美国国家公共电台 NPR--NASA is set to launch another rocket to the moon

NASA is set to launch another rocket to the moon

Transcript¹

NASA is set to launch a rocket that will carry its first human-rated capsule into lunar orbit since the Apollo era. NASA hopes the scheduled launch will be a springboard for a return to the moon.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NASA is not sending a spacecraft toward the moon today after all. The flight director called off today's launch due to multiple problems, including an issue with one of the rocket engines. Brendan Byrne of member station WMFE is at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida covering a story that, to many people, must seem like a bummer. Hey there, Brendan.

BRENDAN BYRNE, BYLINE²: How are you, Steve?

INSKEEP: What went wrong?

BYRNE: Well, the SLS rocket relies on four main engines to give it that big lift off the ground, and one of those engines failed to get down to the right temperature for launch, so mission managers called it off. The vehicle also had some issues fueling earlier today. They detected a hydrogen leak. And engineers spent some time this morning investigating a crack in the foam³ insulation⁴ of the fuel tank. So they have to wait until at least Friday to try to launch once more. But, Steve, what's a few more days when NASA's been waiting since 1972 to launch this mission? That's the last time people stepped on the lunar surface.

INSKEEP: Yeah. Yeah, I can imagine. But weren't there something like 200,000 people expected to watch this launch this morning?

BYRNE: That's right. There were quite a few people that were here. There were traffic jams coming in close to the space center. Hotels were sold out. But, you know, I think people here - we're experienced rocket chasers here in Florida, Steve, and we know that scrubs happen. During the space shuttle program, scrubs happened multiple times. So I think people understand why NASA's calling it safe here.

INSKEEP: Yeah, definitely better than the alternative. And needless to say, the mission itself is not called off. So once they resume in coming days or whenever, what is the idea here?

BYRNE: So it's essentially⁵ a test flight. So NASA built this brand-new rocket called SLS, the most powerful the agency's ever created. The teams conducted simulated launch countdowns back in June. There were some problems back then. But this thing has yet to fly. Another critical test will come with the Orion capsule. Its job is to get astronauts to lunar orbit, keep them alive and then safely return them back to Earth. So NASA's going to be stress testing this capsule to the max, spending six weeks in space orbiting the moon. There'll be some mannequins on board that will measure the stresses on future astronauts, including how much radiation they'll be exposed to. And NASA's going to test key systems like communication, navigation and the heat shield.

Before the launch, I spoke⁶ with - the launch attempt, I spoke with Doug Hurley about this kind of testing. He was the final space shuttle pilot and then went on to command the first human mission from the U.S. after shuttle on SpaceX's Crew Dragon. He now works for Northrop Grumman, the company that builds the two solid rocket boosters on SLS.

DOUG HURLEY: You want to see the ground team, of course, the contractor⁷ team, integration⁸ team, all those teams - mission control - coming together and kind of hitting their stride. And I think we're ready for that now, and this is that next test is the uncrewed test flight.

INSKEEP: OK, so sometime in the next few days, they send up the crash test dummies⁹, the ultimate crash test dummies.

HURLEY: (Laughter).

INSKEEP: And assuming all goes well with that, what happens next?

BYRNE: Well, the next mission is Artemis 2, which will take a crew of astronauts on a trip around the moon and back. Artemis 3 is when astronauts will take a lander to the surface and step foot on the moon once more - up to, I mean, (ph) three years. But there's a lot more than just this test flight that needs to go right. NASA's working with private company SpaceX to build that first lander, which is still under development. And the agency also needs new spacesuits for lunar exploration. NASA has a lot to prove with these missions, and there's a lot on the horizon.

INSKEEP: Well, Brendan, we'll check in with you again. Thanks so much.

BYRNE: You got it, Steve.

INSKEEP: Brendan Byrne of WMFE.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

4 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 dummies   

n.仿制品( dummy的名词复数 )；橡皮奶头；笨蛋；假传球

参考例句：

• If he dummies up, just try a little persuasion. 如果他不说话，稍微劝劝他就是了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All the articles in the window are dummies. 橱窗里的全部物品都是仿制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》