Endeavor Prepares to Fly Home from Final Mission

     Astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour(奋进号) are making preparations to return to Earth on the spacecraft’s final flight. One of the astronauts says being in space has shown him the fragility of the Earth’s environment.

    Air Force Colonel Gregory Johnson is the shuttle pilot. This is his second mission on Endeavour, and it will be his last space shuttle flight. But he says it has been memorable¹, especially looking at Earth from the multi-windowed cupola of the International Space Station. “It’s a wonderful experience to look at our Earth. One of my favorite places on the planet is a place in northern Michigan, Long Lake in Traverse City. And - it chokes me up thinking about it - I flew right over it yesterday and got some great photos of a wonderful place on our planet," he said.

    This has been a landmark² shuttle mission for Endeavour’s crew. It completed four spacewalks - including the last spacewalk from a U.S. Shuttle; It completed the U.S. section of the space station, and astronaut Mike Fincke broke NASA's all-time record for the most time spent in space by an American late Friday (May 27) when he passed the 377-day mark.

    The crew also deployed³ the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a sophisticated instrument that will yield insights into the composition and origins of the universe.  On a personal level, Johnson said the mission helped him realize how fragile Earth’s environment is. “When you look at the Earth’s horizon and see the thickness of the atmosphere, it’s not even the thickness of an orange peel. And so that fragile atmosphere makes me think greener (environmentally conscious) and do greener things and makes me better understand why it is so important to take care of our planet," he said.

    The 49-year-old Johnson says the thing he will miss the most when the mission is over is the chance to fly a space shuttle.  The pilot and mission Commander Mark Kelly will undock Endeavour from the Space Station and point it towards Earth on Sunday.

    The shuttle is scheduled for a night landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida early Wednesday. It will later be retired⁴ to a museum in California.  The final U.S. Space Shuttle flight - by Atlantis - is scheduled for liftoff June 8.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。