space bus n.

a spacecraft designed to ferry people (and sometimes freight) short distances

Vehicles

1929 B. Olson Flight in 1999 in Air Wonder Stories Sept. 264/1 page image Bob Olsen bibliography
And, by the way, Zamot, you might also arrange to have the other Purple Woman taken off the space[-]bus.
1940 ‘M. Shelton’ Girl in the Whirlpool in Fantastic Adventures Aug. 122/2 page image Don Wilcox bibliography
How soon do I catch the next space bus back to earth?
1951 K. F. Crossen Restricted Clientele in Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb. 142/1 page image Kendell Foster Crossen bibliography
There will be a space-bus, driven by a robot, to take the smaller children to school on Earth.
1961 New Scientist 27 July 216
Ultimately, the space bus named Ranger will find its way to the moon, running on electric power drawn from the sun.
1979 G. Harry Stine Ticket to Space Omni Mar. 118/1 page image G. Harry Stine
It was designed to be a space truck, not a space bus.
2011 S. Alten Phobos: Mayan Fear ii. 44 page image Steve Alten bibliography
On December 15, 2029, the world’s first ‘space bus’ took off down its new fifteen-thousand-foot runway at the Kennedy Space Center. Onboard were 120 VIPs, including key stockholders, political dignitaries, members of the media, Lucien and Lilith, and a crew of twelve.

Research requirements

antedating 1929

Earliest cite

Bob Olsen, in Air Wonder Stories

Research History

OED had a 1961 cite from New Scientist.
Jesse Sheidlower submitted cites from 1929, 1940, and 1951.
Bee Ostrowsky submitted a 2011 cite from Steve Alten.

Last modified 2024-11-17 00:09:25
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.