VOA标准英语2010年-Six Astronauts Train for Eventual Mars

Newlywed Alexei Sytev and his fellow crewmembers will spend a year and a half living aboard a virtual spacecraft to simulate an actual space mission to Mars

Six astronauts are about to experience what it's like to travel to Mars and back, only without actually leaving Earth.  Three Russian astronauts will join three colleagues from other countries as they are locked up together for a year and a half on a simulated mission to the red planet.  The mission is called Mars-500.

Three Russians, an Italian-Colombian, a Frenchman and a Chinese man are making final preparations before spending 520 days inside a mock spaceship.

The Mars-500 mission at Moscow's Institute of Biomedical Problems will test the psychological and physical effects of long-term isolation¹ on humans.

The crew's commander, engineer Alexei Sytev, looks at the three square meters that will be his personal space.

"This phone will work only for 11 days, when we are near the Earth, but it will be switched off later," said Sytev.

Sytev is a newlywed.  He says leaving his wife is just one of the difficulties he's preparing for.

"I think the most difficult thing will be to be separated from the people that I am used to, and leaving behind some of the habits - all our activity will be directed towards a certain goal," he added.  "I won't see sunsets, sunrises, won't feel rain for 18 months. That will be hard."

Each astronaut will be paid the equivalent of $100,000.  They'll have two days off each week.  They plan to conduct more than 100 scientific experiments, with their psychological and physiological² data recorded throughout the mission.

After 250 days, three of the astronauts will simulate landing on the "Red Planet."  The other three will wait for them -- in the mock spacecraft -- for a month.  All communication with Earth will be via e-mail and will have as much as  a 40-minute delay, like on a real Mars mission.

Alexander Suvorov is a physician.  He and other scientists will monitor the astronauts.

"This experiment is unique because six people will be isolated³ for a long period of time and will work autonomously," noted⁴ Suvorov.  "They will have to make decisions on their own and only then report to the Earth, and the Earth will tell them whether they did the right thing or not."

He says the experiment will pave the way for a real Mars expedition later this century.

"We are going to determine how much food and other products of daily use are needed, whether an international crew is compatible, how people of different cultures, of different training can find common language and work on performing their tasks," added Suvorov.

Mars-500 is the third in a series of interplanetary flight simulations.  The earlier ones were shorter.  The current experiment is set to end in November 2011.

 

1 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

2 physiological   

adj.生理学的，生理学上的

参考例句：

• He bought a physiological book.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• Every individual has a physiological requirement for each nutrient.每个人对每种营养成分都有一种生理上的需要。

3 isolated   

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 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。