space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle (1981–2011).
Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) and officially known as the Space Transportation System
(STS), it was the world's first reusable spacecraft that carried
human beings into earth orbit. It consisted of a winged orbiter
(122 ft/37 m long, with a 78-ft/24-m wingspan), two solid-rocket
boosters, and a large external fuel tank. As with previous
spacecraft, the shuttle was launched from a vertical position.
Liftoff thrust was derived from the orbiter's three main liquid-
propellant engines and the boosters. After 2 min the boosters
used up their fuel and separated from the spacecraft, and—after
deployment of parachutes—they were recovered following
splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean and reused. After about 8 min
of flight, the orbiter's main engines shut down; the external
tank was then jettisoned and burned up as it reentered the
atmosphere. The orbiter entered orbit after a short burn of its
two small Orbiting Maneuvering Sy