space shuttle

noun

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Definition of space shuttle

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

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Recent Examples of space shuttle from the Web

Wierzbanowski said the Phantom Express actually uses many of the capabilities and technologies from the space shuttle – specifically the main engine and thermal protection system.

— rebecca santana, The Christian Science Monitor, "How to make space exploration less expensive? Reuse the rockets.," 3 July 2018
Over the entire lifetime of the program, the incremental, per-flight cost of a space shuttle mission came to about $1 billion.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Block 5 rocket launch marks the end of the beginning for SpaceX," 3 May 2018
Jones spent 11 years with NASA and flew on space shuttle missions.

— richard tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Shuttle-era astronauts join Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center," 23 Apr. 2018
The demonstration flight will lift off from the historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, the same launchpad that hosted the Apollo missions as well as multiple space shuttle missions.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Aims to Finally Launch Falcon Heavy Next Week," 29 Jan. 2018
Young's fifth space mission was as commander of the inaugural flight of NASA's first space shuttle, Columbia, in 1981.

— will dunham, Anchorage Daily News, "Legendary astronaut John Young dies at age 87," 6 Jan. 2018
Astronaut Donald Peterson, one of the first astronauts to perform a spacewalk from the space shuttle, died on Sunday at the age of 84.

— chris ciaccia, Fox News, "Astronaut Don Peterson, who performed first shuttle spacewalk, dead at 84," 29 May 2018
The best previous example of re-usability was the space shuttle, before SpaceX started recovering booster rockets in 2015; the company also began recovering Dragon space capsules in 2010 and re-flew one in 2017.

— paul brinkmann, OrlandoSentinel.com, "SpaceX launch for first Falcon 9 Block 5 set for Thursday evening," 10 May 2018
Allen apparently offered few technical details but did explain that the space plane would be about the same size as NASA's space shuttle, which had a 24-meter wingspan.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "The world’s largest airplane may launch a new space shuttle into orbit," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'space shuttle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.