<ul><li>On Feb. 28, 1990, space shuttle Atlantis took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on STS-36, the sixth shuttle mission dedicated to the Department of Defense.</li><li>The mission marked the 34th flight of the space shuttle, the sixth for Atlantis, and the fourth night launch of the program.</li><li>During the four-day mission, the astronauts deployed a classified satellite, ending with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.</li><li>Atlantis arrived at Kennedy, where workers began to prepare it for its next flight, STS-38 in November 1990.</li></ul>

35 Years Ago: STS-36 Flies a Dedicated Department of Defense Mission

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