![]() ![]() Payloads can be installed at the launch pad or in the Orbiter Processing Facility. The payload canister is then driven slowly across Kennedy Space Center to the Space Shuttle. Once the hardware has satisfied all test requirements, it is carefully packed into the payload canister, a large container with an interior identical in size and dimensions to the Shuttle's payload bay. Multi-Element testing provides an opportunity for engineers and technicians to modify or correct deficiencies while the hardware is accessible on the ground. Credit: NASAĪstronaut crew members are also given an opportunity to participate in "hands-on" testing to prepare them for their individual missions. Image to right: In the Space Station Processing Facility, a technician takes readings for pre-assembly measurements on the Japanese Experiment Module, Kibo. Any conflicts that appear can then be safely resolved before the elements reach orbit. Computer models of many physical interfaces are constructed, and these digital models are brought together. Since none of the elements are physically connected before they meet on orbit, a Digital pre-Assembly is conducted during processing to discover any physical incompatibilities. After the payload arrives at the SSPF, workers spend the next several months physically integrating experiments and other payloads into the hardware. Other items will be delivered to the hardware inspection area. Items requiring use of the airlock will be unpacked either in the airlock or in the highbay if the airlock is in use. ![]() Most ISS payloads are delivered to the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF). Upon its arrival at KSC, usually via cargo plane landing at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility, new hardware is checked for identification and damage, inventoried, and transported to the appropriate location. Image to left: This view reveals all three Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules on the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility. When it’s all done, the full stack of the Space Shuttle launch system will stand 200 feet (61 meters) tall, becoming the main attraction around which the Air and Space Center building will be constructed.Įndeavor has been on display at the California Science Center for the past 11 years, albeit laying horizontally rather than standing straight as though it’s ready to soar through the skies once more.As the last Earthly stop for all U.S.-launched International Space Station hardware, Kennedy Space Center has a vital role in ISS element processing. The Shuttle’s external tank, ET-94, will then be lifted into place, followed by the Endeavor orbiter, which will be lifted by a large crane and connected to the rest of the rocket stack. The solid rocket motors will be stacked on top of the aft skirts to form the solid rocket boosters. The first part of the process involves installing the rocket’s aft skirts-a pair of skirt-shaped bottom segments that form the base of the solid rocket boosters. Getting the Space Shuttle pieces stacked on top of one another is not going to be an easy feat, and it’s going to be the first time it’s ever been done outside of a NASA facility, according to the California Science Center. “ Endeavor will be the star attraction of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a launchpad for creativity and innovation that will inspire future generations of scientists, engineers and explorers,” Jeff Rudolph, president and CEO of the California Science Center, said in a statement. ![]() Once fully stacked, the 20-story-tall vertical display will be the only “ready-for-launch” Space Shuttle system in the world in terms of its staging and appearance. The display will include the Endeavor orbiter, which embarked on its first mission with the Space Shuttle program in 1992, the rocket’s solid boosters, and external tank. ![]()
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