Final Landing for Shuttle Endeavour

     The space shuttle Endeavour has returned to Earth for the final time, after completing a 16-day mission to the International Space Station.

    NASA welcomed home the Endeavour shuttle before dawn Wednesday, after the ship glided¹ in from a safe re-entry and touched down one last time.

    "And so," said a U.S. space agency commentator(评论员), "after a journey of six-and-a-half million miles [10.5 million kilometers], Endeavour landing in darkness, but illuminated² by the ingenuity³ and dedication⁴ of every astronaut, scientist, engineer, flight controller, mechanic and dreamer that helped it fly."Endeavour spent a total of 299 days in space before completing its 25th mission with a night landing on the brightly lit runway at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

    Astronaut Mark Kelly commanded the mission, which included installing a sophisticated particle detector⁵ on the International Space Station.

    "On behalf of my entire crew, I want to thank every person that has worked hard to get this mission going and every person that has worked on Endeavour," said Kelly. "It is sad to see her land for the last time, but she really has a great legacy⁶."Endeavour is the newest shuttle in NASA's fleet, and it was built to replace the shuttle Challenger, which exploded shortly after liftoff in 1986.

    Schoolchildren nationwide competed for the honor of naming this shuttle. President George Herbert Walker Bush selected the winner - Endeavour, after an 18th Century research sailing vessel⁷ that explored uncharted land and waters in the South Pacific.

    Endeavour first launched in 1992, and its legacy includes a historic rescue of a stranded⁸ satellite. Upon retirement⁹, the shuttle will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

    NASA's next and final shuttle flight is set for July 8, when the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off for the last time. NASA is retiring its shuttle fleet in order to focus on developing the next generation of spaceflight vehicles.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

3 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

4 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

5 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

8 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。