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KSC Payload Processing 
The Kennedy Space Center located at Cape Canaveral, Florida is the launch center for the American Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle is the primary transportation vehicle for carrying cargo to and from the ISS using the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) and the Orbiter middeck for pressurized payloads, and the EXPRESS Pallet for the transportation of unpressurized systems and payloads.
The KSC processing activities can be summarized withing the following outline:
Pre-arrival Activities Preparation and planning activities at KSC begin as much as 3 to 5 years before launch. Activities that occur prior to delivery of the payload hardware include:
Payload Arrival Upon arrival, the experiment hardware goes through receiving and the container is inspected for identification and damage, and is transported to its appropriate processing area.
Off-line Processing Off-Line Processing Areas (OLPA) are flight hardware processing areas dedicated for use by Payload Developers during prelaunch and post-landing operations. These rooms are used for pre- and post-mission processing checkout of middeck experiments, racks, and attached payloads. Hardware problem resolution and troubleshooting are performed in OLPA as required to support mission needs. An orientational Pre-Offline Briefing is given to Payload Developers prior to their start of offline activities. The processing areas located in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), Operations & Checkout (O&C) building, and Hangar-L conform to the 300K-class clean work area specifications and are access controlled. Off-line areas with access control are established in the SSPF Intermediate Bay and O&C High Bay for payload hardware that is too large to process in OLPA. The Payload Rack Checkout Unit (PRCU) is used offline by Payload Developers of ISPR and EXPRESS racks for offline post-delivery checks, to verify payload interfaces to the ISS Interface Control Documents (ICDS), and for Payloads Office verification prior to testing in the Payload Test Checkout System (PTCS). There are seventeen SSPF OLPA for general purpose processing, which range in size from 286 ft2 to 900ft2 and are adjacent to the Intermediate Bay. Two of these rooms are designed to support chemical processes and two rooms are dark rooms for photographic support. There are nineteen O&C OLPA rooms for general purpose processing which range in size from 115 ft2 to 800 ft2 . One laboratory is designed to support chemical processes and one laboratory is designed as a dark room for photographic support. Offline areas are configured and equipped to suit Payload Developer's needs according to requirements submitted in their SRDS.
SSPF On-line Processing When the Payload Developer's flight hardware is ready for turnover to KSC custody, a thorough review of the flight hardware and related Integration Data Package (IDP) is performed. The continued processing after turnover to KSC is known as on-line processing.
On-line processing includes activities performed in the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) such as:
Physical Integration After turnover of the payload, it is moved from the off-line lab/area to the Intermediate Bay for physical integration. Physical integration encompasses all operations required to assemble and prepare a payload rack, attached payload, or middeck experiment for test and checkout, and prelaunch operations. Physical integration includes all of the following activities:
Test and Checkout Operations Test and checkout planning and operations begin before the payload arrives at KSC and continues through on-dock arrival, integration into the appropriate ISS carrier, powered payload testing and post-test activities. In particular, this involves:
Pre-test preparation includes configuration and check out of Payload Test and Checkout System (PTCS), User/Control Room, payload, and Ground Support Equipment (GSE). Also, any required electrical cable checks are performed prior to powered test operations. After all preparations are complete, the PTCS and payload are activated to satisfy test requirements and objectives. Post-test securing involves power down and reconfiguration of the payload, PTCS, GSE and Control/User Rooms.
Carrier Integration SSPF Integrated Operations are all SSPF activities involved with integrating payload hardware with a carrier (e.g., MPLM, SLP, etc.). These operations begin when the payload hardware is transferred for integration with the carrier and conclude when the carrier leaves the SSPF. Payload activities that may occur during SSPF Integrated Operation include installation, interface verification, servicing, stowage, and closeouts. MPLM missions are considered "Active Missions" when conditioned cargo is transported. Conditioned cargo - such as refrigerated food items or frozen biomedical/experiment samples - is installed in Refrigerator/Freezers in the MPLM at the Pad and requires powered support from the MPLM during most mission phases. Active mission flows are characterized by the inclusion of Post Rack Installation Tests, Cargo Integration Test Equipment (CITE) Tests, and Orbiter T-O Interface Verification Tests. MPLM missions are considered "Passive Missions" when only non-conditioned cargo is transported. No power-on testing occurs during a passive flow. Attached Payloads and EXPRESS Pallet payloads will verify their Active Common Attach System (ACAS) interface through PTCS testing in the SSPF. Weight and CG operations are preformed on EXPRESS Pallet and Attached payloads prior to their installation into the canister and transport to the Pad for installation.
Canister/Transporter Operations The payload/carrier is transferred into the payload canister for transportation to the Launch Pad. Environmental control and monitoring is provided during transport. When all payloads are installed into the canister, the canister moves to the canister rotation facility, where it is rotated 90 degrees for vertical transport to the Payload Changeout room at the Launch Pad.
Orbiter Integration At the Pad, the Shuttle Flight Operations Contractor (SFOC) removes the launch package from the payload canister with the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM) and installs it into the orbiter payload bay. Functional verification of the payload-to-orbiter interfaces is conducted, if required. As required, payload real-time test data is transmitted from the Pad to the SSPF User Room. For the purposes of this section, the word payload refers to the entire payload complement (i.e. the MPLM). At the conclusion of payload testing at the Pad, payload closeout operations prior to payload bay doors (PLBD) closure will be conducted. These may include time-critical stowage, final switch setting, sharp edge inspection, protective cover removal, closeout photos, and final inspection. Payloads should terminate access before the start of the launch countdown at L-88 hours.
Middeck Processing Experiments that are carried in the Shuttle's middeck are installed into the Orbiter at the launch Pad. Payloads that have an envelope, double-size payloads in previously unused locations, or payloads that have new Orbiter interfaces, are fit checked in the Orbiter crew compartment in their manifested location. Fit checks are performed during Orbiter operations in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) at approximately two months before launch. EXPRESS payloads that fly in the Orbiter middeck undergo payload testing in the EXPRESS Functional Checkout Unit (FCU) when an EXPRESS Rack is not manifested. Testing is performed while payloads are at KSC for Orbiter fit checks (or earlier). The Payload Developer to KSC turnover times for middeck experiments are typically 1.5 to 2 hours, but no more than 4 hours, prior to installation into the Orbiter to accommodate KSC preparation and transportation to the launch Pad. After turnover to KSC for flight, middeck experiments are cleaned, weight and center of gravity is determined, and the experiments are covered and installed in a transportation box. Experiments that require near-continuous power are switched over from facility power to battery power for transport. An experiment transport van is then used to transport several middeck experiments to the Pad.
Payload Bay Operations At the Launch Pad, the launch package is removed from the payload canister with the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM) and installed into the orbiter payload bay. Functional verification of the payload-to-orbiter interfaces is conducted, if required. Payload real-time test data may be transmitted from the Pad to the SSPF User Room.
At the conclusion of payload testing at the Pad, payload closeout operations prior to payload bay doors (PLBD) closure are conducted. These may include:
In-Flight Support Payload Developers who remain in the science support labs during the mission often conduct ground controlled experiments, and monitor their experiment operations using downlink communications. Payload Developers have an option of using real-time or non-real-time environmental data from a space Shuttle flight during a ground controlled experiment. Environmental simulators, one a walk-in area and one a reach-in area, provide environmental parameters, including temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide changes, which are recorded and downlinked during flight.
Post-Flight Support Post-Flight support encompasses all operations required to disassemble and turnover a payload rack, EXPRESS payload, or attached payload to the Payload Developer. Deintegration includes the following activities:
Deintegration After safety approval, normally within 45 minutes after landing at KSC, a conditioned purge is provided to the payload bay. If landing is at KSC, Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), time-critical middeck payloads, which are specified in the Time-Critical Ground handling Requirements (TGHR) table, are removed prior to Orbiter tow. The Orbiter is then towed to the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), jacked and leveled; remaining middeck items are removed; and safing/deservicing operations are completed. The remaining payloads are then removed from the payload bay and transported to the appropriate area for return to the ISS Program. If the payload is turned over to the PD for offline operations at KSC, there is a turnover meeting, and the Integration Data Package (IDP) is updated and returned to the PD. The MPLM is removed from the Orbiter in the OPF, loaded into the canister, transported to the SSPF, and installed into the Element Rotation Stand in the High Bay. After gaining access to the MPLM, there is an opportunity for payload destow activities prior to rack removals. Racks are then removed from the MPLM using the Rack Insertion Device (RID) and installed in a rack handling adapter. Carrier or attached payloads are removed from the Orbiter in the OPF, loaded into the canister, transported to the Space Station Processing facility (SSPF) High Bay. Attached payloads and EXPRESS payloads are then removed from the carrier.
Early Removal
Middeck Early Removal
MPLM Early Access in the OPF Conditioned cargo removal is performed. Dry nitrogen dewars and drawer transport containers are used to transport the Cryogenic Storage Freezer (CSF) and Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI) samples from the OPF to the required payload facility. The samples are then turned over to the Payload Developer.
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