Editing Space Shuttle Pathfinder

{{short description|Space Shuttle test simulator}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder''}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox Space Shuttle
| name = ''Pathfinder''
| image = Space Shuttle Orbiter model Pathfinder.jpg
| caption = ''Pathfinder'' on the mate-demate device at the [[Shuttle Landing Facility]]
| type = [[Space Shuttle]] test simulator
| number = OV-098
| country = United States
| missions = 6 tests
| status = Retired; on display at the [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]], [[Huntsville, Alabama]]
|Enterprise=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise}}
The '''Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder''''' (unofficial [[Orbiter Vehicle Designation]]: OV-098) is a [[Space Shuttle]] test simulator made of [[steel]] and [[wood]]. Constructed by [[NASA]] in 1977 as an unnamed facilities [[test article (aerospace)|test article]], it was purchased in the early 1980s by the America-Japan Society, Inc. which had it refurbished, named it, and placed it on display in the Great Space Shuttle Exhibition in Tokyo.<ref name="1st100" /> The mockup was later returned to the United States and placed on permanent display at the [[U.S. Space & Rocket Center]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]], in May 1988.

==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. 

==Refurbishment==
[[File:Space Shuttle Pathfinder OV-098 original configuration.jpg|thumb|upright|The Space Shuttle Orbiter simulator is hoisted into the [[Saturn V Dynamic Test Stand]] at NASA's [[Marshall Space Flight Center]].]]
After sitting in storage for many years, the America-Japan Society, Inc. obtained the wood and steel mockup at a cost of US$1 million and hired [[Teledyne Brown Engineering]] to refurbish it to more closely resemble an actual Space Shuttle.<ref>George C. Marshall Space Flight Center 1983. Pathfinder Ceremony. [press release] April 19, 1983.</ref> It was named ''Pathfinder'' and displayed at the Great Space Shuttle Exposition in [[Tokyo]] from June 1983 to August 1984.<ref name="1st100" /> 

In 1982, Teledyne Brown Engineering contracted RTS Laboratories, Inc., to design and construct the nose cone and cockpit section of the Shuttle’s hull. RTS Laboratories first created a template for the front section of the hull to ensure the Shuttle’s fuselage aligned with the nose cone and cockpit section, which covered approximately the first 30 feet of the Shuttle. A foam-fiberglass composite design was chosen to ensure the Pathfinder's long-term ruggedness with minimal weight. The design team accounted for transportation restrictions, ensuring the front section could be delivered to the Marshall Space Flight Center via the interstate highway system, which imposed limits on the width and height of the product. They fabricated the nose cone and cockpit section in five separate pieces and delivered them to MSFC, where engineers installed the components onto the Pathfinder’s framework.

RTS Laboratories faced the challenge of producing the front section of the Shuttle’s hull in pieces small enough for transport to MSFC, all within the limited timeframe and budget provided. To meet this challenge, the team fabricated the hull without relying on a mold. A montage of photos captures how RTS Laboratories successfully accomplished this task.<ref>National Aeronautical and Space Administration, NASA Activities, Vol. 15, No. 5, pg. 19, May 1983</ref>
[[File:Pathfinder 0002.jpg|thumb|Finishing the Shuttle cockpit section pieces before they were separated]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0005.jpg|thumb|Blowing polyurethane foam in the interior sections of the Shuttles cockpit section pieces. The foam was scraped down flush with the ribs and a layer of fiberglass was applied with a chopper gun]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0007.jpg|thumb|Getting the Shuttle pieces ready to ship]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0008.jpg|thumb|The pieces of the Pathfinder's cockpit were not assembled until they arrived at MSFC to the chagrin of NASA (they wondered how we knew it would fit)]]
[[File:Pathfinder 0018.jpg|thumb|Nose cone fitted to the cockpit 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>

==See also==
* [[Space Shuttle America|Space Shuttle ''America'']], a tourist attraction
* [[Space Shuttle Independence|Space Shuttle ''Independence'']], a full-scale made from blueprints public awareness display mockup
* [[Space Shuttle Inspiration|Space Shuttle ''Inspiration'']], a pre-finalization engineering mockup

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="rn880513">{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[Tuscaloosa News]] |title=Pathfinder on Display |page=5 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ozkdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9qUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=pathfinder%20space%20center&pg=4548%2C4573597 |date=May 13, 1988 |access-date=July 6, 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="Recall">{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1999_3117814 |title=NASA recalls museum's shuttle parts / Forward assemblies are needed for use in program's plans |date=February 15, 1999 |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |publisher=Reuters News Service |pages=A11 |access-date=February 23, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605001313/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1999_3117814 |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref>
<ref name="1st100">{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Dennis R. |title=Space shuttle: the history of the National Space Transportation System: the first 100 missions |url=https://archive.org/details/spaceshuttlehist0000jenk |url-access=registration |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-9633974-5-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/spaceshuttlehist0000jenk/page/215 215]|publisher=D.R. Jenkins }}</ref>
<ref name="ht080612">{{cite news |first=Kenneth |last=Kesner |work=[[The Huntsville Times]] |title=Shuttle mockup undergoes repairs |url=http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1213262148157410.xml&coll=1 |date=June 12, 2008 |access-date=July 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204110818/http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1213262148157410.xml&coll=1 |archive-date=December 4, 2011 }}</ref>
<ref name="at110224">{{cite news |work=Atomic Toasters |title=Spaceheads: Space Shuttle Pathfinder |url=http://atomictoasters.com/2011/02/space-shuttle-pathfinder/ |date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829215625/http://atomictoasters.com/2011/02/space-shuttle-pathfinder/ |archive-date=August 29, 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Space Shuttle Pathfinder}}
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/orbiters.html Orbiter Vehicles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209023806/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/orbiters.html |date=February 9, 2021 }}
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/pathfinder.html Shuttle Test Article ''Pathfinder''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501042211/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/pathfinder.html |date=May 1, 2016 }}

{{Space Shuttle}}
{{Space Shuttles}}

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[[Category:Replica spacecraft]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle tourist attractions]]
[[Category:U.S. Space & Rocket Center]]