Space Shuttle Atlantis’ Thermal Protection System (TPS) tiles sustained severe damage during the STS-27 flight. Upon landing, over 700 damaged tiles were noted, and one tile was missing.  Luckily for the crew the missing tile was located over a dense aluminum mounting plate for the L-band antenna.

This was the worst case of TPS damage ever incurred on a shuttle flight until the tragic loss of Columbia in 2003.

STS-27 was only the second flight after the 1986 Challenger Disaster.