[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS (STS-27)] LIFTOFF. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, 2 DECEMBER 1988.

The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa

[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS (STS-27)] 

LIFTOFF. 2 DECEMBER 1988.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic color photograph, 10 by 8 1/4 inches, “This Paper Manufactured by Kodak” watermark to verso. NASA image ID “S27-S-005” printed in center of upper margin in red; minor toning, long scratch to surface, tape to verso.

STS-27 was the 27th NASA Space Shuttle mission, the third flight of Atlantis, and the second shuttle flight after the Challenger disaster two years before. The heat shielding was significantly damaged during liftoff, seriously impacting the right wing. Commander Robert Gibson, Pilot Guy Gardner, and Mission Specialists Richard Mullane, Jerry Ross, and William Shepherd thought that they would die during reentry. The mission landed successfully on 6 December 1988, though intense heat damage needed to be repaired.