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Lockheed Space Operations CompanySpace ShuttleLaunch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
STS-27
Launched
December 2, 1988
Summary
STS-27 launched on a Lockheed Space Operations Company Space Shuttle from Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on December 2, 1988. It was Lockheed Space Operations Company's 18th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 3,364th orbital launch attempt. It was the 27th Space Shuttle flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). The tracked orbit of Atlantis (STS-27), one of 2 catalogued objects, from December 5, 1988, was 450 × 461 km inclined 57.0°. 5 crew members flew: Robert L. Gibson, Mike Mullane, Guy Gardner, Jerry L. Ross and William Shepherd. The spacecraft was Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104). 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.
- Watch
- Launch of STS-27 (Atlantis)lunarmodule5
- Vehicle
- Space Shuttle · Lockheed Space Operations CompanySpace Shuttle
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 27th Space Shuttle flight · 2nd this yearLockheed Space Operations Company's 18th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 3,364th orbital launch attempt111th orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Robert L. GibsonCommander · NASA · age 42 · 3rd flight
Mike MullaneMission Specialist · NASA · age 43 · 2nd flight
Guy GardnerPilot · NASA · age 40 · first flight
Jerry L. RossMission Specialist · NASA · age 40 · 2nd flight
William ShepherdMission Specialist · NASA · age 39 · first flight
Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV‑104) is a Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985, Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011. STS-134 by Endeavour was expected to be the final flight before STS-135 was authorized in October 2010. STS-135 took advantage of the processing for the STS-335 Launch On Need mission that would have been necessary if STS-134's crew became stranded in orbit. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on 21 July 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km) or more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 4 days 9 hours
Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base after this mission.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Atlantis (STS-27) · NORAD 19670 · 1988-106 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- STS 27
- Object ID
- 1988-106A
- Epoch
- 1988-12-05 03:59:37 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.3911526 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0007883
- Inclination
- 56.9854°
- Ascending node
- 178.5033°
- Arg. of perigee
- 315.6271°
- Mean anomaly
- 223.1096°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 39
- B*
- 0.000256
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 2 payloads
- Atlantis (STS-27) · NORAD 19670 · landed December 6, 1988
- USA 34 · NORAD 19671
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
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.
Pad
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
8th launch from Launch Complex 39B, 2nd this year · 44th from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
59 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
63 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STS-27 launch?
STS-27 launched on December 2, 1988. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch STS-27?
Coverage: Launch of STS-27 (Atlantis). Watch the replay
What rocket launched STS-27?
Space Shuttle, flown by Lockheed Space Operations Company. Space Shuttle spec sheet
Where did STS-27 launch from?
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.
What orbit did STS-27 reach?
The tracked orbit of Atlantis (STS-27), one of 2 catalogued objects, from December 5, 1988, was 450 × 461 km inclined 57.0°.
How many satellites did STS-27 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is STS-27 part of?
Space Shuttle. About Space Shuttle