3 US Agencies Involved in 1)Probe of Columbia Disaster

Broadcast: Feb 02, 2003

 

The head of the U.S. space agency NASA says the investigation¹ of the cause of the Columbia space shuttle disaster will be thorough and completed as quickly as possible so America can begin sending people back into space. At least three government agencies and an independent panel of experts are involved in the probe.

Five of the seven crew members aboard the ill-fated Columbia space shuttle were with the Air Force or Navy. Those two military services, along with NASA, are conducting the investigation of radio transmissions between Columbia's crew to mission control in Houston, Texas.

An independent panel of investigators² will also look into the disaster. The team will be headed by ²⁾Admiral Harold Gehman,  who chaired the official investigation into the October 2000 bombing of the destroyer U.S.S. Cole in the Gulf³ of Oman.

Investigators will analyze⁴ the ³⁾debris⁵ and data from military, government, and commercial satellites for evidence that might tell them why the space shuttle Columbia ⁴⁾disintegrated as it re-entered earth's atmosphere, killing⁶ all seven crew members.

In an interview on the television's Fox News Sunday, NASA Administrator⁷ Sean O'Keefe said no possible cause is being ruled out. "We are leaving nothing to chance. We are looking at every piece of evidence. We are securing all the debris and assuring that we look at every possible angle of what could have caused this horrible accident," Mr. O'Keefe said.

Mr. O'Keefe vowed⁸ to find answers to the disaster so the shuttle program can be running again as soon as possible.

A major consideration is the three astronauts - two Americans and a Russian - who are aboard the International Space Station, a permanent scientific outpost in orbit. The three are scheduled to return to earth in March.

For the time being, NASA has placed a ⁵⁾moratorium on shuttle flights, but Mr. O'Keefe is hopeful a space shuttle will be able to retrieve⁹ them. "We are certainly not ruling out any possibility, and we are preparing for being ready to launch whenever necessary, once we have found the correction," he said. The space station astronauts have enough supplies to last them until June if necessary. They are regularly re-supplied by Russian cargo¹⁰ craft, and have a Soyuz space capsule at the station for an emergency return to Earth.

Jessica Berman VOA news, Washington.

1)      probe[prEub] n. 探针, 探测器, 探查，查明

2)      admiral[5AdmErEl]n. 海军上将, 舰队司令, 旗舰

3)      debris[5debri:, 5deib-]n. 碎片, 残骸

4)      disintegrate[dis5inti^reit]vt. (使)分解, (使)碎裂

5)      moratorium[7mCrE5tC:riEm]n. 延期偿付, 延期偿付期间

 

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

10 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。