2006年VOA标准英语-Astronauts Begin Space Station Rewiring

By Sean Maroney
Washington
15 December 2006

Astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle Discovery have successfully rewired half of the International Space Station to run on its permanent power system. VOA's Sean Maroney reports from Washington with details of the complicated spacewalk and preparations for Saturday's followup.

Mission specialist Bob Curbeam floats with flight suit in Destiny laboratory of International Space Station, 14 Dec. 2006

Crews of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station are preparing for a third spacewalk Saturday to finish the complex job of rewiring the station.

Officials with the U.S. National Aeronautics² and Space Administration say the completion of Saturday's electrical work will bring the permanent power system fully¹ online and prepare the station for the addition of more solar arrays next year.

Flight Director John Curry³ says the upcoming spacewalk will mirror the complexity⁴ of Thursday's outing and bring the same concerns.

"For this particular space walk, this one scared me," he said. " It's one of those that I was worried about all the potential contingencies⁵ that could occur. What if the software doesn't come out properly? What if the pump doesn't come out right? What if the power doesn't do what it's supposed to do? And all that stuff worked."

During Thursday's spacewalk, NASA flight controllers had to power down sections of the space station, in order to protect the astronauts from electrical shock.

Half of the station's lights, some exterior⁶ cameras and even a smoke detector⁷ were turned off. This forced the space agency to rely on the shuttle Discovery's systems for backup.

Curry says this brought its own problems.

"The communications were ratty though because the shuttle is being obscured by the station," he explained, "and so, we had a lot of times where we weren't able to communicate effectively with the crew just because of that feature. We got through it, and it was all worked well. But if there had been an anomaly, it would have been a problem that wouldn't have been optimal⁸."

Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam and Sunita Williams will perform Saturday's spacewalk. Astronaut Christer Fuglesang had joined Curbeam for the first two outings.

A fourth spacewalk may take place if NASA is unable to fully retract⁹ an older solar array. A guide wire of the accordian-like array got stuck Wednesday, causing the 35-meter-long panel to billow.

NASA managers say they will try to jiggle the array before resorting to a spacewalk.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

3 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

4 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

5 contingencies   

n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一

参考例句：

• We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。
• We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

6 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

7 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

8 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

9 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。