Government/Top Secret
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.
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011.
Apr 12, 1981 — Jul 8, 2011
Orbital Attempt
#3,364
LSOC Mission
#18
Pad Launch
#8
Location Launch
#44
Designator
1988-106
Dec 2, 1988, 2:30 PM
1 update
The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
Dec 2, 1988, 9:30 AM
Total Launches
281
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
28.5242, -80.6508
