美国国家公共电台 NPR How A 10-Year-Old-Boy Helped Apollo 11 Return To Earth

 

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Hey, it's Friday - finally made it - and it's when we hear from StoryCorps. Fifty years ago, Apollo 11 was on its way to the moon carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz¹ Aldrin and Michael Collins. Back on Earth, 10-year-old Greg Force was dreaming of going to space himself. Greg's father, Charles, worked on the Apollo missions, and his family lived on Guam, home to a massive² antenna³ that connected the astronauts to Mission Control.

Greg is now 60 years old and came to StoryCorps with his daughter, Abby, to remember the little-known role that he played in the success of that historic⁴ mission.

GREG FORCE: I can remember where I was when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. I was 10 years old. We were going to the grocery store. And we were about to get out of the car, so we sat there and listened to it. I remember looking up and thinking that there are actually people up there on that moon right now.

ABBY FORCE: What did you think about Pop Pop working at NASA?

G FORCE: I loved it. I looked up to him a huge amount. Not only was it a prestigious⁵ job, but he was very good at it.

In my dad's office out at the tracking station, he had a little box that sat on the desk always playing...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BRUCE MCCANDLESS: The magnitude⁶ of midcourse correction No. 1...

G FORCE: And all four of us boys, we'd go up there and sit and listen.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MCCANDLESS: ...Looks like about one seven feet-per-second...

G FORCE: And it was the live communications between astronauts and Mission Control.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

NEIL ARMSTRONG: That sounds good to us.

G FORCE: So that evening, Apollo 11 was returning from the moon. We were at home getting close to my bedtime when my dad called, said that a bearing⁷ had broken in the big, huge dish antenna they used to track the spaceship, so they couldn't communicate with the capsule as they were coming back in.

His idea was to pack grease⁸ around the bearing. But the problem was the access hole to the bearing was small. And what he wanted to do was see if my arm would fit through that hole. So he took me out there. And we climbed up on the antenna - you had to go up these big access ladders. So I would take a big handful of grease. You know, you squish it, it comes out between your fingers, and I stuck them down in there and packed them the best I could.

Me being able to climb up there and help was kind of like I was part of the crew there just doing the job that needed to be done. And then the next day, some of our friends heard a news report about 10-year-old boy saved the day.

A FORCE: I mean, I think it's pretty dang important. My dad helped with Apollo 11. I look up to you and Pop Pop for it.

G FORCE: Now that I look back on it, I'm very proud - not especially anything amazing that I did but that I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I'm also proud that my dad trusted me enough to do it.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: Greg Force with his daughter Abby Force at StoryCorps in Greenville, S.C. Greg's father, Charles, Force died in 2007 after almost 30 years of working for NASA. Their interview will be archived along with hundreds of thousands of others at the Library of Congress.

1 buzz   

v.充满了激动或活动的声音，发出低沉的声音

参考例句：

• My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
• A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。

2 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

3 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

4 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

5 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

6 magnitude   

n.大小；重大；星等

参考例句：

• I want to know the magnitude of this equipment.我想知道这个设备的大小。
• I hadn't realized the magnitude of the problem.我没有认识到这个问题的重要性。

7 bearing   

n.关系，影响，举止，姿态，方位，方向

参考例句：

• What you said had not much bearing on the problem.你说的话跟这个问题没有多大关系。
• He preserved his grave and dignified bearing.他保持庄重威严的仪态。

8 grease   

n.动物脂，油脂，润滑脂；v.抹油，润滑

参考例句：

• He puts grease on his hair to make It'shiny.他往头发上擦油，使之发亮。
• You have a grease spot on your shirt.你的衬衣上有块油斑。