The center two are 42 in. in
diameter while the other four have a 30 in. diameter.  Acoustical
levels peak when the Shuttle is about 300 ft. above the MLP.

        Design specifications for the Space Shuttle allow withstanding
acoustical loads of up to 145 decibels.  The sound suppression water
system cuts the acoustical level to 142 dB -- three dB below the
design requirement.

        SRB Ignition Overpressure Suppression System.  The SRB Ignition
Overpressure Suppression System purpose is to help alleviate the
effect of the initial reflected pressure pulse when the SRBs ignite.
Without the system, the pulse would exert pressure on the Shuttle's
wings and ailerons close to their design limits cause damage to the
heat shield tiles.  The system was installed after potentially
damaging overpressures were noted during the first Shuttle launch in
April 1981. The system reduced the overall pulse pressures by
two-thirds.

        The suppression system consists of two components.  The first is a
water spray system fed from large headers which provides a cushion of
water directed down into and around the primary flame holes.  This
system is augmented by water bags in the primary and secondary flame
holes which provide a mass of water to dampen the "blowback" pressure
pulse from the engines.

        Main Engine Hydrogen Burnoff System.  Hydrogen vapors which occur
during the main engine start sequence are exhausted into the engine
nozzles just before ignition resulting in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere
in the engine bells, which could explode and damage the engine bells.
 To prevent this, six hydrogen burnoff pre-igniters were installed in
the tail service mast.  Just before main engine ignition they are
activated, igniting the free hydrogen in the the engine nozzles.This
precludes what is called "rough combustion" when the main engines
ignite.

        Pad Surface Flame Deflectors.  The pad surface flame deflectors
protect the flame trench floor and the pad surface from the intense
heat which occurs at launch.  The flame trench is 490 ft. long, 58
ft. wide and 40 ft. high.

        The system includes the main engine or orbiter flame deflector which
is 38 ft. high, 57.6 ft. wide and weighs l.3 million lb.  The SRB
flame deflector abuts the orbiter flame deflector to form a flat,
inverted V-shaped structure beneath the MLP's three exhaust holes.
This deflector is 42.5 ft. high, 42 ft. long and weighs l.l million
lb.  Both deflectors are made of steel and are covered with a
temperature-resistant concrete surface about 5 in. thick.

        There also are two movable flame deflectors located on each side of
the flame trench.  They are 19.5 ft. high, 44 ft. long and 17.5 ft.
long.

        Propellant Storage and Distribution.  Propellant servicing of the
Space Shuttle's reaction control systems, the booster auxiliary power
units and the external tank is performed at the launch pad.  Fuel
lines lead from various propellant storage facilities to the pad
structure and umbilical connections.  These facilities include the
liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and the hypergolic storage and
distribution facilities.

        Liquid oxygen, the Shuttle's main engine oxidizer, is stored in a
900,000-gallon storage tank located in the northwest corner of each
launch pad.  These ball-shaped vessels are actually huge vacuum
bottles called Dewar bottles which store the liquid oxygen at a
temperature of minus 297 degrees F.

        Liquid hydrogen is stored in 850,000-gallon storage tanks located in
the northwest corner of each launch pad.  These tanks also are
enormous vacuum bottles able to store the liquid at temperatures
below minus 423 degrees F.  Liquid hydrogen is an extremely light
weight super-cold liquid -- a gallon weighs about a half pound.
Because of the liquid's light weight, pumps are not needed to
transfer the propellant to the pad.  Instead, vaporizers convert a
small portion of the tanks liquid hydrogen in the into gas and it is
the gas pressure exerted from the top of the tank that moves the
liquid into the transfer lines to the pad.  Vacuum-jacketed transfer
lines permit the hydrogen to flow into the orbiter through the Tail
Service Masts.

        The orbiter's Orbital Maneuvering Subsystem (OMS) and Reaction
Control System (RCS) engines use monomethyl hydrazine as fuel and
nitrogen tetroxide as the oxidizer.  These toxic fluids can be stored
at ambient temperatures.  Being hypergolic they ignite on contact
with each other.  Therefore, they are stored in well-separated
locations, at the southwest and southeast corners of the pads.

        These propellants are fed by transfer lines to the pad and through
the FSS to the RSS Hypergolic Umbilical System with its three pairs
of umbilicals attached to the orbiter.

        Launch Pad/Launch Processing System Interface.  The vital links
between the Launch Processing System in the Launch Control Center
(LCC), the ground support equipment and the Shuttle's flight hardware
at the pad are provided by elements located in the Pad Terminal
Connection Room (PTCR) below the pad's elevated hardstand.

        All pad Launch Processing System terminals--called Hardware
Interface Modules--interface with the Central Data Subsystem in the
LCC.

        Launch Equipment Test Facility.  The Launch Equipment Test Facility
(LETF) is located in the KSC Industrial Area, south of the Operations
and Checkout Building.  It is here that extensive tests of
launch-critical ground systems and equipment are conducted.  Failure
of any of these systems could cause serious consequences during
launch.

        The LETF can simulate launch events as such vehicle movement due to
wind, orbiter engine ignition and liftoff and the effects of solar
heating and cryogenic shrinkage.  The ability of the ground systems
to react properly to these events must be verified before committing
the Shuttle to launch.

        Examples of the systems tested at the facility include the external
tank vent line, the external tank oxygen vent arm, the orbiter's
access arm and the rolling beam umbilical system -- all are located
in the FSS.

        The FSS also tests the Mobile Launcher Platform structures such as
the tail service masts and SRB holddown posts.

        The test facilities include an SRB holddown test stand, a tower
simulator, an orbiter access arm random motion simulator, an external
tank oxygen vent system simulator, a tail service mast/external tank
hydrogen vent line and a random motion and liftoff simulator.  Tests
in the facility are monitored in a control building on the west side
of the LETF complex.

        The LETF test equipment was moved to KSC from NASA's Marshall Space
Flight Center (MSFC) where many of its components were originally
used for similar purposes during the Apollo program.


"6_2_4_3_7.TXT" (17202 bytes) was created on 01-02-89

SPACE SHUTTLE CARGO PROCESSING

        A wide variety of cargoes -- some deployed from the Shuttle, others
carried into space and returned at the end of the mission are
delivered to KSC where they undergo final processing, checkout and
installation in the orbiter's payload bay.

        Space Shuttle cargo processing is performed in parallel with vehicle
processing so fully-integrated and tested payloads are ready for
orbiter installation at the appropriate time to meet launch schedules.

        In order to assure an efficient Shuttle turnaround flow, a simulated
orbiter-to-cargo interface verification of the entire cargo is
performed before it is installed in the orbiter.

        Payloads follow one of two functional flows:  l) those that are
installed horizontally into the payload bay at the Orbiter Processing
Facility (OPF), and 2) those that are installed vertically into the
payload bay at the launch pad.

        Multi-Use Mission Support Equipment.  Payload processing is
facilitated by special payload handling equipment and devices called
the Multi-Use Mission Support Equipment (MMSE).  MMSE consists of the
Payload Canister, the Payload Canister Transporter, the Payload
Strongback and the Payload Handling Fixture.

        The Payload Canister is a large, environmentally-controlled cargo
container in which fully-integrated Shuttle payloads are transported
from the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) to the Payload Changeout
Room at the launch pad, the Shuttle Payload Integration Facility
(SPIF) or from the Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building to the OPF.

        There are two Payload Canisters at KSC.  They are 65 ft. long, 18
ft., 7 in. wide.  The canisters can hold vertically or horizontally
processed payloads of up to 15 ft. in diameter and 60 ft. in length
-- matching the cargo-carrying capacity of the orbiter's payload bay.
 They can hold payloads weighing up to 65,000 lb. and are supported
the same way as they are in the payload bay -- by trunnion and keel
supports.  Their clamshell-shaped doors are the same size as those on
the orbiter.

        Equally unique are the two vehicles used to move payload canisters
the Payload Canister Transporters.  They are self-propelled and have
48 wheels, each of which is independently steerable, allowing
movement forward, back, sideways or around.  They are 65 ft. long and
23 ft. wide.  They weigh 140,000 lb. empty.  Fully loaded they have a
gross weight of 170,500 lb.  Their flatbeds can be raised and lowered
from 5 to 7 ft. as needed.  Their top speed, unloaded is 16.  Loaded
they have a top speed of 5 mil. an hr.  In what is called their
"creep mode" they can slow down to a quarter of an inch per second,
which is 0.0142 mil. an hr.  They can carry the Payload Canister in
either a horizontal or vertical position.

        The Payload Strongback supports horizontally processed payload
sections and postflight payload and airborne support equipment (ASE)
removal.  It consists of a rigid steel frame with adjustable beams,
brackets and clamps designed to prevent bending or twisting of
payload elements.  Overall, it is 60 ft. long, 16 ft. wide and 9 ft.
high weighing 40,000 lb.

        The fourth key element of the MMSE is the Payload Handling Fixture.
It is designed to handle Shuttle payloads at the contingency landing
sites and can be airlifted by Air Force C-5A aircraft.

        Vertical Cargo Processing Facilities.  Automated, communications
satellites, free-flyer pallets and small self-contained payloads
(Getaway Specials), including upper stages, are received and
processed at NASA facilities at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
(CCAFS).

        Larger Shuttle payloads such as the Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite (TDRS), Spacelab and the Hubble Space Telescope are
received and prepared for launch in the KSC Industrial Area located
on Merritt Island across the Banana River from CCAFS.

        Major facilities used by NASA at CCAFS to process deployable
payloads include Buildings AE, AO, AM and Hangar S.  These facilities
have been used since the early days of the U.S. space program.  In
fact, Hangar S dates back to the Mercury program.  It is now used to
prepare free-flyer pallets.  Buildings AE, AO and AM contain high bay
areas where large automated spacecraft are processed.  In other
facilities at CCAFS, small self-contained payloads are processed at
the modified Delta Third Stage Facility building.

        Upper stages for geosynchronous satellites, such as the Payload
Assist Module (PAM), are received and integrated in a facility called
the Explosive Safe Area 60A.

        After the upper stage and the spacecraft have been mated, they are
moved to the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) in the KSC Industrial
Area for integrated testing.  Those payloads that use the Delta-class
spin-stabilized upper stages undergo checkout at the Payload Spin
Test Facility.

        Processing the Air Force's Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) takes place at
the Solid Motor Assembly Building (SMAB) at the Titan III Complex at
CCAFS.  The IUS and its payloads are mated at the VPF.

        All vertically-processed payloads are integrated in the VPF in the
KSC Industrial Area.  This large facility has an
environmentally-controlled high bay and airlock containing 10,153
square ft. of floor space.  It is 105 ft. high.  Payloads are brought
to the high bay through a 71 ft. high, 38 ft.-wide door.

        The VPF has two payload workstands each with six fixed platforms.
They are serviced by a 2-ton hoist.  Two bridge-type cranes -- one
with a 25-ton capacity and the other 12 tons -- can be linked to
provide a single lift capability of up to 35 tons, if required.  Also
available is a 10-ton-capacity monorail crane in the airlock.  Other
KSC vertical payload checkout facilities include:

        *Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility used to assemble,
test, encapsulate and sterilize heavy payloads.  Located in the
Industrial Area, it has a high bay, two low bays, an airlock, a test
cell, a sterilization oven, a control room, as well as administrative
offices and mechanical support rooms.  The facility was built
originally for prelaunch processing of Viking and Voyager planetary
mission spacecraft.

        *Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Storage Building.  Located in
a remote area of the Industrial Area, radioisotope thermoelectric
generators used for spacecraft power-generating systems are stored
before they are installed in the spacecraft prior to launch.

        *Cargo Hazardous Servicing Facility.  A relatively new building
where hazardous fuel loading and ordinance servicing takes place.
The building is 120 ft. high, 200 ft. long  and contains 6,000 square
ft. of floor work space.  It can accommodate the largest vertical or
horizontally loaded spacecraft, including the Payload Canister.  It
has two complete spacecraft checkout and communications ground
stations, an airlock, large rolling doors and two overhead cranes
with 15- and 50-ton lifting capabilities.  The facility also includes
a separate Control Building to monitor payload servicing operations.

        *Payload Changeout Room.  The PCR attached to the Rotating Service
Structure at the launch pad is an environmentally-controlled facility
where Shuttle cargo is delivered and vertically installed in the
payload bay.  Seals around the mating surface of the room inflate,
allowing the orbiter's payload bay doors to open for installation of
the payload without exposure to outside contamination.  A clean air
purge in the room maintains the necessary environmental control.
Cargo is taken from the Payload Canister and installed vertically in
the orbiter using the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM).
Access is provided by fixed and extensible work platforms.

        Vertical Cargo Processing Operations.  Processing, testing and
integrating vertically-installed payloads is carried out in the VPF
under controlled-environment conditions.  Processing varies depending
on the type of upper stage involved.  For example, a spacecraft
already mated to a PAM-D is placed directly on one of two workstands
after its removal from the Transporter Canister.  Those payloads
using the IUS upper stage are mated together at the VPF.

        No matter where the upper stages are mated to their spacecraft, the
entire cargo is assembled on a single workstand where checkout is
accomplished by Cargo Integration Test Equipment (CITE), a process
that begins with power activation. The overall procedure includes
numerous functional tests, computer and communications interface
checks and tests of the command and monitor functions.

        The last major VPF activity is the Payload Interface Verification
Test.  This involves verifying payload/cargo mechanical and
functional connections are compatible with the orbiter.  When this is
assured, the cargo is placed in the Payload Canister and taken to the
Payload Changeout Room at the launch pad and installed in the orbiter.

        Horizontal Cargo Processing Facilities.  Payloads that must be
integrated horizontally are processed in the Operations and Checkout
Building (O&C) at KSC.  Spacelab, in its various flight
configurations, is the primary horizontally-processed Space Shuttle
payload.

        The O&C Building is a 5-story, 600,000 square-ft. structure
containing offices, laboratories, astronaut crew living quarters, and
spacecraft assembly areas.  It is located in the Industrial Area,
east of the KSC Headquarters Building.

        O&C Building Spacelab Facilities.  Spacelab checkout facilities in
the O&C Building were originally used to assemble and test the Apollo
spacecraft.  They have been modified extensively for the Spacelab
program.

        Officially called the Spacelab Assembly and Test Area, the facility
is 650 ft. long and 85 ft. wide.  It is divided into a high bay, 157
ft. long and 104 ft. high, and a low bay, 475 ft. long and 70 ft.
high.  Environmentally, the area is maintained at 75 degrees F (plus
or minus 2 degrees), with relative humidity controlled at 60 percent
or lower.

        Within the Spacelab checkout area, there are two Cargo Integration
Test Equipment (CITE) assembly and checkout workstands, an
engineering model workstand, pallet staging workstands, a rack/floor
workstand, a tunnel maintenance area, an airlock maintenance area and
two end cone stands.  The two CITE workstands are controlled from two
automatic test equipment control rooms located on the third floor of
the O&C Building.

        The mechanical and electrical ground support equipment needed for
Spacelab checkout is located in and around the workstands. The
facility is designed to handle two separate Spacelab processing flows
simultaneously.  An orbiter/Spacelab interface adapter and two racks
which simulate the orbiter's aft flight deck are attached to the end
of the workstands.  Orbiter utility interfaces for electrical, gas
and fluids are available through ground support equipment cables or
lines.

        Spacelab Processing and Integration Operations.  The Spacelab
processing concept allows users to design and develop experiments
which can be integrated with other individual experiments into a
complete Spacelab payload.

        Spacelab processing starts with the integration and checkout of
experiment packages and equipment with the appropriate structural
mounting elements such as racks for the Spacelab pressurized module
and pallet segments for experiments designed to be exposed to the
space environment.

        Those experiments provided by the European Space Agency (ESA),
undergo preliminary integration in Europe before they are shipped to
the United States.  In fact, all Spacelab payload elements are
delivered to KSC as flight-ready as possible.

        When individual experiments and payloads are delivered to the O&C
Building, the special Spacelab "train" of pallets and racks is
assembled using the pallet and/or rack stands.  After mechanical
build-up of the payload train, these elements are moved to the
Spacelab integration workstand and mated with the Spacelab module or
the support systems igloo.  Operational hardware is refurbished and
built-up in parallel with the payload build-up. When the complete
Spacelab and payload configuration is ready, the Spacelab module's
aft and forward end cones are installed, pallets are positioned and
utilities are connected between pallets and the module.

        The CITE stand simulates the orbiter and supports highly realistic
Space Shuttle/Spacelab electrical and mechanical interface testing.

        When checkout and integration tests are completed the Spacelab is
hoisted into the payload canister.  It is then moved to the Orbiter
Processing Facility (OPF) in the payload canister transporter.

        Once in the OPF the Spacelab is hoisted horizontally from the
payload canister transporter by a crane, positioned over the orbiter,
lowered, and installed in the payload bay.  After installation it is
connected to the orbiter interfaces.  A payload/orbiter interface
test is then conducted to verify the Spacelab is properly installed.

        When all of these activities are completed, the payload bay doors
are closed and latched.  The payload bay environment is maintained at
65 degrees F. -- plus or minus 5 degrees -- with a relative humidity
of 30 to 50 percent.  The orbiter is then powered down and moved to
the VAB where it is mated to the external tank and the SRBs.  The
Spacelab payload requires no further access before launch, although
it is possible to open the payload bay doors and reach the Spacelab
using the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism, if required.

        The payload air purge and environmentally controlled conditions
resume after the Shuttle vehicle is mated with the external tank and
the SRB on the Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP).

        After movement to the launch pad, the Space Shuttle and the MLP are
mated "hard down" on the pad and umbilicals are connected.  The
Shuttle again is powered up and preparations for launch proceed.

        Getaway Special Payloads.  Processing of "Getaway Special" payloads
-- officially called small self-contained payloads -- is carried out
at the Getaway Special Facility on the Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station (CCAFS) in what was formerly the Delta Third Stage Facility.

        Since these payloads are self-contained they require only limited
interfaces with the orbiter.  Therefore, they do not need to be
processed in the CITE facility.  Instead, once processed at the
Getaway Special Facility, they are mounted on a bridge beam in the
payload bay while the orbiter is undergoing checkout and testing in
the OPF.

        Life Sciences Payloads.  Life sciences payloads are usually
processed in a manner similar to other horizontally-integrated
payloads.  The live specimens used for these payloads are housed at
Hangar L on the CCAFS, where facilities include laboratories,
specimen holding areas and offices for principal investigators.

        Life sciences programs are managed for NASA by the Ames Research
Center, Mountain View, Calif.  KSC is responsible for life sciences
payload operations and logistical support.

        At the launch pad, live specimens or those already in flight
containers, are placed in the orbiter in one of two ways:  by opening
the payload bay doors and installing the specimens from a special
access platform mounted on the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism
(PGHM), or through the crew entry hatch with the specimens in
containers which are then mounted on the orbiter middeck area.

        Department of Defense Payloads.  The Department of Defense (DOD)
conducts its own payload build-up and integration at the CCAFS under
secure conditions.  These procedures are similar to NASA's.

        DOD payloads usually arrive by aircraft at the Skid Strip on CCAFS.
Those requiring assembly and other testing are taken to an assembly
area such as the Air Force-operated Satellite Assembly Building on
CCAFS.  When work there is completed, the payload is moved to the
Shuttle Payload Integration Facility (SPIF) which is quite similar to
the VPF at KSC. The SPIF is located in the Solid Motor Assembly
Facility Building (SMAB) at the Titan Integrate, Transfer and Launch
Complex.

        Payloads that need little assembly go directly from the Skid Strip
to the SPIF.  It is at the SPIF where upper stages are mated with the
spacecraft, as required.

        Once the cargo elements are mated, cargo processing procedures are
the same as those followed by NASA.  For example, integration testing
uses the DOD Orbiter Functional Simulator, a system very similar to
the Cargo Integration Test Equipment at KSC.  Once the complete
payload is checked out it is placed in a NASA-provided canister for
transport from the SPIF to the launch pad.

        At the launch pad, the DOD cargo is placed in the Payload Changeout
Room on the Rotating Service Structure.  From there it is installed
in the payload bay for final checkout and interface verification
testing.  Once testing activities are complete the payload and
payload bay are closed out for flight.