美国国家公共电台 NPR 50 Years Later, NASA Creates Tribute To 3 Astronauts Who Died In Space Race

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: 

Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of a tragic¹ moment for America's space program - the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts. The fire erupted on the launch pad during a routine test. The accident shocked NASA just as the agency was ramping² up to meet President John F. Kennedy's challenge of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Brendan Byrne of member station WMFE looks at how lessons from the Apollo 1 tragedy paved the way for successful trips to the moon.

BRENDAN BYRNE, BYLINE³: The test was a dress rehearsal⁴ for the Apollo 1 crew - Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. The ultimate goal was to check out the command module⁵, NASA's first three-manned spacecraft that would take astronauts to the moon. The crew was rehearsing the real launch about a month away. They were suited up and in the capsule running through checklists and testing equipment, but something sparked the oxygen-rich environment. Within seconds, the capsule filled with flames, smoke and toxic⁶ gases. NASA engineer John Tribe was working in the control room when it happened.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN TRIBE: It was incomprehensible to us how on earth we could have a fire in the cockpit.

BYRNE: The astronauts were killed almost instantly, and the entire incident lasted less than five minutes.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRIBE: We had imagined the worst. We'd hoped for the best. It was not to be. We'd lost three of our team.

BYRNE: The accident halted the Apollo program as NASA scrambled⁷ to figure out what went wrong. Reporter George Alexander was 1 of only 3 journalists allowed to visit the capsule after the fire.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GEORGE ALEXANDER: What burned? I'd have to say just about everything that was in there, except for these few odd bits and pieces, like a page which had only its edges - a page about this size - it had only its edges slightly browned - and this bit of parachute harness, but everything else burned in there.

BYRNE: The capsule was pressurized with a hundred percent oxygen. In that environment, something not considered a fire hazard was extremely combustible⁸. The hatch of the capsule opened inward, making it difficult for the crew to open it. After the accident, there were hundreds of significant changes to the capsule and safety procedures. The redesigned capsule would use a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, reducing the fire risk, and a new hatch was designed that could be opened in just five seconds.

Only 21 months later, NASA sent humans back into space aboard Apollo 7. And less than a year after that, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed Apollo 11 on the moon. Astronaut Michael Collins was also on that mission. He says if the fire on Apollo 1 hadn't happened, it's likely a similar action would have occurred in space, and that could have led to the program's cancellation⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MICHAEL COLLINS: Without it, very likely we would have not landed on the moon, as president had wished, by the end of the decade.

BYRNE: The successes of the Apollo lunar program overshadowed the loss of the crew. For 50 years, NASA kept the Apollo 1 command module locked up until now. Beginning tomorrow, the hatch from the burned capsule will be put on public display as a tribute to the sacrifices of Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne at the Kennedy Space Center.

1 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

2 ramping   

土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• The children love ramping about in the garden. 孩子们喜欢在花园里追逐嬉戏，闹着玩。
• Have you ever seen a lion ramping around? 你看到过狮子暴跳吗？

3 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。

4 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

5 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。

6 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

7 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。

9 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。