纪录片《火星任务》 第17期 太空飞船

The DSS14 antenna¹ is the biggest dish

DSS14是美国宇航局深空通信网中

in NASA's Deep Space Communications Network.

最大的碟形天线

It's their switchboard

它是太阳系里

for every spacecraft in the solar system.

所有飞船的电话交换台

But all this interplanetary chatter²

但这些大量的行星际信息交流

means that Ann can't just pick up the phone to Curiosity

意味着安不能随心所欲地和好奇号

any time she likes.

进行联系

There's a lot of spacecraft out there,

太空中飞船众多

and they all want to talk back home, too, right?

它们都希望能与总部取得联系 对吧

They all want to call home.

都希望能向总部传达信息

And so, we have to schedule time at one of these antennas³,

所以需要在像DSS14这样的天线

like here at DSS14,

预订时间

and tell the people that we need to talk to Curiosity

告诉工作人员我们需要和好奇号联系

and this is how long we want to talk to her for,

以及通信持续多长时间

and they point the antenna

之后他们调整天线位置

so when Curiosity comes over the horizon,

当好奇号出现在天际

this guy is already pointed⁴ in that direction

天线已经对准那个方向

and as she comes up, then we're talking.

它一出现 我们就可以联系了

But a queue for the phone

其他飞船的通信请求

is not the only thing that could kill the conversation

并不是使火星车与地球大本营

between the rover and the team back home.

通信中断的唯一因素

1 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

2 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

3 antennas   

[生] 触角，触须（antenna的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Marconi tied several antennas to kites. 马可尼在风筝上系了几根天线。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Radio astronomy today is armed with the largest antennas in the world. 射电天文学拥有世界上最大的天线。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。