shuttle n.
a small spacecraft used to transport passengers or cargo over a relatively short distance, as between an orbiting ship and a planet’s surface, or as a lifeboat
Vehicles
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1930
page image
Jim Vanny
bibliography
‘To the shuttle!’ yelled Joslin. And indeed this seemed the only avenue to escape left open. Quickly the trap door to shuttle number one was banged open. The eight quickly entered and the door was once more bolted shut. A minute later they were flung free from the doomed vessel. Quickly the shuttle was reversed and turned away from the Barta. The last they saw of that wonderful ship, she was headed directly toward the blinding glare of the sun…. In due time the shuttle was picked up by a Venusian liner bound for the Earth.
Liners of Space in Air Wonder Stories Feb. 748/1 -
1940
page image
Nelson S. Bond
bibliography
The Andromeda has been sold, Bert,…to the Ionian freight shuttle. You and the gang are ordered back to Earth.
Legacy in Astounding Science-Fiction Dec. 39/1
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1950
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Theodore Sturgeon
bibliography
I was waiting in the entry bell when Judson arrived on Curbstone. Judson had nothing to do with that. I didn’t even know he was on that particular shuttle. It’s just that, aside from the fact that I happen to be Senior Release Officer on Curbstone, I like to meet the shuttles.
The Stars Are the Styx in Galaxy Science Fiction Oct. 74/2
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1951
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Robert A. Heinlein
bibliography
A shuttle ship up from the surface could leave any spot on Venus, rendezvous with the ship in orbit, then land on its port of departure or on any other point having expended a theoretical minimum of fuel. As soon as the Nautilus had parked such shuttles began to swarm up to her. They were more airplane than spaceship, for, although each was sealed and pressurized to operate outside the atmosphere while making contact with orbiting spaceships, each was winged and was powered with ramjet atmosphere engines as well as with rocket jets. Like frogs, they were adapted to two media.
Between Planets vii. 94
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1960
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John Wyndham
bibliography
The acceleration in that shuttle would spread you all over the floor—very thinly.
Emptiness of Space in New Worlds (#100) Nov. 41 -
1982
Sonni Cooper
bibliography
He’s taking a shuttle.
Black Fire ix.175
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1986
J. M. Dillard
bibliography
Take the evening shuttle to ShiKahr and I will meet you at the station.
Demons (Star Trek: The Original Series) i. 12
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1988
Arthur C. Clarke
bibliography
When the cloud had cleared, the shuttle was already landing, two hundred metres away.
2061: Odyssey Three 195
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1995
Chris Carter
Although the shuttle is damaged, Belt tells the astronauts to deliver their payload, fearing that millions of dollars will be lost—and the space program crippled—if they don’t follow through.
Truth is out There: Official Guide to The X Files The Episodes: Season 1 120
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1999
George Zebrowski
Charles Pellegrino
bibliography
He managed it after two tries, and in a few minutes was ascending through low gravity, into the brightly lit shuttle compartment.
Star Trek Next Generation: Dyson Sphere iv. 66
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2014
Stephen Coonts
bibliography
The shuttle from the starship left orbit twenty minutes ago.
Saucer: Savage Planet xviii. 296 -
2015
Nnedi Okorafor
bibliography
The shuttle was one of the new sleek models…. These ones glided fast over land using a combination of air current, magnetic fields, and exponential energy.
Binti 11
Research requirements
antedating 1930
Earliest cite
"Jim Vanny", "Liners of Space", in Air Wonder Stories
Research History
Douglas Winston submitted cites from an Ace books reprint of Robert A. Heinlein's 1951 "Between Planets": Jesse Sheidlower verified these in the first edition. (This was originally published, in different form, in Blue Book Magazine, Sept.-Oct 1951, but there's no real need to track this down).Irene Grumman submitted a 1950 cite from "The Stars are the Styx" by Theodore Sturgeon.
Bee Ostrowsky submitted a 2014 cite from Stephen Coonts.
Last modified 2024-11-17 00:09:25
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