VOA标准英语2014--Chinese Lunar Landing Prompts Debate About Moon Exploitation 中国登月引发月球开发争论

 

Chinese Lunar Landing Prompts Debate About Moon Exploitation 中国登月引发月球开发争论

LONDON — Last month, China successfully landed an unmanned probe on the Moon.  The mission renewed a debate about the potential exploitation of the Moon’s resources and who exactly owns the Earth’s only natural satellite.  

China’s Chang’e 3 mission was the first so-called soft lunar landing in 37 years.  The spacecraft carried a solar-powered buggy called Jade¹ Rabbit, which is digging the Moon’s surface and conducting geological surveys.

Deputy Chief Designer of the probe, Jia Yang, is excited about what lies ahead.

He explained that Jade Rabbit is now heading to the west, towards a pyramid-like rock which has a different shape from others.  It could be part of a meteorite², he adds.

Prior to the mission, Chinese scientists described the Moon as being a potential source of minerals.  Currently, no one can claim ownership of the Moon, says Planetary Science Professor Ian Crawford, of Birkbeck College University of London.

“The legal status of the Moon is governed by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, Article 2 of which specifically prohibits nation states from appropriating the Moon," said Crawford.

Back in 1967, the Treaty envisaged³ that only nation states would have the capacity to launch such missions.  Professor Crawford says it is time the Treaty was updated.

“Within the next few decades the economic exploitation of the Moon will be technically⁴ feasible," said Crawford. "Even if there are not minerals to be extracted, the space tourism industry is gathering⁵ a lot of momentum⁶ so one might imagine interest in sending people to the Moon as just fare-paying passengers.  None of this is currently covered by the 1967 Treaty.”

Almost 22 kilometers (71,000 feet) above the Mojave desert in California, Virgin⁷ Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo made its third powered supersonic test flight last week.  The company plans to take its first fare-paying passengers into space this summer.

As interest in space exploration heats up, a provocative⁸ London exhibition titled ‘Republic of the Moon’ explores the concept of lunar ownership.

One of the pieces, by artist Katie Paterson, involves the classical composition "Moonlight Sonata⁹" by Beethoven being translated into Morse code.  The signal is bounced off the surface of the Moon back to Earth -- where it is performed on a self-playing grand piano.  The Moon’s craters¹⁰ absorb and disrupt the signal.

“We had this idea that the Republic of the Moon would be in a sense an imaginary country," said curator of the exhibition Rob La Frenais. "But all the artists in Republic of the Moon have got their own individual reflections on what the Moon means to them.”

 

The Chinese lunar landing may have sparked a debate over the future exploitation of the Moon, but scientists agree the mission marks an exciting new chapter in the exploration of space.

1 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

2 meteorite   

n.陨石；流星

参考例句：

• The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
• The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。

3 envisaged   

想像，设想( envisage的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He envisaged an old age of loneliness and poverty. 他面对着一个孤独而贫困的晚年。
• Henry Ford envisaged an important future for the motor car. 亨利·福特为汽车设想了一个远大前程。

4 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

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 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

9 sonata   

n.奏鸣曲

参考例句：

• He played a piano sonata of his own composition.他弹奏了一首自作的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• The young boy played the violin sonata masterfully.那个小男孩的小提琴奏鸣曲拉得很熟练。

10 craters   

n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》