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.

Mission type: Government/Top Secret · Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

Rocket: Space Shuttle · Provider: Lockheed Space Operations Company