2020 Saw Many Successes in Space Exploration

Space exploration gave moments of hope in a difficult year.

Three countries sent spacecraft toward Mars in 2020. Astronauts launched into orbit from the United States for the first time in nearly 10 years. And robotic explorers collected rocks from the Moon and from an asteroid¹.

High Expectations for 2021

Expectations are high for 2021 also. Next February, landings are expected on Mars and the planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope is to take place in the autumn. The huge telescope is taking the place of the famous Hubble Space Telescope.

Other developments are expected too. The aerospace² company Boeing hopes to catch up with SpaceX in launching astronauts. And space tourism may finally get off the ground.

Scott Hubbard served as the U.S. space agency's (NASA) first Mars program director. He now teaches at Stanford University. He said, "2021 promises to be as much of a space exploration bright spot, perhaps even more."

Big Projects Moved Forward

Although the coronavirus crisis created problems for all space programs in 2020, most very important projects still went forward.

The U.S., China and the United Arab Emirates launched spacecraft toward Mars.

NASA's Perseverance³ robot explorer is set to land on February 18. Perseverance will cut into the dry soil, collecting samples for return to Earth.

The UAE's spacecraft is that country's first attempt to visit another planet. It will study the Martian atmosphere.

China's Tianwen-1 will look for signs of ancient life on the red planet.

China also carried out explorations of the Moon in 2020. In December, a Chinese spacecraft landed and then launched off the moon's surface. It collected the first moon rocks returned to Earth since the 1970s.

Japan brought back pieces of the asteroid Ryugu. More asteroid samples are on the way. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft got samples from the asteroid Bennu in October. The samples are planned to return in 2023.

Elon Musk⁴'s company SpaceX did a lot in 2020. In May, SpaceX became the first private company to send people into orbit, a success that could only be claimed by three powerful nations before.

In November, four more astronauts rode a SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station. Three weeks later, SpaceX launched its biggest shipment yet to the space station for NASA.

Mark Kelly who was elected as a Senator for the state of Arizona said the event was something "Americans should be proud of."

Until the SpaceX flights, Russia's three-person Soyuz spacecraft were the only way to get astronauts to the space station after NASA's flights stopped.

SpaceX ended the year with a test flight of Starship, the spacecraft the company is building to carry people to the moon and Mars. The event on December 9 was marked by an explosion on landing. Even so, Musk said he was extremely happy.

In addition, SpaceX is expanding the number of people willing to ride in its Dragon spaceship. Late next year, SpaceX expects to launch the first privately⁵ financed Dragon flight in a deal with Houston-based Axiom Space.

Axiom's Michael Lopez-Alegria, an ex-NASA astronaut and former president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation⁶, will go with Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe. They will be joined by two other people paying to visit the space station.

"This is the true beginning of private spaceflight and will get the ball rolling toward multiple private missions to orbit per year," Lopez-Alegria said in an email.

Two other space-travel companies are still doing test flights. They are Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin⁷ Galactic. Those companies have not yet set dates for sending people on short flights to the edge of space and back.

The Future of Space Programs in the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump⁸ said he wants a moon landing by American astronauts to happen by 2024. It would be the first since NASA's Apollo program more than 50 years ago.

In December, NASA introduced 18 astronauts who will train for the moon program named Artemis.

John Logsdon of George Washington University's Space Policy Institute said the last four years "have been positive for the U.S. civilian⁹ space program." Logsdon added, "No...major programs were cancelled, the human exploration program was given clear direction, and funding for existing programs was increased."

Words in This Story

spacecraft – n. a vehicle that is used for travel in outer space

asteroid -- n. any one of thousands of small planets that circle around the sun

tourism – n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure

spot -- n. a small area of a surface that is different from other areas: a particular space or area

sample -- n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

multiple – adj. more than one

mission -- n. a task or job that someone is given to do

proud – adj. causing people to be pleased

positive – adj. a good result, not bad

funding – n. available money for a purpose

1 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

2 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

3 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

4 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

5 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

6 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

7 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。