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 Launch of Atlantis | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-27 STS-27R |
|---|---|
| Mission type | DoD satellite deployment |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1988-106A |
| SATCAT no. | 19670 |
| Mission duration | 4 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes and 37 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 2,916,252 km (1,812,075 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 68 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Launch mass | (Classified) |
| Landing mass | 86,616 kg (190,956 lb) |
| Payload mass | 14,500 kg (32,000 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 2, 1988, 14:30:34 UTC (9:30:34 am EST) |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | December 6, 1988, 23:36:11 UTC (3:36:11 pm PDT) |
| Landing site | Edwards, Runway 17 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 437 km (272 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 447 km (278 mi) |
| Inclination | 57.00° |
| Period | 93.40 minutes |
 STS-27 mission patch  Back row: Shepherd and Mullane Front row: Gardner, Gibson and Ross | |
STS-27 was the 27th NASA Space Shuttle mission, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Launching on December 2, 1988, on a four-day mission, it was the second shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of January 1986. STS-27 carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), ultimately determined to be a Lacrosse surveillance satellite. The vessel's heat shielding was substantially damaged during lift-off, and crew members thought that they would die during reentry.[1][2] This was a situation that was similar to the one that would prove fatal 15 years later on STS-107. Compared to the damage that Columbia sustained on STS-107, Atlantis experienced more extensive damage. However, this was over less critical areas and the missing tile was over an antenna which gave extra protection to the spacecraft structure. The mission landed successfully, although intense heat damage needed to be repaired.
The mission is technically designated STS-27R, as the original STS-27 designator belonged to STS-51-I, the twentieth Space Shuttle mission. Official documentation for that mission contained the designator STS-27 throughout. As STS-51-L was designated STS-33, future flights with the STS-26 through STS-33 designators would require the R in their documentation to avoid conflicts in tracking data from one mission to another.[3]
- ^ Harwood, William (March 27, 2009). "Legendary commander tells story of shuttle's close call". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Tell Me A Story: Astronaut Hoot Gibson's and Atlantis' Close Call". Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. April 25, 2015.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Jenkins, Dennis R. (2016). "Chapter 18 - Destiny Fulfilled - The Intended Purpose". Space Shuttle: Developing an Icon - 1972-2013. Vol. III: The Flight Campaign (1 ed.). Forest Lake, Minnesota: Specialty Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-1580072496.
