兼职科学家为将探测车送上月球进行竞争

'Part-Time Scientists' Try to Put Vehicle on Moon 兼职科学家为将探测车送上月球进行竞争

Sixteen teams from around the world have set their sights on the moon. The teams are also hoping to win the $30 million Lunar XPRIZE.

Google, the U.S. technology company, launched the international space competition in 2007. The goal is to use private financing to build a planetary rover and send it to the moon. This vehicle also has to travel 500 meters on the moon’s surface, and send high quality video and images back to earth. All the work is to be completed at less than what a public lunar project would cost.

One team from Germany is close to getting funding for its rover. They call themselves the Part-Time Scientists.

Robert Boehme founded the “Part-Time Scientists.” He says his team has been working on its lunar rover since 2008. The vehicle has an adjustable¹ solar panel, which creates electricity from the sun’s light. It also has three cameras and four strong tires.

Mr. Boehme says his team is using parts that were designed for smaller electronics and satellites.

"Using technology -- which is kind of not intended to send something to the moon -- is always very risky², so we have to really slim down everything so that it fits into a less than four ton payload vehicle."

Cost is also a concern. Mr. Boehme says his team is making its rover as high-tech³ as possible.

"So what we wanted to try to do was to make as much as hi-tech -- as you would call -- available for space applications, so that you have more processing power for less energy. Energy is the No. 1 constraint⁴ in space. And that really cuts down to our mission costs."

Mr. Boehme expects the project to cost less than $30 million. He hopes to have signed an agreement for a launch vehicle by the end of the year. His team hopes to send the rover on its way to the moon by the end of 2017.

The 15 other teams in the competition are from the United States and nine other countries. They are Brazil, Canada, Chile, Hungary, Japan, India, Israel, Italy and Malaysia.

Words in This Story

lunar – adj. of or relating to the moon

rover – n. a vehicle used for exploring the surface of a moon or planet (a rover is sometimes called a planetary rover)

adjustable – adj. changing something in a minor⁵ way to make it work better

solar - adj. related to the sun

slim – adj. thin or small in size

payload – n. the goods or material carried by a vehicle

mission – n. a job or project

1 adjustable   

adj.可调整的，可校准的

参考例句：

• More expensive cameras have adjustable focusing.比较贵的照相机有可调焦距。
• The chair has the virtue of being adjustable.这种椅子具有可调节的优点。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

4 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

5 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。