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AS IT IS 2016-02-26 Astronaut Scott Kelly Talks about His Year in Space

时间:2016-02-26 16:15:05

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AS IT IS 2016-02-26 Astronaut Scott Kelly Talks about His Year in Space

For nearly a year, American astronaut Scott Kelly has been living and working at the International Space Station (ISS), with no running water. 

He told reporters Thursday that it is like camping in the woods for a year. He said the fact that everything floats up there, makes daily life “more difficult.”

It is “somewhat of a harsh environment” he said. “You don’t feel perfectly1 normal.” He and his Russian partner, Mikhail Kornienko, are scheduled to return to Earth March 1. They will travel in a Russian spacecraft and land in Kazakhstan.

Kelly said that he feels “pretty good” physically2, and that he could go another 100 days, or longer, “if I had to.”

But the first thing he said he will do after NASA tests him, is jump in his pool in Houston, Texas.

He said the hardest part of the journey has been being isolated3 physically from people on the ground who are important to him.

He says it has been a privilege to be on the ISS.

“The space station here is a magical place. it’s an incredible science facility we have. It’s a privilege to fly here. And it’s something that I hope more people will have the opportunity to do in the future. You know I think we will just a matter, it’s just a matter of time.”

Kelly and Kornienko’s station-record -- 340 days -- is twice as long as a regular mission. The science behind the one-year mission was critical for NASA’s Journey to Mars program. The space agency hopes to send humans to Mars by the 2030s. They are hiring people now to be astronauts on a Mars mission.

As a veteran of four space flights, Kelly thinks going to Mars is possible.

“I think there’s nothing that we can’t accomplish that we don’t, you know, put our minds and resources behind. So, after being here for so long that’s one thing I definitely realized you know,  If we can dream it we can do it if we really want to.”

After they touch down on Earth, Kelly said they will be carried in special chairs to a nearby tent. There, they will undergo tests to see what condition their bodies are in after spending that time in space.

Biological studies began a year before the two men left Earth. Biological samples were collected and assessments5 were performed, to be used as a baseline.

For comparison, samples were taken during their time at the space station. They will continue for a year or more after their return to Earth.

Kelly’s identical twin brother, former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, participated in parallel twin studies on Earth to give scientists more ways to study human space flight.

Some questions will be how to deal with bone loss and radiation. Those will be issues for travelers to the planet Mars because the trip will take at least six months.

They will need to grow plants for food along the way. While in space, Scott Kelly and his fellow astronauts grew, and then ate, lettuce6. They also grew flowers. That is important because some vegetable plants, like tomatoes, begin as flowers.

Also important are the psychological and performance challenges. How will people handle living together in a small space? This is critical for crew traveling to Mars.

Kelly said it is important to offer private areas to astronauts for a trip to Mars. His space on the ISS was basically a box “the size of a phone booth.”

The astronaut said he got through the long time by taking it in milestones8.  For example, he would look to the next crew change, with astronauts leaving and coming. Or the next science experiment. 

And the last milestone7 before heading home? It was doing major maintenance on the ISS water system. That happened yesterday.

Over the last year, Kelly has taken beautiful pictures of the Earth and sent them out on social media.  After looking down on the planet, he said, “The more I look at it…  the more I feel like an environmentalist.” He said there are “definite areas where the Earth is covered in pollution all the time,” and “unexpected storms.” He said “this is a human effect… not naturally occurring.”

“We can fix that if we put our minds to it,” Kelly said.

Asked for advice for kids who want to be astronauts, Kelly said they need to be experts in a technical field. It is important do what you like, he said. People also need to be well-rounded, because being an astronaut is many jobs in one. Engineer, medical doctor, plumber9 and pilot are just some of the jobs an astronaut must perform.

In the end, 20 years down the road, Scott Kelly said it’s not the view or floating in space or “riding the rocket” of which he will be most proud. The thing he likes about the job is doing something he feels “very passionate” about, the extremely hard work.

Words in This Story

isolated -adj. separated from persons or things

critical -adj. very important

assessment4 -n. the act of making a judgement about something

baseline -n. information used as a starting point for comparison

milestone -n. an important event or action


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
2 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
3 isolated bqmzTd     
adj.与世隔绝的
参考例句:
  • His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
  • Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。
4 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
5 assessments 7d0657785d6e5832f8576c61c78262ef     
n.评估( assessment的名词复数 );评价;(应偿付金额的)估定;(为征税对财产所作的)估价
参考例句:
  • He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明,约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评;而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句
6 lettuce C9GzQ     
n.莴苣;生菜
参考例句:
  • Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿,我好做色拉。
  • The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。
7 milestone c78zM     
n.里程碑;划时代的事件
参考例句:
  • The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
  • I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。
8 milestones 9b680059d7f7ea92ea578a9ceeb0f0db     
n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 );重要阶段;转折点;里程碑
参考例句:
  • Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件,并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网
9 plumber f2qzM     
n.(装修水管的)管子工
参考例句:
  • Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗?
  • The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

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