Editing Space Shuttle Pathfinder (section)

==U.S. Space & Rocket Center==
[[File:Pathfinder 0019.jpg|thumb|Rocket nozzles and orbital thrusters made by Teledyne Brown Engineering]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0021.jpg|thumb|Final finishing and painting of wings]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0022.jpg|thumb|Official unveiling of finished Pathfinder]]
[[File:Space Shuttle Pathfinder Highsmith.jpg|thumb|''Pathfinder'' at the [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]] in [[Alabama]] sits atop MPTA-ET.  The SRB forward assemblies have changed over the years.]]

After the exhibit, ''Pathfinder'' returned to the United States.  The [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]] designed the display and built a stand.  NASA provided [[MPTA-ET]] and two filament-wound [[Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster#Filament-wound cases|Solid Rocket Booster]] casings, which had been designed for polar-orbit launches from [[Vandenberg Air Force Base]].<ref name="at110224" /><ref name="Phillips" />

On February 16, 1988, NASA shipped [[MPTA-ET]], an [[Space Shuttle external tank|external tank]] which had been used for propulsion tests with [[MPTA-098]], on an open barge from [[Stennis Space Center]] in Mississippi up the river to [[Michoud Assembly Facility|Michoud]], where it was transferred to the Orion barge to sail up the river to Marshall Space Flight Center.  The tank, not having been designed to hold the weight of an orbiter at an angle, required reinforcements.  NASA installed I-beam spokes in the tank at Marshall, in building 4705. ''Pathfinder''{{'}}s weight is concentrated in the tail, though, and the tank required further reinforcements.  The tank was then transported over land to the display at the museum.<ref name="Phillips">{{Cite book |title=Remove Before Flight: Memoir of a Shuttle Team Member |last1=Phillips |first1=Scott |last2=Phillips |first2=Dianne |date=2014 |publisher=Tate Publishing and Enterprises |isbn=978-1-63367-500-1 |pages=147–153}}</ref>

In May 1988, the 89-ton ''Pathfinder'' was installed atop the display at the Space & Rocket Center.<ref name="rn880513" />

In 1999, [[NASA]] removed the forward assemblies from each SRB attached to the ''Pathfinder'' stack.  Although the SRBs are recovered and reused after each flight, several of the forward assemblies had been damaged or lost over the history of the [[Space Shuttle program]] necessitating requisition of those attached to the ''Pathfinder'' stack as spares.<ref name="at110224" /><ref name="Recall" />

In 2008, repairs were made to the forward part of the mockup after decades of exposure to the weather had corroded the floor section near the vehicle's nose. This corrosion caused the "belly pan" to drop from a mounting bracket onto the external tank. The damaged area was part of the fiberglass and plywood added to the mockup before its exhibition in Japan.<ref name="ht080612" />

[[File:Pathfinder Frame Starboard Forward.jpg|thumb|The Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder'' frame awaits restoration beside its home for the preceding 30 years.]]

In 2020 the Center received a "Save America's Treasures" grant for $500,000 from the [[National Park Service]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pearlman |first1=Robert Z. |title=Rocket Center gets $500K grant to 'save' mock NASA space shuttle |url=https://www.space.com/space-shuttle-pathfinder-save-americas-treasures-grant.html |access-date=September 19, 2022 |work=Space.com |date=August 24, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The project began with the wings and tail section temporarily removed between January and February 2021. On February 8, the ''Pathfinder'' was lowered from its mounting points atop the fuel tank for the first time since May 5, 1988. The restoration project is proceeding alongside cooperation with the [[Marshall Space Flight Center]], who will assist in assessing the structural integrity of the test shuttle.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pearlman |first1=Robert Z. |title=Mock space shuttle Pathfinder lowered to ground for first time in 30 years |url=https://www.space.com/space-shuttle-pathfinder-lowered-for-restoration |access-date=September 19, 2022 |work=Space.com |date=February 8, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

On Aug. 28, 2024, two cranes lifted the body of Pathfinder back into position on the shuttle stack in the first phase of a multi-day reassembly process. The reattachment of the wings and engine bells were scheduled to follow, completing the restoration of the display. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/news/local/pathfinder-shuttle-hoisted-back-into-place-at-space-rocket-center/525-70c14ff9-9125-4291-805c-7b256d0fda0e | title='Pathfinder' hoisted back into place at U.S. Space & Rocket Center | date=August 28, 2024 }}</ref>