VOA慢速英語: 火箭爆炸后美國國家航空航天局面臨的問題

Questions for NASA after Rocket Explosion
火箭爆炸后，美國國家航空航天局面臨的問題
An unmanned privately-owned rocket bringing supplies to the International Space Station exploded seconds after launch Tuesday night. The accident did not cause any injuries on the ground. However, it has raised questions about efforts by the US space agency NASA to use private companies to carry out near-Earth space exploration and supply missions.
周二晚上，一架為國際空間站提供補給的民營無人運載火箭在發(fā)射幾秒鐘后發(fā)生爆炸。爆炸并未引起地面上的傷亡。但是，就美國太空總署使用民營公司所造的火箭，來進行靠近地球的空間探測和向太空輸送補給任務所做的努力，提出一些疑問。
The Antares rocket exploded as it took off from NASA’s launch center in Wallops Island, Virginia. Orbital Sciences Corporation built the rocket. It was carrying a Cygnus supply vehicle containing more than 2,200 kilograms of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station, or ISS.
“天鵝座”飛船從美國國家航空航天局發(fā)射中心——弗吉尼亞州瓦勒普斯島起飛后發(fā)生爆炸。美國軌道科學公司設計了這一火箭。飛船上裝載著2200多公斤的物資以及國際空間站的實驗用品。
 However, during a press conference on Tuesday night, NASA’s William Gerstenmaier said none of the supplies were in his words, critical, to the space station crew. He said the ISS crew is in no danger.
但是，在周二晚上的新聞發(fā)布會上，美國太空總署的威廉姆·葛斯坦邁亞說飛船上所載物資對太空站的宇航員來說沒什么重要的。他說太空站的宇航員還很安全。
NASA officials have blocked off the area on Wallops Island. They warn that some of the wreckage from the rocket may be dangerous.
美國太空總署的官員已經封鎖了瓦勒普斯島，他們警告說火箭的一些殘骸也許很危險。
News reports centered on the Antares rocket’s engines soon after the explosion. They are Russian-built rocket engines updated in the U.S. They were first designed in the late 1960s to carry Soviet cosmonauts to the moon. The liquid-fueled engines were chosen for their power to lift heavy loads.
新聞報道說：爆炸后問題集中在“天鵝座”火箭的引擎問題。引擎是俄羅斯建造的，在美國升級換代了。20世紀60年代末，引擎首次用來搭載蘇聯(lián)宇航員去月球。選擇液體燃料發(fā)動機來作為能量供給拉載重物。
Frank Culbertson is Executive Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Programs for Orbital Sciences. He says the engines were tested in the U.S. However, the website NASASpaceflight.com reported that the design exploded during a test at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi in May.
軌道科學公司的高級項目執(zhí)行副總裁兼總經理弗蘭克·卡博森說發(fā)動機在美國測試過。但是美國太空總署的網站報道說在五月密西西比的尼斯太空中心的一次測試中就發(fā)生過爆炸。
Mr. Culbertson said the company has a lot of information to study to learn about what happened. He noted:“We don’t know if it was the engine or not. That’s something we’ll try to determine as quickly as possible.”
卡博森說公司已經收集很多信息來研究到底是哪的問題。他指出：“我們不知道是否是發(fā)動機的問題，我們會盡快找出問題所在。”
He added that the history of the engine has been well-documented. He also noted that the rocket cost the company about $200 million. The launch was to be the Antares rocket’s third supply mission to the ISS. Orbital Sciences released a statement saying: “As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight.”
他補充說：這個發(fā)動機的歷史有詳細的文件記載。還說火箭花費公司大約2億美元，這次發(fā)射是“天鵝座”飛船第三次擔任向太空站輸送補給的任務。軌道科學公司發(fā)布了一份聲明：“我們一掌握爆炸原因就會開始必要的工作，重新飛行。”
Elon Musk is the chief executive of SpaceX, a competitor to Orbital Sciences. In a 2012 interview with Wired magazine, Mr. Musk had strongly criticized the Russian-built engines used by Orbital Sciences.
伊龍·馬斯克是美國太空探索技術公司總裁，是軌道科學公司的競爭者。在2012年一次聯(lián)線雜志的訪問中，他強列批判軌道科學公司使用俄羅斯制造的發(fā)動機。
The accident has drawn attention to NASA’s dependence on private companies in the U.S. to provide space flight vehicles and services. NASA is paying Orbital Sciences Corporations and the company SpaceX in California billions of dollars to bring supplies to the ISS. The US space agency also wants SpaceX and aerospace company Boeing to start launching astronauts to the orbiting laboratory by 2017.
這一爆炸事件引起人們關注美國宇航局在提供航天飛行器和服務方面，對民營公司的依賴。美國太空總署在加利福尼亞向軌道科學公司和美國太空探索技術公司支付數十億美元，為了向國際空間站輸送補給。2017年，美國航天局還想要讓美國太空探索技術公司和波音航空航天公司向太空實驗室運載宇航員。
Recently, NASA announced its choice of two spaceships, one built by Boeing and the other by SpaceX to bring American astronauts to the International Space Station. The program is to cost $6.8 billion.
近來，美國航空航天局宣布了選用的兩個飛船，一個由波音公司制造，另一個由太空探索技術公司制造，來為國際空間站輸送航天員，這個項目將花費68億美元。
NASA officials say the International Space Station remains well supplied. On Wednesday, Russia successfully launched an unmanned Soyuz rocket and supply ship from its space center in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The Progress 57cargo ship is expected to reach the ISS Wednesday.
美國航空航天局的官員說，國際空間站的補給仍然很好。在周三，俄羅斯在哈薩克斯坦的拜科努爾發(fā)射中心成功地發(fā)射了無人的Soyuz火箭和補給飛船。57貨物飛船預計在周三到達國際空間站。
I’m Mario Ritter.
我是馬里奧·瑞特。
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Word in this Story
supplies- n. the amount of something that can be given or sold to others;needed equipment, food and other items
wreckage-n. what remains of something severely damaged or destroyed
liquid-fueled-adj. (relating to rockets) using a liquid fuel rather than a solid fuel
competitor-n. any person or group trying to gain or do better at something than another person or group (example, a business competitor)
aerospace-adj. describing the industry of manufacturing aircraft andspacecraft