Back row, L-R: William Shepherd, Richard Mullane. Front row, L-R: Guy Gardner, Robert Gibson, Jerry Ross.
Mission Patch
Atlantis (STS-27), the second Space Shuttle flight after the Challenger disaster, launched December 2, 1988. It was a mission for the Department of Defense, so its payload and purpose were classified. Her crew consisted of Commander Robert Gibson, Pilot Guy Gardner (not the Green Lantern), Mission Specialist 1 Richard Mullane, Mission Specialist 2 Jerry Ross and Mission Specialist 3 William Shepherd.
During the ascent the Thermal Protection System tiles were damaged by ablative insulating material from the right SRB. The crew reported they saw white material on the windshield at various times during ascent. They tried to examine the starboard side of Atlantis with the Canadarm but could not determine the full extent of the damage. Due to the sensitive nature of the mission, the crew could not send hi-res photos to the ground to assess the damage. The poor resolution pics weren't enough to tell what had happened, either. NASA told the crew that the damage didn't look any worse than previous shuttle incidents. Small comfort for the crew.
It has been reported that Commander Gibson thought the crew would perish upon re-entry, but miraculously, Atlantis landed safely December 6, despite being one of the most damaged shuttles to return.
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