Kennedy Space Center – Payload Ground Handling Mechanism
In 2000 I did some work for Dynacs Engineering at Kennedy Space Center. I was working on the Payload Ground Handling Mechanism (PGHM pronounced “pig ham”)which loads payloads into the Space Shuttle after it is positioned upright. I primarily worked on the HMI and code to pass data between the Ormec motion controller that moved the PGHM and a SteepleChase PC based controller that monitored the motion controller and was able to hit the kill switch if the motion controller did not act as expected. As you can imagine the PGHM was usually putting a several hundred million dollar payload into the multi-billion dollar shuttle so it was a very slow and intense process.
The HMI that controlled the motion controller. It also ran the SteepleChase software that monitored the motion controller.
Cabinets holding the motion controller equipment.
Cabinets holding the motion controller equipment.
Motion controller equipment that would ultimately be mounted on the PGHM.
Kill switch. Ground personnel surrounded the PGHM all holding one of these. The machine moved very slowly (a fraction of an inch at a time as it got very close to the shuttle) so they could instantly stop the machine if there was a problem.
Another controller station for the PGHM
An old PUMA 500 sitting under the stairs.
I don’t remember what this contraption was for.
Another odd robot in the lab. I believe that this building was from the old Gemini program. It was a very tall building with huge roll up doors.
Cool wheels allowed the machine to move in any direction, not just back and forth.
A robot that was designed to be used for ground support operations. Much of the Space Shuttle program budget is used for ground support and turnaround of the shuttles. It makes since that they should try to keep these costs as low as possible but from the stories that I heard it sounded like union issues would sometimes get in the way. The story of this robot was that it was developed to automate a process and a union grievance ended up blocking its use so it was being scavenged for parts.
Another old robot parked in the corner.
Motors which would be mounted to the PGHM. It had been moved with hand cranks for years. If you can imagine each person located around this huge gantry trying to hear orders over a radio and then hand cranking this huge thing. The motion controller enable one person to sit at the HMI and enter instructions and the movement would be perfectly coordinated.
They were working on a robot to inspect cables at KSC.
Another robot that was being developed in the lab. Looks kind of Terminator-ish.
The HMI that controlled the motion controller. It also ran the SteepleChase software that monitored the motion controller.
Cabinets holding the motion controller equipment.
Cabinets holding the motion controller equipment.
Motion controller equipment that would ultimately be mounted on the PGHM.
Kill switch. Ground personnel surrounded the PGHM all holding one of these. The machine moved very slowly (a fraction of an inch at a time as it got very close to the shuttle) so they could instantly stop the machine if there was a problem.
Another controller station for the PGHM
An old PUMA 500 sitting under the stairs.
I don’t remember what this contraption was for.
Another odd robot in the lab. I believe that this building was from the old Gemini program. It was a very tall building with huge roll up doors.
Cool wheels allowed the machine to move in any direction, not just back and forth.
A robot that was designed to be used for ground support operations. Much of the Space Shuttle program budget is used for ground support and turnaround of the shuttles. It makes since that they should try to keep these costs as low as possible but from the stories that I heard it sounded like union issues would sometimes get in the way. The story of this robot was that it was developed to automate a process and a union grievance ended up blocking its use so it was being scavenged for parts.
Another old robot parked in the corner.
Motors which would be mounted to the PGHM. It had been moved with hand cranks for years. If you can imagine each person located around this huge gantry trying to hear orders over a radio and then hand cranking this huge thing. The motion controller enable one person to sit at the HMI and enter instructions and the movement would be perfectly coordinated.
They were working on a robot to inspect cables at KSC.
Another robot that was being developed in the lab. Looks kind of Terminator-ish.
The PGHM was originally designed by FMC, which used to be Food Machinery Corporation, originally John Bean. I was a Design Draftsman at Planning Research Corp. at CCAFS when I was given the task of redrawing the hundreds of FMC drawings and transferring them to the KSC format. They gave me a room and three other draftsmen, and we went at it for a year. I remember crawling all over the PGHM structure, way up on the top level, standing on the handrail with one arm wrapped around the big jack screws. I was up there one day when they opened the Payload Changeout Room doors. Everything was instantly covered in moisture, and there I was standing on that slippery handrail with an arm around a giant, greasy, WET screw! I somehow got finished with my measurement and climbed down without breaking an arm. Sure was a heck of a view from up there. I remember one day when a welder was astraddle of the upper PGHM rails, welding some parts. His safety gear consisted of a rope tied to a belt loop and the other end tied to a “C” clamp attached to the upper rail! Our little group finally finished the job, and the PGHM was properly documented in KSC’s correct formatting.
Great story. Thank you for sharing. It seems that things have gotten exciting down there again, although I haven’t been involved.