I have a cool technique for pieces like this, but it is a bit awkward. Say I was taking this picture, I would probably use a 24mm, that would be roughly a 16mm on a cropped sensor and I would stand to the side of the nose. Then, after I have taken a shot, I would move over to the right to get a little more of the shuttle. Then, move a little more, and so on until you get to the tail end. Then, you stitch them up in PS. You'd have to avoid people though, and again, you look awkward doing it, but it is a cool excersize.
I really like this picture, but would have loved it larger