VOA标准英语2013--New Director of Johnson Space Center Faces Cutbacks, Uncertainty

 

New Director of Johnson Space Center Faces Cutbacks, Uncertainty¹

When the U.S. space shuttle was still flying, the Johnson Space Center in Houston was a busy place.

But now, all the shuttles are in museums and the Johnson Space Center has laid off hundreds of highly skilled technicians.

That's a shame, according to former Johnson Space Center director George Abbey, who is now at Rice University.

“Those programs and those people are gone to us, and trying to rebuild that now is going to be a real challenge,” Abbey said.

The new director of the Johnson Space Center is former astronaut Ellen Ochoa, who is working with what is left of the U.S. human spaceflight program.

“Programs do come and go. That is not always within our control here, but we want to work as hard at what is within our control, which is making our current operational programs in human space flight successful,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa says the Johnson Space Center continues its role as mission control for the International Space Station, while NASA develops new rockets and seeks cost-effective ways of using older technology.

“We understand that we are under budget constraints². We want to make as much use of many things that we already have in development,” Ochoa said.

But experts at a recent conference at Rice University said the U.S. space program is being undermined by politics.

Professor Joan Johnson-Freese of the U.S. Naval³ War College says the 2010 proposal to visit an asteroid⁴ is an example of a goal with no plan.

“It's been three years now and I would suggest if that is, in fact, a goal they are serious about, there ought to be first steps taken,” Johnson-Freese said.

The conference panel also called for more coordination⁵ between U.S. government laboratories, the Defense⁶ Department and NASA - and for more international cooperation.

Former U.S. astronaut and International Space Station commander Leroy Chiao cites successful cooperation with Russia as a guide.

“I think we should expand that leadership to include countries like China. China is the only other country - only other entity⁷ right now - capable of launching astronauts into space,” Chiao said.

But cooperation with China on space endeavors has been blocked by Congress, and funding of the U.S. program is threatened by Congressional budget battles.

Still, Ochoa remains⁸ upbeat about NASA's future.

“We are doing everything we can, day by day, to move exploration forward," Ochoa said.

But NASA's ambitious plans for space exploration will ultimately depend on cost-conscious lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, now struggling to reduce the nation's massive budget deficit⁹. 

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

4 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。

5 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。