美国有线新闻 CNN NASA和ESA将联手阻止小行星撞击地球

 

Which of these celestial¹ objects is called a minor² planet? Pluto³, Asteroid⁴, Moon, Sirius. Asteroids⁵ are also called minor planets, objects that orbit the sun but are neither planets nor comets.

NASA and the European Space Agency are teaming up to see if they can throw an asteroid off course. In three years, a certain asteroid and its moon are expected to pass between Earth and Mars. Scientists are hoping to smash a spacecraft into the smaller rock and then take measurements to see if the collision was able to change the moons orbit around the asteroid.

OK, why? They're hoping to find out whether it's possible to redirect an asteroid if one is on a collision course with Earth someday. The mission is estimated to cost NASA around $314 million, but it's not the space agency's only mission that involves an asteroid. The Osiris-Rex mission, which sounds like a dinosaur⁶, is an $800 million effort to bring a sample of an asteroid back to Earth.

1 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。

4 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

5 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

6 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。