We've all had to pack our suitcases for a trip and know how important it is to
include everything we'll need when we get to our destination.
Imagine what it's like to pack the space shuttle with all the equipment and personal items essential to the astronauts.
Troy Mann, lead technician for United Space Alliance's Flight Crew Systems,
and his team have the daunting task of making sure the space shuttle crew members have everything they need by launch day.
Unlike a trip on Earth, there's no convenience store in space to pick up a few missing items.
"The range of items could be as simple as a toothbrush, or as complicated as the spacewalk suits."
Troy oversees the loading of food, clothing, mid-deck seats, flight tools,
cameras, parachutes, safety equipment and even the astronaut's spacesuits -- known as "extra vehicular mobility units."
The equipment is transported to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida by truck from the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
After arrival, the hardware and supplies are checked for damage, weighed,
tagged and put into shipping containers until they have to be stowed for flight.
"I think the most challenging part of the job is we have so much equipment going into the crew compartment
that making sure that we have all the proper equipment in its proper place, it's quite challenging."
Every item has a specific locker or space, and Troy's team follows a
precise map for stowing the supplies in the crew compartment on the shuttle.
More than 6,500 pounds of equipment is loaded on the shuttle for every mission.
That's equal to two tractor-trailer trucks, and fills more than 40 lockers and spaces with bags and containers.
"I think the coolest part of my job is after launch when I get to watch the crew on-orbit operations and
you get to see the equipment that you've stowed and you get to see them
using the equipment, the spacewalk suits, and I think that's probably the neatest thing."
Each spacesuit weighs about 300 pounds and is received in four pieces.
It takes three technicians using a ground handling device and pulley
system with a safety harness to maneuver the suits into the shuttle.
With the Vision of Space Exploration going full steam ahead, Troy is looking to support
stowage needs for the new crew exploration vehicle on future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.