space shuttle: Meaning and Definition of

space' shut"tle

Pronunciation: [key]
— (often caps.)
  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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.