Space shuttle Discovery has launched on a mission to deliver new science equipment to the International Space Station.
美国“发现”号航天飞机已经升空执行一项任务，就是将新型科研仪器运送至国际空间站。
Discovery blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and rose toward orbit shortly before sunrise on Monday.
在星期一日出前不久，“发现”号航天飞机在佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心点火升空，接近轨道。
Commander Alan Poindexter is leading the Discovery's crew on a 13-day mission that includes a stop at the space station. The vehicle is carrying nearly 8,000 kilograms of supplies, including a series of new science experiments to be conducted in space. Some of the experiments focus on studying how orbiting in space can affect the human body and plant growth.
“发现”号机组总指挥波因德克斯特率领机组成员执行为期13天的任务，其中包括在空间站的停留。“发现”号此次装载了将近8千公斤的供给物资，包括一系列要在太空中完成的新的科学实验用品。其中一些实验将重点研究在太空轨道上运行将会如何给人体和植物生长带来影响。
Also on board is a new exercise machine, which is part of ongoing studies into the effects of long-term space flight on muscle and bone loss in astronauts.
航天飞机上还载有一台新的健身器。这是一些正在进行的研究的一部分。这些研究是有关长期航天飞行对宇航员肌肉和骨骼损失的影响。
Moments before Discovery's launch, NASA camera caught the space station passing through its orbit above Florida. NASA's George Diller said the station is easily visible from Earth because it is more than 100 meters long and 14 meters tall.
在“发现”号升空之前的片刻，美国航空航天局的摄像机捕捉到宇宙空间站正顺着其轨道运行到佛罗里达州上空。航空航天局的乔治·迪勒说，这个空间站很容易在地球上看到，因为它长达100多米，高14米。
"It is a large object, getting bigger all the time," he noted. "Six permanent crew members are there today, and about to be joined by the seven crew members of Discovery to conduct science in space."
“它是一个很大的物体，而且正变得越来越大。现在那上面有6名常驻工作人员，“发现”号的7名机组人员马上就会加入他们，进行空间科学实验。”
Discovery is delivering a new astronaut sleeping quarters, an ammonia tank and a gyroscope for the space station. Astronauts will conduct three space walks during the mission to install some of the equipment to the station.
“发现”号将为空间站送去一个新的宇航员睡觉舱，一个氨水箱和一个回转仪。宇航员们在为空间站安装设备的时候将进行三次太空行走。
NASA officials say plans to build out and expand the station are more than 90 percent complete, mainly thanks to space shuttle and its large cargo capacity. Recent shuttle missions have delivered new sleeping quarters, laboratory segments and other modules to the station.
美国航空航天局的官员说，加建和扩建空间站的计划已经完成了超过90%，这主要归功于航天飞机及其很大的载货量。航天飞机最近已经向空间站运送了新的睡觉舱、实验室部件和其他配舱。
There are only three shuttle flights remaining before the fleet is set to be retired, later this year. After that, space station partners will rely on Russian and private launch vehicles to ferry supplies to the orbiter.
美国的航天飞机机组预计将在今年晚些时候退役，在那之前只剩下三次飞行任务。之后，空间站的合作伙伴们将依赖俄罗斯和私营发射器来为空间站运送物资。 |