美国国家公共电台 NPR--Artemis I returns from the moon with hopes to get astronauts back there soon

Artemis I returns from the moon with hopes to get astronauts back there soon

Transcript¹

NASA's Artemis mission came to an end on Sunday when the Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. It ended a monthlong uncrewed mission to lunar orbit and back.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

NASA's Orion spacecraft is back on earth after a 25-day mission around the moon. It's a critical test for the agency's newest Artemis lunar program, which plans to send astronauts on a similar trip. From member station WMFE, Brendan Byrne reports.

BRENDAN BYRNE, BYLINE²: When the Orion capsule hit Earth's atmosphere, it was traveling around 25,000 miles per hour. By the time it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean under a canopy³ of parachutes, the gumdrop-shaped capsule slowed to just 20 miles per hour.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROB NAVIAS: From Tranquility Base to Taurus-Littrow to the tranquil⁴ waters of the Pacific, the latest chapter of NASA's journey to the moon comes to a close.

BYRNE: It was the end of Orion's journey that took it nearly 270,000 miles from Earth. The $4 billion mission, dubbed⁵ Artemis I, comes after years of development and delays for NASA's next chapter in human lunar exploration. This mission carried no crew but tested important systems of the spacecraft. NASA administrator⁶ Bill Nelson.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BILL NELSON: This has been an extraordinarily⁷ successful mission.

BYRNE: One of the most critical pieces of hardware on Orion is its heat shield. NASA tested a brand-new one and tried a different kind of reentry called a skip. Orion dipped down into the atmosphere, then steered⁸ its way out, like swimming through the boundary of Earth and space, to pinpoint⁹ its landing spot. Orion's trip pushed the spacecraft to its limit, says NASA's Howard Hu.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

HOWARD HU: We've been able to accomplish over 122 of our flight test objectives that we had planned, and we added a bonus of 20 real-time flight test objectives as well.

BYRNE: What NASA learns from this mission will help the next one, a similar flight but with astronauts and a third trip to land humans on the moon. But space policy analyst¹⁰ Laura Forczyk says there's much still to be done. NASA needs new spacesuits and a lunar lander.

LAURA FORCZYK: Overall, this is a really good first step, but it's only the first step. It's the very beginning.

BYRNE: Exactly 50 years before Orion's splashdown, Apollo 17's Gene¹¹ Cernan spoke¹² humanity's last words on the moon. Quote, "we leave as we came and, God willing, we shall return with peace and hope for all mankind." With Artemis I, NASA is a step closer to fulfilling that promise. For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

4 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

5 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

7 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

8 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。