宇航员将首次在太空烤饼干

Astronauts on the International Space Station will soon test a new oven¹ for making chocolate chip cookies.

A spaceship carrying the cooking equipment and other supplies was launched³ Saturday from the Wallops Flight Facility in the United States. The shipment⁴, weighing 3,700 kilograms, reached the space station on Monday.

The goal is to explore the possibility of making freshly baked cookies for space travelers.

This Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 photo made available by NASA shows the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket a few hours after arriving at its launch² pad⁵ at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. 

This Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 photo made available by NASA shows the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket a few hours after arriving at its launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

American company Nanoracks designed and built the oven and helped with organizing the flight to the space station. Hilton DoubleTree hotels supplied the cookie dough⁶ the astronauts will use.

In the past, space station crews have created their own pizzas using a thin, flat piece of bread known as flatbread. Astronauts have tried other creative ways to make food, such as creating salads from vegetables grown in the space station. Results have been mixed.

The cookie baking will be a slow process. The oven can heat just one cookie at a time. It could be weeks before the astronauts have time to try out the oven.

Five unbaked cookies have been in a space station freezer for several weeks. Each is in its own individual clear bag made out of silicone. The oven can heat foods to temperatures as high as 177 degrees Celsius⁷. That is twice the temperature of the U.S. and Russian food warmers on the space station. The oven uses electric heating⁸ elements.

Mary Murphy is with Nanoracks. Murphy said she expects a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes for each cookie when the oven is heated to about 163 degrees Celsius. She added that the smell of baking cookies should fill the space station each time a cookie comes out of the oven. The Associated Press reported her comments.

The oven's first use will be the real test. Without the force of gravity, the astronauts do not know exactly how the cookie will look. Three of the space-baked cookies are to be returned to Earth for testing.

"Baking doesn't always go according to plan, even on the ground," said Murphy.

The American space agency⁹ NASA has agreements with two companies, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, to keep the space station supplied. The recent launch is Northrop Grumman's 12th successful flight of its Cygnus rocket since 2013.

Words in This Story

dough – n. a mixture of flour, water, and other ingredients¹⁰ that is baked to make bread, cookies, etc.

heating element – n. the part of an electric heating appliance¹¹ in which the electrical energy is transformed into heat

salad – n. a mixture of raw green vegetables (such as different types of lettuce) usually combined with other raw vegetables

silicone – n. a chemical compound that does not let water or heat pass through and that is used to make rubber and grease and in plastic surgery

1 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

2 launch   

vt.发动，推出；发射；n.发射，下水，投产

参考例句：

• The makers are about to launch out a new product.制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。
• Would it be wise to launch into this rough sea?在这样汹涌的大海中游泳明智吗？

3 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

4 shipment   

n.装货，装载的货物

参考例句：

• The goods are done up in bundles for shipment.货物已打包以备装船。
• Please advise the date of shipment as soon as possible.请尽快通知装货日期。

5 pad   

n.垫，衬垫；便签本，印色盒

参考例句：

• She made a brief note on the telephone pad.她在电话通讯簿上记下简短的话。
• Each student should have a pencil and pad.每个学生应该有一支铅笔和一个便签本。

6 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 heating   

n.加热，供暖，暖气装置；adj.加热的，供暖的

参考例句：

• They will install a heating and lighting system in our house.他们将在我们家装上供热供电系统。
• If the pressure is too low,the heating system will act up.如果压力太低，供暖系统就会出毛病。

9 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

10 ingredients   

n.（混合物的）组成部分( ingredient的名词复数 )；（烹调的）原料；（构成）要素；因素

参考例句：

• All ingredients are readily available from your local store. 所有的原料都可以方便地从你当地的商店买到。
• We never use second quality ingredients to build building. 我们决不使用次等材料用于建筑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 appliance   

n.用具，器具，器械

参考例句：

• This appliance is good for homes,offices,pubs,restaurants cafes and etc.本产品使用于:家庭，办公室，酒吧，酒店，咖啡馆等场所。
• You must connect this appliance to a properly grounded branch circuit.你必须连接这个设备到正确地地面线路。