Following the recommendations of the Rogers Commission, and their implemenation by NASA, America's manned space program returned to flight in September of 1988 after two years and nine months. 

There were two STS missions in 1988. One in September and one in December. Both missions carried a crew of five.

NASA returned to the chronological numbering system, calling these missions STS 26 and STS 27.




Mission : STS 26
L/C : 39B (7)
26th Shuttle Mission
Launch : 29 September 1988, 11:37:00 am EDT
Launch weight : 254,606 pounds
Orbiter : OV-103, Discovery (7)
Crew : CDR, Frederick H. Hauck, P, Richard O. Covey, MS1, John M. Lounge, MS2, George D. Nelson, MS3, David C. Hilmers
[img width= height=]http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/chron/images/sts26crew.jpg[/img]
Hilmers,Covey,Nelson,Hauck & Lounge
Altitude : 203 nautical miles
Inclination : 28.5 degrees
Orbits : 64
Duration : 4 days 1 hour 0 minutes 57 seconds
Landing : 3 October 1988, 9:37:11 am PDT
Site : Rwy 17, EAFB, California (7)
Rollout : 7,451 feet
Rollout time : 49 seconds
Landing weight : 194,184 pounds

STS 26 Notes : First all veteran crew of any space shuttle mission, first second consecutive mission in space by an American(Nelson), first two time shuttle pilot(Covey), deployed the TDRS-C satellite