VOA常速英语2007-Chuck Yeager Broke Sound Barrier 60 Years Ago

By Paul Sisco
Washington
12 October 2007
 

American test pilot Chuck Yeager flew a plane through the sound barrier on October 14th, 1947.  VOA's Paul Sisco takes a look back at the famous feat¹ and the man who first flew at Mach 1.

Some say only the Wright brothers -- Orville and Wilbur -- can claim a more significant achievement in the history of flight.

Sixty years ago, American test pilot Chuck Yeager flew faster than sound.

At the time, Britain and Germany also were trying to develop a plane that could break the sound barrier, but the United States soon won out with its X-1.

It was more rocket than plane, developed specifically to fly through the shock waves of the sound barrier, with Yeager as pilot. "About half of the engineers gave us no chance at all of ever successfully flying beyond the speed of sound. They said it's a so-called barrier and the airplane would go out of control or disintegrate², but I didn't look at it that way."

Yeager said he had confidence in the craft. He named it "Glamorous³ Glennis" for his wife, and described its bullet-shaped body as cozy⁴. "Your knees were just about equal with your shoulders so you could pull a lot of Gs [extreme pull of gravity] without blacking out.  It didn't have a prop⁵ on it. It didn't have a jet engine. It was just strictly⁶ a rocket and it was real slick to fly.".

To save fuel the X-1 was lifted by a modified B-29 bomber⁷, then dropped and powered by four liquid oxygen rockets.

As Yeager's X-1 approached aviation history and Mach 1 [the speed of sound], the plane began buffeting⁸ violently. Continuing to accelerate it smoothed out, and for the first time a sonic boom filled the atmosphere.

The success was quickly followed by an entire series of aircraft flying faster and higher than ever before. There were disasters and near disasters.

The X-15 eventually flew to the edge of space at four, five and six times the speed of sound. Yeager went on to direct the Space School at Edward's Air Force Base. And ten years ago, the man who first broke the sound barrier did it once again for his last time.

1 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

2 disintegrate   

v.瓦解，解体，（使）碎裂，（使）粉碎

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• The plane would probably disintegrate at that high speed.飞机以那么高速飞行也许会四分五裂。

3 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

4 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

5 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

6 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

7 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

8 buffeting   

振动

参考例句：

• The flowers took quite a buffeting in the storm. 花朵在暴风雨中备受摧残。
• He's been buffeting with misfortunes for 15 years. 15年来，他与各种不幸相博斗。