Danish expert, media hail Chinese space docking

 　　COPENHAGEN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The launch of Shenzhou-8 and the successful docking with Tiangong-1 in outer space represented a milestone¹ in both Chinese and international space programs, Danish space scientist and media said Thursday.

　　Michael Linden-Voernle, an astrophysicist at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium² in Copenhagen, said new possibilities have opened for both Chinese and international space programs with high expectations.

　　"The recent launch of the Tiangong-1 module³ and now the successful docking with the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft is a very important step - a milestone for the Chinese space program in order to realize the goal of having a permanent presence in space. That means a large space station so this is really an important step, a major milestone," Linden-Voernle told Xinhua in an interview here on Thursday.

　　Besides, a number of Danish news media reported the event, hailing it as a "historic and successful docking." The influential⁴ daily Politiken placed a two-minute's video for the successful coupling on its website and showed scenes from the Shenzhou-8 docking with Tiangong-1 together with a short commentary.

　　"Tonight two Chinese spacecraft made the historic and successful docking above the atmosphere for the first time ever. China had been the third country in the world after the United States and Russia to master the technique of docking in space. China has laid the foundation for its dominance in space," Politiken said.

　　Jyllands-Posten, one of the bestselling newspapers in Denmark, carried a report with a brief description of China's first space docking under the headline "China closer to its own space station."

　　"As the third country in the world, China has docked two spacecraft together perfectly⁵ in space," said Jyllands-Posten.

　　China's unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 and its space lab module Tiangong-1 rendezvoused⁶ early Thursday, successfully completing the country's first-ever space docking.

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 planetarium   

n.天文馆；天象仪

参考例句：

• The planetarium staff also prepared talks for radio broadcast.天文馆的工作人员还要准备讲稿给电台广播。
• It landed in a shallow basin fifty yards from the planetarium.它降落在离天文馆五十码处的一个浅盆地中。

3 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 rendezvoused   

v.约会，会合( rendezvous的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The two spacecraft rendezvoused successfully. 两艘太空船成功地会合。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The air force rendezvoused over southern England. 机群在英国南部上空集合。 来自辞典例句