SPACE , SPACECRAFT
ADJECTIVES
1530 — ETHEREAL relating to the upper regions of space beyond the clouds → chiefly literary usage
1866 — SPATIAL happening or taking place in space
1883 — SUPER-SPATIAL situated or taking place above or outside the limits of space
1931 — SPACEWORTHY in a fit condition for space travel or for use in space
1947 — COSMONAUTIC pert. to space travel or cosmonauts
1952 — SPACE-BORNE travelling or carried through space
1952 — SPACEFARING engaging in space travel
1962 — SPACE-AGEY characteristic of the space age
1967 — SPACE-BORNE carried out or performed in space
1967 — SPACY associated with outer space or space travel
ADVERBS
1953 — OFF-PLANET in or into space; towards or on another planet
NOUNS
1000 — HEAVENS the region of space in which celestial objects move
1842 — OUTER SPACE the region of space beyond the earth’s atmosphere or beyond the solar system
1865 — DEEP SPACE a region of space that is outside the earth’s atmosphere or beyond the solar system
1875 — PERICENTER — PERICENTRE the point in the path of a spacecraft orbiting around a centre at which it is nearest to the centre
1880 — ASTRONAUT a (fictional) spacecraft → obs.
1882 — STARSHIP a large manned spacecraft designed for interstellar travel → science fiction usage
1911 — SPACE-FLYER a spacecraft
1923 — CELESTIAL NAVIGATION a navigating through space
1923 — CRUISER a spaceship or aircraft → science fiction usage
1927 — ROCKET FLYER a rocket-powered vessel intended for space flight
1928 — ASTRONAUTICS the science and practice of space flight and human activity in space
1931 — ASTROGATION a navigating a craft through space; navigation in space
1931 — MOON-FLIGHT a space flight to the moon
1931 — SPACE FLEET a fleet of spacecraft → chiefly science fiction usage
1932 — SPACE COLONY a large group of people imagined as living and working in a space station or on another planet → chiefly science fiction usage
1933 — EARTHSHIP a spacecraft belonging to the planet earth → chiefly science fiction usage
1933 — SPACEWAY an established route used by space travellers; usually used in plural
1935 — ASTRONAVIGATION determination of the position and course of spacecraft using the observation of celestial objects
1941 — PARKING ORBIT an orbit around the earth or other body in which a space vehicle is temporarily place, as before being launched further into space
1942 — SPACEFARING space travel
1942 — SPACER a spacecraft → science fiction usage
1944 — PLANETFALL a landing on a planet after a journey through space → science fiction usage
1944 — STARBASE an outpost in space or on another planet; a space station → science fiction usage
1945 — LETDOWN the descent of a spacecraft prior to landing
1945 — SATELLITE STATION a space station orbiting a planet
1946 — SPACE AGE the period of human exploration and exploitation of outer space
1948 — STARDRIVE a propulsion device for a spacecraft, often enabling it to travel faster than the speed of light → science fiction usage
1949 — MOONSHOT the launching of a spacecraft to the moon → orig. US
1949 — SPACE PROBE an unmanned spacecraft for research or reconnaissance
1950 — COSMONAUTICS the science of travel in space
1951 — FERRY a spacecraft used to repeatedly transport passengers and cargo over a relative short distance, as between an orbiting craft and a planet’s surface → science fiction & astronautics usage
1951 — RENDEZVOUS the prearranged meeting in space between two spacecraft, or a spacecraft and a celestial object
1951 — SPACE JUNK debris, usually man-made, floating in space, esp. in earth orbit
1953 — COSMODROME in the countries of the former Soviet Union: a launching site for spacecraft
1954 — SPACE CAPSULE a small spacecraft or a self-contained part of a larger one that contains the instruments or crew for a space flight
1954 — SPACE LIFT a transporting goods or personnel in space
1955 — GENERATION SHIP a spaceship whose intended journey is so long that its destination must be reached by the descendants of the original crew → science fiction usage
1955 — SPACE RACE the competition between nations to be first to achieve any of various objectives in space exploration
1957 — SPACE SHOT the launch of a spacecraft and its subsequent progress in space
1958 — MOONCRAFT a spacecraft bound for the moon
1958 — MOON PROBE an exploratory space flight made to the moon by an unmanned vehicle; the vehicle itself
1958 — SPATIOGRAPHY the scientific description of the features of outer space
1959 — LUNIK any of a series of Russian spacecraft sent to or close by the moon
1959 — NEAR SPACE space in the immediate vicinity of the earth
1959 — SPACE CHAMBER a chamber in which conditions in space or in a spacecraft can be simulated
1960 — FLY-BY in space flights: a close approach to a celestial body for the purpose of observation; a spacecraft that makes such an approach
1960 — PERILUNE the point at which a spacecraft in lunar orbit is nearest to the moon’s centre
1960 — SHUTTLE a space rocket with wings enabling it to land like an aircraft and be used repeatedly
1960 — SOFT LANDER a space vehicle capable of making a soft landing, typically through the inclusion of retrorockets or parachutes in its design
1961 — LANDER a spacecraft, or part of one, which is designed to land on the surface of the moon or a planet
1961 — SPLASHDOWN the alighting of a spacecraft on the sea
1962 — MISSION an expedition into space
1962 — THRUSTER a small rocket engine on a spacecraft for providing the thrust needed to alter or correct its flight path or its attitude
1963 — MOONBUG a module designed to take astronauts from an orbiting spacecraft to the moon’s surface and back; a lunar module
1963 — SPACESPEAK the jargon associated with workers in the space industry
1964 — BLACK HOLE a region of space within which the gravitational field is so strong that no matter or radiation can escape, except perhaps by quantum-mechanical tunnelling, and which is thought to be due to a very dense, compact mass inside the region
1964 — MISSION CONTROL the group or organization responsible for directing a spacecraft and its crew
1965 — BURN the provision of thrust by the engine of a spacecraft
1965 — SPACESCAPE a picture of outer space; a view or prospect of outer space
1966 — DEBOOST the slowing down of a spacecraft by the firing of a retro-rocket
1967 — SWING-BY a change of course made by a spacecraft by using a planet’s gravitational field
1968 — WARP FACTOR the degree by which the velocity of a spaceship exceeds the speed of light; the level of warp speed → science fiction usage, orig. from ‘Star Trek’
1998 — BIG DARK outer space → sl. (Bk.)
NOUNS, PERSON
1931 — ASTROGATOR a person who navigates a craft through space
1931 — ROCKET MAN a person who pilots a rocket into space → chiefly science fiction usage
1932 — SPACEMAN someone who travels in space; an astronaut
1936 — SPACEFARER a person who travels in space, an astronaut
1937 — SPACE TOURIST a person who travels in space, esp. one who pays to go into space for recreational purposes
1940 — SPACER a person who travels in space; an astronaut → science fiction usage
1942 — LITTLE GREEN MAN in science fiction: a small green-skinned humanoid being from outer space
1951 — SPACEWOMAN a female traveller in space; a female astronaut
1952 — SPACE CADET a trainee spaceman or spacewoman
1959 — COSMONAUT a traveller in outer space; an astronaut, esp. Russian
1962 — SPACENIK one associated with space travel → sl.
1965 — SPACEWALKER one who moves beyond a craft in space, as from one spaceship to another
1976 — TREKKIE an admirer of the science fiction TV show, ‘Star Trek’; hence, a space-traveller; a person interested in space travel
2006 — SPACE CADET a space enthusiast → Amer. sl. (Bk.)
2006 — SPAM IN A CAN a person in a space vehicle → Amer. sl. (Bk.)
VERBS
1930 — ROCKET to propel or convey into space in a rocket
1941 — ASTROGATE to navigate a vehicle through space → chiefly science fiction usage
1946 — WARP to travel through space by way of a space warp → science fiction usage
1948 — JETTISON of a booster rocket: to drop off or fall away from a rocket or spacecraft in flight
1951 — RENDEZVOUS of a spacecraft or its crew: to effect a meeting in space with another spacecraft
1962 — SPLASH DOWN of a spacecraft: to alight on the sea after a space flight
1963 — MAN-RATE to make a spaceship suitable for manned flight
1964 — PUNCH OUT to eject from a spacecraft
1965 — BURN of the engine of a spacecraft: to consume fuel and provide thrust
1967 — DEBOOST vb. to slow down a spacecraft by firing a retro-rocket
1967 — SWING of a spacecraft: to pass by a planet using its gravitational field to change course
Lexicophilia 