space shuttle

American  

noun

(often initial capital letters)

• space shuttles
  plural

1. any of several U.S. space vehicles consisting of a reusable manned orbiter that touches down on a landing strip after an orbital mission, two reusable solid rocket boosters that drop off after initial ascent, and an expendable external tank containing liquid propellants.

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space shuttle British  

noun

1. any of a series of reusable US space vehicles ( Columbia (exploded 2003), Challenger (exploded 1986), Discovery , Atlantis , Endeavour ) that can be launched into earth orbit transporting astronauts and equipment for a period of observation, research, etc, before re-entry and an unpowered landing on a runway; the first operational flight occurred in 1981 and it was taken out of service in 2011

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space shuttle Cultural  

1. A vehicle built by NASA that is capable of taking off from Earth, carrying a crew and a cargo into space, and returning to Earth to be used again. It is used primarily to transport a crew to an orbiting space station and to deploy and retrieve satellites.

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Discover More

The space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986. All seven crew members died in the accident.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• space shuttles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of space shuttle

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

space shuttle

Dozens of exhibits, which don’t have to compete with a looming space shuttle, will make it hard for you to get your children to leave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Its two-mile runway is so long it was once an emergency backup for the US space shuttle programme.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

In their TUT hall of fame: A Challenger space shuttle replica made of shells, which they purchased in Orlando.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

He first flew aboard space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-129 mission to the International Space Station in 2009.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

He sticks a candle deep into each cupcake so that the wicks stick out where the flames would exit each space shuttle.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

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