Mission record

Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-27

Space Shuttle· Launch Complex 39B· Success
Trajectory & orbital insertion
Ascent path is a representation — true ascent telemetry isn’t public.
Provider
Lockheed Space Operations Company
Provider type
Commercial
Orbit
LEO
Mission type
Government/Top Secret
Launch site
United States of America
Date
Fri, 02 Dec 1988 14:30:34 GMT
Orbital launch #
#3364 ever

Mission

STS-27 was the twenty-seventh and the third for Atlantis. It carried a classified payload for the Department of Defence. The heat shielding was substantially damaged during lift-off, impacting the right wing. The crew narrowly survived re-entry with a steal bar taking the brunt of the heat before beginning to burn through the aluminum structure.

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