Small steps leading to cool NASA vehicle? (9)
I believe the answer is:
spaceship
'nasa vehicle?' is the definition.
'spaceship' can be an answer for 'vehicle?' (spaceship is a kind of vehicle). I'm not sure about the 'nasa' bit.
'small steps leading to cool' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'steps' becomes 'paces' (pace is a kind of step).
'leading to' means one lot of letters go next to another (some letters go before or lead others).
'cool' becomes 'hip'.
's'+'paces'+'hip'='SPACESHIP'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for spaceship that I've seen before include "craft going far?" , "Craft to travel outside the Earth's atmosphere" , "long-distance vessel" , "Challenger possibly" , "orbiter, perhaps" .)