space shuttle

noun

: a reusable spacecraft designed to transport people and cargo between earth and space

Examples of space shuttle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1986, while serving on the commission to investigate the Challenger disaster, Feynman conceived of a famous demonstration—involving a piece of rubber and a glass of ice water—to show that the O-ring seals in the space shuttle’s rockets became unreliable at low temperatures. Alec Nevala-Lee june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025 We are joined this week by Dr. John Grunsfeld, who flew five times on the space shuttle and spent over 50 hours on Hubble servicing missions to keep those incredible images coming. Space.com Staff, Space.com, 26 Apr. 2025 Marc Garneau, who made three flights on NASA's space shuttle missions, died on Wednesday (June 4), after what his family described as a short illness. Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 5 June 2025 In 1986, the space shuttle broke apart only 73 seconds into its flight, killing every member of its seven-person crew. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 3 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for space shuttle

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of space shuttle was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Space shuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/space%20shuttle. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

space shuttle

noun
: a spacecraft designed to transport people and cargo between earth and space that can be used repeatedly

More from Merriam-Webster on space shuttle

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