space shuttle vs vessel

space shuttle

noun
  • Any vehicle capable of travelling repeatedly between the Earth's surface and outer space carrying people or cargo. 

  • Any vehicle capable of repeatedly travelling between destinations in outer space carrying people or cargo. 

vessel

noun
  • A craft designed for transportation through air or space. 

  • Any craft designed for transportation on water, such as a ship or boat. 

  • A container of liquid or other substance, such as a glass, goblet, cup, bottle, bowl, or pitcher. 

  • A tube or canal that carries fluid in an animal or plant. 

  • A person as a container of qualities or feelings. 

verb
  • To put into a vessel. 

How often have the words space shuttle and vessel occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )