The term 'shuttle path' is a reference to the ORBIT of a spacecraft, which is a 5-letter word: ORBIT. An ORBIT is the path that an object in space follows as it revolves around another object due to the force of gravity. This is the same concept that applies to planets orbiting the sun, moons orbiting planets, and satellites orbiting Earth. The shuttle path is the specific ORBIT of a spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, as it travels around the Earth.