Atlantis STS-27 – Battered and Bruised

[libra]

For the record, Rhea Seddon was Hoot Gibson wife. And Gibson was STS-27 commander.

[jacqmans]

For the record, Rhea Seddon was Hoot Gibson wife. And Gibson was STS-27 commander.

She is still his wife

[dronescapes]

A brand new interview with Robert "Hoot" Gibson with some very interesting insight on STS-27

[dronescapes]

Space Shuttle secret mission STS-27, just seconds from disaster. Ger the story from astronaut Hoot Gibson.
STS-27 was the 27th NASA Space Shuttle mission, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Launching on December 2, 1988, on a four-day mission, it was the second shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of January 1986. STS-27 carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), ultimately determined to be a Lacrosse surveillance satellite. The vessel's heat shielding was substantially damaged during lift-off, and crew members thought that they would die during reentry.

[dronescapes]

[tntnt]

Hello, 

A question regarding the missing tile and the antenna cover that is often quoted as saving the shuttle from experiencing a burn through.

I have read repeatedly that the cover was steel, and this fact saved the shuttle due to higher melting point, but recently I happened across the STS-27 wikipedia page which notes just aluminium was melted which piqued my interest. The page did reference steel previously but that was removed in this edit.

When looking for detail from Nasa I can't find much other that one mention in "An Overview of the Space Shuttle Aerothermodynamic Design"

STS-27, Severe Damage During Ascent
- 707 Tile Damage Sites, 298 Greater Than 1 Sq. In.
- About 130F Margin (at Measurement Locations)
- One Missing Tile Over an Antenna Cover
  - Tin Coating Was Hot Enough to Flow
  - Aluminum Was Hot Enough to Change the Anneal State

There is an STS 27 mission report on scribd, that specifically states the missing tile exposed tin plating on top of an aluminium door.

The TPS sustained a significant amount of debris hits from the right-hand chine area aft to the right-hand wing. A tile loss (V070-391013-193) occurred on the lower right-hand side of the fuselage at the station Xo -390, Yo60.  Structural damage was confined to the cavity over a small antenna access door. The tin plating on the aluminum door was melted with aluminum appearing to be half-way between hardened and annealed. The door also had a small buckle.

I have no reason to doubt the report, other than it's not hosted on nasa.gov (I think these reports may be internal? The links I have found are on jsc-sma-missp.jsc.nasa.gov and don't resolve for me).

The "STS127R OV-104 ORBITER TPS DAMAGE REVIEW TEAM SUMMARY REPORT" focuses more on the causes of the tile damage and I can't find the "Volume IV, Action Item 37 and Appendix J" document that is referenced in section 5.4 as having more detail.

Actually the only reference I can find to it being steel (other than internet chatter) is the article linked above by Dr. Rhea Seddon.

So I was wondering if anyone had anything more concrete as to what material the door or cover was that was exposed by the missing tile?  So far I believe it was tin coated aluminium (and the tin probably didn't help to reject much heat). Is it possible there was steel behind this for the antenna mount or housing?

Going by the photo's of the damage, if the "door" is the blackish and reddish cut out, that looks like it fared worse than the regular structure around it.

Thanks.

[Jester]

More on L2 here (including hi-res images of the area)
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=10057.0
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=18675.msg472802#msg472802

In short:

"The V070-391015-190* on the right hand chine (at
approximately X0=390, Yo=60) was lost during flight.
The tiles both forward and aft of the cavity sustained
damage from a large debris impact. The probable
cause of losing the tile was initial loss of material on
impact with subsequent hot gas flow to the bondline
during flight. This tile was installed over an L band
antenna access panel V070-370184-004. The panel
itself was .085 inches thick aluminum with two .125
inch thick, .700 inch high integral stiffeners running
forward and aft on the inside. Five tiles surrounding
the missing tile cavity were removed to assess the
structural damage. Heating in the tile cavity was
sufficient to melt the tin coating on the inner moldline
(IML) surface of the panel and cause slight outward
buckling between the two stiffeners. The heating,
however, was not so severe as to cause damage to
adjacent primary structure and only warranted
replacement of the access panel."

[catdlr]

Apr 10, 2024
STS-27 was the second shuttle flight after the Challenger disaster and launched on a Department of Defense mission on December 2, 1988. Video courtesy NASA/National Archives. Watch as the shuttle Atlantis is rolled to the Vehicle Assembly Building and then rolled out to the launch pad.

Shuttlesource is a video archive that showcases rare and exclusive footage from the 30-year history of the space shuttle program. This project aims to preserve and digitize historical material by relying on a combination of private and NASA sourced video.

With a vast collection of over 2,000 hours of video, Shuttlesource offers a unique and valuable perspective on every shuttle mission. The archive includes footage of astronaut training, briefings, mission operations, orbiter preparations, and news media coverage. It's a snapshot in time that provides insight into the extraordinary accomplishments of the shuttle program.

Shuttlesource owes its success to the contributions of those who have generously shared their footage and offered support. We extend our gratitude to all who have made this project possible. We hope that you enjoy the videos and appreciate this opportunity to relive some of the moments in space exploration history.

[catdlr]

STS-27 Crew Arrives at Kennedy Space Center for Pre-Flight Countdown Test | 1988

Jan 5, 2025
The crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-27 mission arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for their Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), held just two weeks before their scheduled launch.

This critical pre-flight activity includes emergency egress training and a simulated countdown test, during which the astronauts rehearse launch-day procedures while seated inside the orbiter. TCDT ensures that both the crew and ground teams are prepared for every phase of the launch sequence, reinforcing safety and mission readiness.

Video recorded November 1988.

Atlantis STS-27 Astronaut Crew:
Commander:  Hoot Gibson
Pilot: Guy Gardner
Mission Specialist 1:  Mike Mullane
Mission Specialist 2:  Jerry Ross
Mission Specialist 3:  Bill Shepard

[catdlr]

News Coverage of Space Shuttle STS-27 Preflight Training at the Kennedy Space Center

Jan 23, 2025
This video showcases news coverage of the STS-27 Space Shuttle Atlantis crew as they attend preflight training activities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in preparation for their mission. STS-27, a classified Department of Defense mission

Atlantis STS-27 Astronaut Crew:
Commander:  Hoot Gibson
Pilot: Guy Gardner
Mission Specialist 1:  Mike Mullane
Mission Specialist 2:  Jerry Ross
Mission Specialist 3:  Bill Shepard

[catdlr]

Four of the crew of STS-27 signed Dollar Bill

[JAFO]

Four of the crew of STS-27 signed Dollar Bill

AKA, a "Short Snorter". It must have belonged to Guy Gardner since his signature is missing.

https://sandiegoairandspace.org/collection/item/distinguished-flying-cross-society-short-snorter

They should contact Guy and ask him if he's lost something, see if he remembers the bill and the story behind it.

Excellent find.