VOA新闻杂志2022--欧洲与俄罗斯的联合火星任务因战争而推迟

Europe’s Joint¹ Mars Mission with Russia Delayed by War

The European Space Agency says the launch of a joint Europe-Russia mission to Mars this year is now "very unlikely" because of sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine.

The European Union and many other nations and groups have placed restrictive measures on Russia for invading Ukraine.

The space agency said after a meeting Monday that it was examining the effects of sanctions on its cooperation with Russia's Roscosmos space agency.

The agency said in a statement, "The sanctions and the wider context make a launch in 2022 very unlikely," for the Europe-Russia ExoMars vehicle mission.

The mission had already faced delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak and technical problems.

It was then set to launch in September 2022 from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan using a Russian rocket.

Delaying a launch often means waiting months or years until the next time the planet's placement in space makes a launch possible.

The goal of the ExoMars mission is to put Europe's first vehicle, called a rover, on the red planet. The rover will help scientists investigate whether there has ever been life on Mars. It is extremely difficult to put a vehicle on the red planet. A test rover launched in 2016 crash-landed on the planet.

On February 26, Roscosmos said it was pulling its workers from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Several European satellites have been launched with Russian rockets from there, and more were planned over the coming year.

French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier in February that Europe needs a stronger space policy. While Europe has its own rockets to put satellites around the planet, it needs its Russian and American partners to send astronauts into space.

International Space Station

Kathy Lueders is the National Aeronautics² and Space Administration's (NASA) head of space operations. She said on Monday that the agency is operating the International Space Station with Russian support and input³, as usual. She added that flight control teams are still communicating, training and working together.

"Obviously, we understand the global situation, where it is, but as a joint team, these teams are operating together," Lueders said.

The United States and Russia are the main operators of the space station. It is a partnership⁴ of five space agencies. Four Americans, two Russians and a German are currently at the station.

"We've operated in these (kinds) of situations before and both sides always operated very professionally," Lueders said.

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is planned to return to Earth at the end of March with two Russians in a Russian spacecraft called a Soyuz capsule. Lueders said that plan is still set to happen.

Russian spacecraft had been the only way to and from space between 2011 and 2020. NASA's spacecraft, called shuttles, were retired⁵ in 2011. SpaceX's first crew flight launched in 2020.

Words in This Story

mission – n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task

sanctions – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country or by not allowing economic aid for that country

context – n. the situation in which something happens: the group of conditions that exist where and when something happens

obviously – adv. used to emphasize that you are talking about something that is easy to see, understand, or recognize

global – adj. involving the entire world

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

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 aeronautics   

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。

3 input   

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。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。