Preparing Shuttle for Space Flight

65 航天飞机的飞行准备

DATE=7-4-01
TITLE=EXPLORATIONS #1959 - Preparing Shuttle for Space Flight
BYLINE=Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:
This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, EXPLORATIONS.  Our Explorations programs often tell about the launch¹ of a (1) NASA (2) space shuttle from Florida's (3) Cape² Kennedy.  Today, we tell about the job of making the Space Shuttle Atlantis ready for its next flight. 
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
For many hundreds of years, the only object on Earth made by humans that could be seen from space was the Great Wall of China.  That is no longer true.  The space shuttle landing³ area at Cape Kennedy, Florida is so big that it too can be seen from space.  The landing area is more than four-thousand-five-hundred meters long and ninety meters wide. 
VOICE TWO:
The men and women who work at the Kennedy Space Center of the American space agency⁴ say each new flight of the space shuttle begins as the shuttle safely returns to Earth.  Preparations for the next launch into space begin when the (4) astronauts leave the huge (5) vehicle. 
 The space shuttle is quickly linked to a large vehicle that pulls it into a building called the (6) Orbiter (7) Processing (8) Facility.  Once in the building, workers begin to prepare the shuttle to return to space. 
VOICE ONE:
Work crews begin to immediately test, repair or replace each and every piece of the shuttle's equipment.  Nothing is left to chance.  Nothing is forgotten.  Each system is studied to make sure it will work correctly during the next flight.  The body of the shuttle is carefully examined for any damage.  The inside of the shuttle is cleaned. And, workers recently began removing and replacing the engine on each shuttle with one that is better and safer.
NASA says a shuttle will remain in the Orbiter Processing Facility for two or three months before it is declared ready for its next flight.  When the cleaning and examining are finished, the shuttle is carefully moved to the Vehicle (9) Assembly⁵ Building.
VOICE TWO:
NASA says the Vehicle Assembly Building is the largest building in the world.  It is one-hundred-sixty meters tall.  The building sits on more than three (10) hectares of land. 
The Vehicle Assembly building is the first thing that people see when they visit Cape Kennedy.  This huge building is where the space shuttle is prepared for (11) launch. 
VOICE ONE:
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is the next shuttle that will be launched⁶.  The necessary work on it was just finished in the Vehicle Assembly building.  When Atlantis entered the building, each system was examined and final tests were completed.  At the same time, two long objects called solid fuel (12) booster rockets were placed on a device⁷ called a Mobile⁸ (13) Launcher (14) Platform. 
Then a larger, orange colored liquid fuel (15) tank was placed on the platform.  Work (16) crews then used special equipment to pull Atlantis up into the air so that its nose was pointing toward⁹ the top of the building. 
Very slowly the shuttle was lowered to within (17) centimeters of the large fuel tank and the two long booster rockets.  Then, these three objects were linked to the underside of Atlantis.  When this work was completed, Atlantis looked like it does when it is ready for launch.
VOICE TWO:
While NASA crews were busy in the Vehicle Assembly Building, the team of experts who control the launch of Atlantis gathered in the Launch Control Center.  These experts direct, control and observe all efforts to prepare the Atlantis for launch. 
The Launch Control Center is crowded with computers.  This center is often seen on television.  It is the control center where the Launch (18) Director gives the final commands that will send Atlantis up into space.
 (((MUSIC BRIDGE)))
VOICE ONE:
In June, work on Atlantis was completed inside the huge Vehicle Assembly Building.  Atlantis was ready for its trip to the Cape Kennedy launch area.
The Mobile Launch Platform was placed on a huge vehicle called a (19) Crawler Transporter.  It is the crawler's job to safely move the space shuttle to the launch area.  These (20) giant vehicles are about half the size of a (21) soccer football field.  They move very slowly -- only about one and a half kilometers an hour.
On June Twentieth, Atlantis was slowly moved out of the huge building.  It was taken to the launch area.
VOICE TWO:
The Crawler Transporters take a shuttle to one of two launch areas called pads¹⁰.  These two areas are Launch Pads Thirty-Nine-"A" and Thirty-Nine-"B." 
Both of these launch (22) pads are the same.  The Atlantis was taken to Launch Pad¹¹ Thirty-Nine-"B".  On each of the pads are two large structures that reach high into the air.  These are called the Fixed¹² Service Structures.  They are used by NASA crews to work on the shuttle. 
Each structure has a long, (23) moveable device that looks like a huge arm.  When it is time for launch, the crew of Atlantis will enter the space shuttle through this arm-like device. 
VOICE ONE:
Another structure covers the space shuttle until it is ready for launch.  It is called the (24) Rotating¹³ Service Structure.  It protects the shuttle from bad weather and permits workers to enter the (25) cargo¹⁴ area of the shuttle. 
Atlantis will link with the International Space Station during its next flight.  It will carry a device called an airlock.  The airlock will permit crewmembers to leave the space station or to link the station with other space vehicles.  The airlock was placed in the cargo area of Atlantis while the Rotating Service Structure (26) surrounded it.
VOICE TWO:
As the date for the launch of the Atlantis gets closer, the Launch Control Center begins a process called a "(27) count down."  Most count-downs begin three days before the planned launch.  This is also called "L-Three."  A special clock begins moving backwards¹⁵, showing forty-three hours to launch. 
The other twenty-nine hours in that three-day period of time are called "Holds."  The countdown clock is stopped during "Holds."  These time periods are used to slow the process and to observe, study and decide again if everything is ready. 
The experts in Launch Control may decide to delay the launch if they find a problem.  This decision is usually made during a "Hold." 
For Atlantis, L-Three will begin at eight hours U-T-C on July Ninth.  The space shuttle is to be launched at eight-oh-four U-T-C on July Twelfth.
VOICE ONE:
The Atlantis astronauts have been in a special medical center in (28) Houston, (29) Texas.  They are kept away from other people to make sure they do not become sick before the flight. 
Early on "L-Three" day, the Atlantis astronauts will leave Houston, Texas and fly to Cape Kennedy.  At Cape Kennedy, they will again be placed in a special medical center to prevent them from coming near anyone who may be sick.
VOICE TWO:
When the count down clock moves to launch (30) minus two days, or "L-Two," liquid (31) hydrogen¹⁶ and liquid oxygen will be placed into special tanks inside Atlantis.  The Atlantis crew will use these two extremely cold chemicals to produce (32) electricity during the flight into space. 
Workers again will examine all of the Atlantis' many systems.  Other workers will use millions of liters¹⁷ of water to wash the area around the launch pad Thirty-Nine-"B".  They also will carefully inspect the area for objects that may cause damage during the launch. 
VOICE ONE:
On launch day, almost two-million liters of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen will be placed inside the orange-colored (33) temporary fuel tank.  More fuel will also be placed in the shuttle.  All of this fuel will be used by the shuttle's three main engines. 
Three hours before launch, the astronauts will leave their special medical center and go to the launch pad.  They will ride an (34) elevator up to the service arm and enter the crew area of Atlantis.  There, they will begin a series of (35) communications tests with Launch Control at Cape Kennedy and with Mission¹⁸ Control in Houston. 
When the clock reaches nine minutes before launch, the last "Hold" will be reached and the clock will stop.  The Flight Director will ask the engineers, medical advisors¹⁹ and others experts at launch control if all is ready.  There are so many experts it is ten minutes before they can all answer his question.
The Flight Director then asks the experts at Launch Pad-Thirty-Nine "B" if all is ready.  If everything is normal, the countdown is started again.  As soon as it starts, the Launch Control computers will begin launching²⁰ the Atlantis. 
VOICE TWO:
The computers on Atlantis will take control of the countdown when the clock reaches thirty-one seconds.  Seconds later, the three main engines of the Atlantis will start.  Fire will (36) appear at the base of the two solid fuel rockets.  Very slowly and loudly, the American space shuttle Atlantis will lift off Launch Pad-Thirty-Nine "B" for its flight into space. 
 ((THEME))  
VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Paul Thompson and produced by Cynthia Kirk. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes. This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember.  Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.

(1) NASA [5nAsE] abbr.National Aeronautics²¹ and Space Administration²² (美国)国家航空和宇宙航行局
(2) space shuttle n.(往返于地球和太空站之间运载人和物资的)航天飞机
(3) Cape Kennedy n.肯尼迪角(有名的火箭试射场)
(4) astronaut [5AstrEnC:t] n.太空人, 宇航员
(5) vehicle [ 5vi:ikl ] n.交通工具, 车辆, 媒介物, 传达手段
(6) orbiter [`R:bItE(r)] n.盘旋物, 人造卫星
(7) processing [ prEu5sesiN ] n.处理
(8) facility [ fE5siliti ] n.容易, 简易, 灵巧, 熟练, 便利, 敏捷, 设备, 工具
(9) assembly building 装配间
(10) hectare [ 5hektB: ] n.公顷
(11) launch [ lC:ntF] n.下水, 汽艇, 发射vt.使(船)下水, 掷(标枪等), 发射(导弹、火箭等), vi.起飞, 下水
(12) booster [ 5bu:stE ] n.<美俚> 后援者, 调压器
(13) launcher [ 5lC:ntFE] n.发射者, 运载火箭, 发射台
(14) platform [ 5plAtfC:m ] n.(车站)月台, 讲台, 讲坛, 平台
(15) tank [ tANk ] n.(盛液体, 气体的大容器)桶、箱、罐、槽, 池塘, 坦克, 战车, 柜, 储水池 vt.储于槽中, 击败 vi.大量喝酒
(16) crew [ kru: ] n.全体人员, (工作)队
(17) centimeter [5sentImi:tEr(r)] n.厘米
(18) director [ di5rektE] n.主任, 主管, 导演, (机关)首长, (团体)理事, (公司)董事, 指挥仪, 控制器
(19) crawler [ 5krC:lE ] n.爬行者, 爬行动物
(20) giant [ 5dVaiEnt ] n.巨人, 大力士, 巨大的动物或植物, 伟人, 天才 adj.庞大的, 巨大的
(21) soccer [ 5sCkE ] n.英式足球
(22) pad [ pAd ] n.垫, 衬垫, 便笺簿 v.加上衬垫
(23) moveable [ 5mu:vEbl ] n.可移动的东西 adj.可移动的, 活动的
(24) rotate [ rEu5teit ] v.(使)旋转
(25) cargo [ 5kB:^Eu ] n.船货, (车、船、飞机等运输的)货物
(26) surround [ sE5raund ] vt.包围, 环境 v.围绕
(27) count down v.倒计数, 倒计时
(28) Houston [ 5hju:stEn ] n.休斯顿
(29) Texas [ 5teksEs ] n.德克萨斯州(美国州名)
(30) minus [ 5mainEs ] adj.负的, 减的 prep.减去 n.负数
(31) hydrogen [ 5haidrEudVEn ] n.氢
(32) electricity [Ilek5trIsItI] n.电流, 电, 电学
(33) temporary [ 5tempErEri ] adj.暂时的, 临时的, 临时性
(34) elevator [ 5eliveitE ] n.电梯, 升降机, [空]升降舵
(35) communications [kEmju:nI5keIF(E)nz] [计] 通信
(36) appear [ E5piE ] vi.出现, 看来, 似乎, 公开露面, 出版, 发表

 

1 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？

2 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

3 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

4 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。

5 assembly   

n.集会(不可数)；会议(可数)，装配(不可数)

参考例句：

• He took his seat in an unobserved corner of the assembly room.他在会议室一个不为人注意的犄角坐下来。
• It was very quiet in the assembly hall.会场里静悄悄的。

6 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。

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

8 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

9 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

10 pads   

n.垫( pad的名词复数 )；发射台；住所；肉趾v.给…装衬垫，加垫子( pad的第三人称单数 )；步行，放轻脚步走

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Elbow pads and knee pads are essential on a skateboard. 滑滑板时带护肘和护膝是必要的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 rotating   

ing. 转动

参考例句：

• It can be used on rotating machinery and under water. 它可以用于回转式机器，也可以在水下应用。
• So a separate rotating aerial is used for that purpose. 为此需要用一种单独的旋转天线。

14 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

15 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

16 hydrogen   

n.氢元素，氢气

参考例句：

• Water is made up of atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.水由氢和氧的原子构成。
• A chemist can isolate the oxygen from the hydrogen in water.一个化学家能把水中的氧和氢分解。

17 liters   

n.升( liter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This can holds five liters of water. 这个容器可装五升水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

19 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

20 launching   

n.（火箭等的）发射；（船的）下水（典礼）；发动；发行v.发射( launch的现在分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• They are launching out into a series of scientific experiments. 他们正在着手进行一系列科学试验。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• John is launching his son on a career in banking. 约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 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。

22 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。