Spacelab Ground Operations

The Spacelab, which is designed and built principally by the European Space Agency and its contractor, ERNO, with certain elements provided by the McDonnell Douglas Technical Services Company, under contract to NASA, will be operated by NASA as a key element of the Space Transportation System. Like the Shuttle, the "operational base" for the Spacelab will be the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The Spacelab modular design and'its operational interrelationship among the Shuttle, the Spacelab Payload and the ground facilities dictate a particular approach to the ground turnaround in order to achieve the projected mission model. Spacelab facilities and GSE are being prepared at KSC and intense planning is under way to develop a disciplined, systematic operational scheme which is key to the quick turnaround required of all STS elements.A certain portion of the Spacelab ground operational cycle will be almost totally dependent upon the Shuttle turnaround functions, such as the period after Spacelab installation into the Orbiter for pre-launch processing, and the period immediately after landing, prior to removal of the Spacelab. During these times, the Spacelab is operationally an extension of the Orbiter systems and is functionally under Orbiter control.