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space shuttle

noun

(often initial capital letters)

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.

space shuttle

noun

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

space shuttle

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of space shuttle¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This was later identified by the US as an emergency landing site for space shuttles - interesting given Trump's ally Elon Musk's obsession with space.

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A later model of the Robonaut was flown to the International Space Station on the space shuttle Discovery in 2011, where it helped with maintenance and assembly.

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“You have a better chance of getting a seat on the next space shuttle than getting a job any more,” he said.

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The space shuttle Challenger was built there and the city is proudly restoring its original mock-up.

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And since she now wants to be an astronaut, she likes space and looking at the space shuttle.

From

spaceshot space sickness

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