Post Shuttle Access to the ISS for Payloads

The Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) is the organization responsible for providing launch services for all of DoD's R&D space experiments and has used NASA's Manned Spaceflight capabilities (the Space Shuttle) extensively in the past for its experiments. With the Shuttle expected to retire in the 2010 timeframe a concerted effort is underway to find alternate means to send experiments to the International Space Station and, if possible, return them from the ISS. With some success STP has found alternatives to the shuttle for access to the ISS, specifically using the Russian Progress vehicle. This paper will provide a survey of ISS access methods in the post-shuttle era, focusing on capabilities of interest to the experimenter as well as processes required in the areas of manifesting, integration, and safety. Specifically it will address current alternatives to the shuttle, including Soyuz, Progress, ATV, and HTV vehicles as well as the proposed Rocketplane-Kistler and SpacEx servicing vehicles.