VOA慢速英语2020 美国宇航局再次推迟韦伯太空望远镜的发射

NASA says it has postponed¹ the launch of its newest space telescope because of the coronavirus crisis and technical issues.

美国宇航局表示，由于新冠病毒危机以及技术问题，其最新太空望远镜的发射已经推迟。

The U.S. space agency says the launch of its James Webb Space Telescope is now planned for October 31, 2021. The launch has been delayed many times. Before the recent postponement², it had been set for March 2021.

美国宇航局表示，其詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜现在计划于2021年10月31日发射。该太空望远镜的发射已经推迟了很多次。在最近这次推迟之前，它原定于2021年3月发射。

The Webb is supposed to replace NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, which has been in operation for 30 years.

韦伯太空望远镜本该取代美国宇航局已经运行了30年的哈勃太空望远镜。

NASA has identified the new telescope as a top science priority. The large infrared³ telescope has a nearly seven-meter mirror for exploring space. It is designed to look deeper into space and offer more answers about the past than any other spacecraft.

美国宇航局已经将这台新的太空望远镜确定为首要科学任务。这台大型红外望远镜配备了近7米口径的反射镜用于探索太空。它旨在比其它任何航天器更深入地探索太空，并提供有关宇宙过往的更多答案。

The James Webb Space Telescope was first set to fly more than 10 years ago, but has faced major development delays. Its last planned liftoff was canceled in 2018.

韦伯太空望远镜最初定于10多年前发射，但是遇到了重大的开发延误。它上一次计划升空于2018年被取消。

NASA officials said things seemed to be progressing well for the March launch date until the coronavirus hit. NASA said restrictions⁴ related to the health crisis had slowed work on the telescope by its main maker⁵, America's Northrop Grumman.

美国宇航局官员表示，明年3月发射的各项工作似乎进展很顺利，直到新冠病毒袭来。美国宇航局表示，与这次健康危机相关的各种限制措施延缓了其主要制造商美国诺斯罗普·格鲁曼公司对望远镜的开发工作。

"Mission success is critical, but team safety is our highest priority," NASA Associate Administrator⁶ Steve Jurczyk told The Associated Press.

美国宇航局副局长史蒂夫·尤尔齐克对美联社表示：“任务成功至关重要，但是团队安全是我们的第一要务。”

Thomas Zurbuchen is with NASA's Science Mission Directorate. He said, "Webb is the world's most complex space observatory⁷, and our top science priority, and we've worked hard to keep progress moving during the pandemic."

托马斯·泽布臣任职于美国宇航局科学任务理事会。他说：“韦伯太空望远镜是世界上最复杂的太空观测站，也是我们的首要科学任务，在新冠疫情大流行期间，我们一直在努力保持进展。”

NASA noted⁸ that costs related to the latest postponement would not be greater than the $8.8 billion spending limit for development on the project set by Congress.

美国宇航局指出，最近这次推迟的相关费用不会超过国会为该项目设定的88亿美元的开发支出限额。

Officials say several important tests will be carried out on the telescope in the coming months. The project team will also seek to reopen and refold Webb's massive sun shield one last time. The shield is needed to keep the infrared telescope cold in space.

官员们表示，未来几个月将对这台太空望远镜进行几项重要测试。项目团队还将寻求最后一次重新打开并重新折叠韦伯太空望远镜的大型遮光罩。必须使用遮光罩让红外太空望远镜在太空中维持低温。

NASA plans to transport the telescope next summer to its launch site in French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America. The Guiana Space Centre is a French and European Space Agency launch site.

美国宇航局计划于明年夏天将这台太空望远镜运送到位于南美东北海岸的法属圭亚那的发射场。圭亚那航天中心是法国和欧洲航天局的发射场。

After the launch, Webb will travel 1.5 million kilometers from Earth to orbit the sun. It will unfold the sun shield and deploy⁹ its mirror, which is designed to look for signs of light from far-away stars and galaxies¹⁰.

韦伯太空望远镜在发射之后将从地球飞出去150万公里，然后绕太阳公转。它将打开遮光罩并展开其反射镜，该反射镜旨在寻找遥远的恒星和星系发出的光的迹象。

Eric Smith is a NASA program scientist with the Webb program. He said the telescope will seek to observe "light from the first generation of galaxies that formed in the early universe after the Big Bang." Webb is also designed to study the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets for possible signs of life.

埃里克·史密森是美国宇航局参与韦伯计划的科学家。他说，该太空望远镜将试图观察“来自于宇宙大爆炸后早期宇宙中形成的第一代星系的光。”韦伯太空望远镜还旨在研究附近系外行星的大气，以寻找潜在的生命迹象。

NASA says it plans to keep the Hubble and Webb telescopes operating together for a time.

美国宇航局称其计划让哈勃与韦伯太空望远镜一起运行一段时间。

Smith noted that while Webb will be exploring new things, it will also be looking at many of the same things that Hubble did. "For me, it will be seeing old friends with completely new eyes," Smith said.

史密森指出，尽管韦伯太空望远镜将会探索新事物，但是它也将研究哈勃太空望远镜做过的很多事情。史密森表示：“对我而言，这将是以崭新的目光见到老朋友。”

I'm Bryan Lynn.

我是布莱恩·琳恩。

1 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

2 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。

3 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

6 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

7 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

8 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。

9 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

10 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。