Shuttle transportation system payload ground operations requirements and checkout

Payload ground operations and checkout verifications have become a major concern of STS scheduling operations. Ground scheduling techniques, interface verification simulators, and software verification tools will be used to minimize impact. The present paper discusses three such techniques: (1) baseline planning used for the STS system, (2) baseline operations concepts developed for the users, and (3) the necessary tools for implementation and analysis. Several payload schedules and flow charts are presented.