STS-27

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STS-27
Mission insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name	STS-27
Space shuttle	Atlantis
Launch pad	39-B
Launch date	December 2, 1988, 9:30:34 a.m. EST
Landing	December 6, 1988, 3:36:11 p.m. PST
Mission duration	4d/09:05:37
Number of orbits	68
Orbital altitude	Classified
Orbital inclination	57.0 degrees
Distance traveled	1,820,000 miles (2,929,000 km)
Crew photo
Related missions
Previous mission Next mission STS-26 STS-29

STS-27 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the 27th shuttle mission, and the 3rd for Atlantis, 2nd after the Challenger disaster. It carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense.

[edit] Crew

[edit] Mission parameters

• Mass: 14,500? kg Payload: Lacrosse 1 (radar reconnaissance) satellite
• Perigee: 437 km
• Apogee: 447 km
• Inclination: 57°
• Period: 93.4 min

[edit] Mission highlights

Atlantis launches on STS-27.

Damaged tiles are clearly visible at touchdown.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104), at the time the youngest in NASA's fleet, made its third flight in a classified mission for the US Department of Defense (DoD). It deployed a single satellite, USA-34. Recently declassified NASA archival information has identified USA-34 as Lacrosse 1, a side-looking radar, all-weather surveillance satellite, for the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).^[1]

STS-27 was the 27th Space Shuttle mission. Launch was originally scheduled December 1, but was postponed one day because of cloud cover and strong wind conditions at the launch site. Liftoff occurred from Launch Complex 39, Pad B (LC-39B) at Kennedy Space Center on December 2 at 9:30 a.m. EST. The Orbiter Atlantis touched down on December 6 on Runway 17 at Edwards AFB, CA, at 6:35 p.m. EST. The total mission elapsed time (wheels stop) was 4 days, 9 hours and 6 minutes.

There has been speculation that an EVA (spacewalk)^[2] was performed during this mission. Post-flight interviews with members of the crew (several years later) indicated a problem with the satellite upon release, whereupon a rendezvous with the satellite was effected and repairs performed. If this is true, it would have necessitated a spacewalk, likely performed by Ross and Shepherd. As a classified DoD mission, details or confirmation of such an EVA remain unreleased.

[edit] Tile damage to orbiter

The orbiter's Thermal Protection System tiles sustained unusually severe damage during the flight. A review panel^[who?] investigation found that the most probable cause was ablative insulating material from the right-hand solid rocket booster nose cap hitting the orbiter about 85 seconds into the flight as seen in footage of the ascent. The crew made an inspection of the vehicle's impacted starboard side using the robot arm, but the limited resolution and range of the cameras made it impossible to determine the full extent of the tile damage. This was compounded by the fact that the crew was prohibited from using their standard method of sending images due to the classified nature of the mission. The crew was forced to use an encrypted method of sending images. It is believed that this caused the images NASA received to be of poor quality, causing them to think the damage was actually "just lights and shadows". They told the crew the damage didn't look any more severe than on past missions.^[3] One report describes the crew as "infuriated" that Mission Control seemed unconcerned.^[4][5] Commander "Hoot" Gibson said in an interview he didn't think the shuttle would survive reentry, even after being told by NASA "The damage isn't that severe." Upon landing, over 700 damaged tiles were noted, and one tile was missing. The tile was located over the dense aluminum mounting plate for the L-band antenna, perhaps preventing a burn-through of the sort that doomed Columbia in 2003.

[edit] Wake-up calls

A tradition for NASA human spaceflights since the days of Gemini, mission crews are played a special musical track at the start of each day in space. Each track is specially chosen, often by their families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities. ^[6]

[edit] Gallery

On the pad.

Atlantis climbs toward orbit.

Brahmaputra River.

Fiji Islands.

[edit] See also

• Space science
• Space shuttle
• List of space shuttle missions
• List of human spaceflights chronologically

[edit] References

1. ^ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1988-106B
2. ^ Michael Cassut (August 01, 2009). "Secret Space Shuttles". Smithsonian Institute. http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/Secret-Space-Shuttles.html?c=y&page=1.  Written for Smithsonian Institute Air & Space.
3. ^ William Harwood (March 27, 2009). "Legendary commander tells story of shuttle's close call". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts119/090327sts27/.  Written for CBS news Space Place.
4. ^ http://www.astronautix.com/flights/sts27.htm
5. ^ Mullane, Mike (2006). Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut. Scribner. ISBN 978-0743276825. 
6. ^ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. http://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf. Retrieved 2007-08-13. 

[edit] External links

• NASA mission summary
• STS-27 Video Highlights