Payloads on Space Shuttle flights can be designed to enhance their potential to be integrated with other Shuttle payloads. Pertinent design guidelines have been identified in the areas of loads and dynamics, thermal and acoustic considerations, contamination, avionics and electromagnetic compatibility, ground processing and orbital operations. Consideration of these payload design guidelines throughout the design cycle can result in flight hardware with a high mixing potential. The resulting cargo manifesting flexibility provides earlier and more frequent flight opportunities for payloads, reduced costs, minimum post-design cycle modifications to accommodate cargo mixing and, ultimately, optimum utilization of the Space Shuttle
