cargo bay

American  

noun

1. the large central area of the space shuttle orbiter's fuselage in which payloads and their support equipment are carried.

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Etymology

Origin of cargo bay

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cargo bay

But the shuttle wasn’t delivering the module anywhere—it resided for the entirety of its existence in space within the shuttle’s cargo bay, effectively a part of the shuttle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

While the cryochamber, mess hall and winding hallways mirrored the white colors we associate with “Alien,” the cargo bay and other darker areas posed a unique challenge to recreate.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025

At last she could see what the windowless cargo bay had hidden: the land crawling past with the illusory dawdle caused by altitude and parallax.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2022

Immediately upon landing, a team of medics rushed into the aircraft and delivered the baby in the plane’s cargo bay.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 26, 2021

And from the size of them, a single crate would fill the cargo bay of each of the jets.

From Think Yourself to Death by Marlowe, Stephen