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VOA标准英语2009年-NASA Prepares for Return to Moon, Missions

时间:2009-08-10 01:24:57

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As the world observes the 40th anniversary of the historic moon landing on July 20, 1969, the U.S. agency that accomplished1 that feat2 is working on plans for a return to the moon and an even more ambitious plan to use the moon as a base for missions to Mars. The National Aeronautics3 and Space Administration is gearing up for its biggest challenge yet at a time when funding may be harder to come by.
 
In this July 20, 1969 file photo, Astronaut Edwin E. 'Buzz' Aldrin Jr. poses for photograph beside US flag deployed4 on moon during Apollo 11 mission

Thousands of people come to the Johnson Space Center in Houston every week to look at some of the rockets and equipment developed back in the 1960s for NASA missions. For many people, those were the glory years, when the Apollo astronauts walked on the moon. But John Connolly, who works with NASA's new lunar project based at the Johnson Space Center, sees even greater things ahead.

"There is a new generation of engineers and scientists now at NASA who are eager to get back to the moon to find a lot of those things that Apollo uncovered and that we are finally able to get back to the moon to explore," he said.

Engines are firing in tests already under way for the powerful new Ares rockets NASA hopes to use in its Constellation5 Program, which involves returning to the moon within ten years to establish bases. The missions will count on a much larger lunar landing vehicle and mechanical rovers that can transport both astronauts and equipment around the surface of the orb6.

John Connolly says there is now evidence that there may be water, in the form of ice, at the moon's poles. In addition, he says study of material brought back from the moon's surface four decades ago shows the availability of oxygen that perhaps can be extracted from the rocks using solar energy.
 
A close-up view of astronaut Buzz Aldrin's bootprint in the lunar soil, photographed with the 70mm lunar surface camera during Apollo 11's sojourn7 on the moon

"If you can make all the oxygen that you need at a place like the moon and not have to bring it all the way from earth, you have cut by a factor of 80 percent the mass of stuff you have to bring with you in order to survive in space," he said.

But such plans, ambitious as they are, disappoint many space enthusiasts8, including the second man to step foot on the moon, in the Apollo 11 mission, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. At a recent appearance here in Houston, he expressed skepticism of the plan that will take another 10 years just to get back to where he was 40 years ago.

"Surely there is something not quite right. Maybe we are implementing9 this wonderful vision in not so smart a way," he said.
 
Liftoff of space shuttle 'Endeavour' from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Others are critical of NASA's plan to abandon the space shuttle next year to concentrate all efforts on the new program. They fear public enthusiasm may wane10 if years go by without any major missions.

Business experts also wonder how a government agency like NASA will fare at a time when the U.S. budget deficit11 has reached record levels. Chris Bronk, a technology analyst12 at Rice University, and Troy Gattis, a computer systems architect with Houston's Open Teams software company, recently wrote an editorial suggesting NASA needs to be more like an innovative13 private company.

Chris Bronk says government funding may fall short in the years ahead.

"When you look at the manned space mission goals of getting back to the moon, getting to Mars, there is a mandate14 there that does not equate15 to the resources that are already provided," he said.

The answer, says Gattis, is innovation.

"Given the realistic government budgets going forward, if NASA is going to accomplish these great inspirational things, they are going to need this level of innovation that makes space travel become cheaper, easier, faster on a regular basis," he explained.

NASA officials say they are aware of the budget restraints. John Connolly says the agency is trying to carry out the mandates16 from the president and U.S. Congress relying on expertise17 from within and from experts around the world.

"It starts internally at NASA. We have a lot of people who are really smart and who have thought about it for many, many years, like myself. So that is where it starts, but it quickly grows to be a project where we get the input18 from lots and lots of smart people out there," he said.

NASA hopes to do a manned test of the Orion launch vehicle by 2015, with the goal of sending a mission to the moon by the year 2020. The Orion, which is to be flown into space on the new Ares rocket, includes a launch abort19 system that will allow the crew module20 to separate and return to earth in case of a malfunction21. The Altair lunar landing craft is being developed to carry up to four astronauts to the moon's surface and allow them to stay there for up to a week.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
2 feat 5kzxp     
n.功绩;武艺,技艺;adj.灵巧的,漂亮的,合适的
参考例句:
  • Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
  • He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。
3 aeronautics BKVyg     
n.航空术,航空学
参考例句:
  • National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
  • He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。
4 deployed 4ceaf19fb3d0a70e329fcd3777bb05ea     
(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用
参考例句:
  • Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
  • The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。
5 constellation CptzI     
n.星座n.灿烂的一群
参考例句:
  • A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
  • The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。
6 orb Lmmzhy     
n.太阳;星球;v.弄圆;成球形
参考例句:
  • The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳,洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。
  • It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。
7 sojourn orDyb     
v./n.旅居,寄居;逗留
参考例句:
  • It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间,那将是太不近人情的。
  • I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间,觉得体力日渐恢复。
8 enthusiasts 7d5827a9c13ecd79a8fd94ebb2537412     
n.热心人,热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册
9 implementing be68540dfa000a0fb38be40d32259215     
v.实现( implement的现在分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效
参考例句:
  • -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
  • He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句
10 wane bpRyR     
n.衰微,亏缺,变弱;v.变小,亏缺,呈下弦
参考例句:
  • The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
  • Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。
11 deficit tmAzu     
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差
参考例句:
  • The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
  • We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。
12 analyst gw7zn     
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。
13 innovative D6Vxq     
adj.革新的,新颖的,富有革新精神的
参考例句:
  • Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
  • He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
14 mandate sj9yz     
n.托管地;命令,指示
参考例句:
  • The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
  • The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。
15 equate NolxH     
v.同等看待,使相等
参考例句:
  • You can't equate passing examination and being intelligent.你不能把考试及格看成是聪明。
  • You cannot equate his poems with his plays.你不可以把他的诗歌和他的剧本相提并论。
16 mandates 2acac1276dba74275e1c7c1a20146ad9     
托管(mandate的第三人称单数形式)
参考例句:
  • Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
  • While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处,我不是授权软件的支持者。
17 expertise fmTx0     
n.专门知识(或技能等),专长
参考例句:
  • We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
  • You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。
18 input X6lxm     
n.输入(物);投入;vt.把(数据等)输入计算机
参考例句:
  • I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
  • All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。
19 abort Tzgzxu     
v.使流产,堕胎;中止;中止(工作、计划等)
参考例句:
  • The captain instructed them to abort the mission.上尉指示他们中止执行任务。
  • With this button the user can abort the audio sequence.用户可以用该按钮终止音频序列。
20 module iEjxj     
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。
21 malfunction 1ASxT     
vi.发生功能故障,发生故障,显示机能失常
参考例句:
  • There must have been a computer malfunction.一定是出了电脑故障。
  • Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer.由于电脑发生故障,计算结果推迟了。

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