Editing Space Shuttle Pathfinder (section)

==Activities==
Originally unnamed, the simulator was built at the [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] in 1977 for use in activities such as checking roadway clearances, crane capabilities and fits within structures.<ref name="ht080612" /> It was later shipped by barge to the [[Kennedy Space Center]] and was used for ground crew testing in the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]], [[Orbiter Processing Facility]], and [[Shuttle Landing Facility]]. ''Pathfinder'' is approximately the same size, shape and weight of an actual orbiter.  Using ''Pathfinder'' allowed for facilities testing without requiring use of the more delicate and expensive [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|''Enterprise'']].<ref name="ht080612" /> 
[[File:Shuttle Cockpit Simulator.jpg|thumb|Shuttle Cockpit Simulator with composite framework of the cockpit region of the Shuttle's hull. Trainees entered the Simulator through the hatch on the right side of the Simulator]]
In 1981, the Marshall Space Flight Center built a cockpit emulator to train crew members conducting science projects to operate the Shuttle during emergencies while in orbit. The emulator was designed to simulate the environment inside the cockpit, including positioning various control panels and viewing through the cockpit’s windows. To achieve this, the exterior of the Shuttle’s cockpit had to be incorporated into the emulator’s design. A Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation was published in the Broad Agency Announcements in the Federal Register. Ultimately, a contract was awarded to RTS Laboratories, Inc., in Gainesville, Florida, to construct a composite shell of the Shuttle’s fuselage in the cockpit region. Later that year, the composite shell was delivered to the Marshall Space Flight Center, where it was installed and outfitted with instrumentation.