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Engine Problem Delays NASA Moon Rocket Launch

时间:2022-10-05 22:59:14

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The American space agency NASA postponed1 the launch of its new moon rocket on Monday because of an engine problem.

The launch of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, was called off about 40 minutes before launch time at Kennedy Space Center in Cape2 Canaveral, Florida.

NASA said on its website that the problem was linked to difficulties cooling the rocket's main engines to the needed temperature for liftoff. The agency said engineers were continuing to gather data and carry out tests on the engines.

The next launch possibility has been set for Friday, September 2.

NASA has described the 98-meter SLS as the most powerful rocket ever built. It is part of the agency's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.

Artemis seeks to land American astronauts on the moon no earlier than 2025. It would be the first moon landing by astronauts since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Artemis also calls for establishing a long-term base on the moon that could one day launch astronauts to Mars3.

NASA is calling the first launch of the SLS rocket Artemis 1. The rocket will carry NASA's Orion spacecraft, or capsule, on a test mission to fly around the moon.

There will be no astronauts on the spacecraft during the test flight. Instead, three mannequins will be placed inside the crew capsule. They will be connected to a series of sensors4 designed to measure radiation and movements during the mission.

During the trip, Orion is expected to travel 450,600 kilometers from Earth and thousands of kilometers beyond the moon. NASA said this will be farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever traveled. The mission is expected to last four to six weeks.

The Associated Press reported NASA officials also discovered communication problems late Sunday involving the Orion spacecraft. The problem was causing a delay in communication lines between launch controllers and Orion. Officials said that problem was solved by Monday morning.

The main purpose of the SLS mission is to test the system for a future flight that will include actual astronauts. NASA has said that if everything goes well with Artemis 1, a trip involving astronauts could be launched as soon as 2024.

SLS has been under development for more than 10 years. It has experienced a series of costly5 production delays.

Orion will take nearly a week to reach the moon, which is about 386,000 kilometers from Earth. After passing close to the moon, the capsule will enter a distant orbit with a far point of 61,000 kilometers. That will put Orion 450,000 kilometers from Earth.

At the end of the mission, Orion is expected to hit the atmosphere at 40,000 kilometers per hour on its way to a parachute landing in the Pacific Ocean.

Words in This Story

mannequin – n. an artificial human form

capsule – n. the part of a spacecraft that carries astronauts

mission – n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task


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1 postponed 9dc016075e0da542aaa70e9f01bf4ab1     
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发)
参考例句:
  • The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
  • The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。
2 cape ITEy6     
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 Mars 4oSz63     
n.火星,战争
参考例句:
  • As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
  • He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。
4 sensors 029aee483db9ae244d7a5cb353e74602     
n.传感器,灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时,有很大变化。 来自辞典例句
5 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。

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