国家地理 为什么火箭爱好者都愿意来这片沙漠(2)

One engineer installed a GoPro camera on his rocket; he showed Ormerod pictures it had captured high in the sky. Others get creative -- one rocket is shaped like a bottle of Jagermeister. From the control center comes a countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The rockets blast off, then gently float back to Earth under parachutes -- if they don't malfunction¹.

一位工程师在火箭上安装了GoPro相机，并向摄影师奥默罗德展示了它在高空拍摄的照片。另一些人也推出自己的创意，比如形状像酒瓶的火箭。从控制中心传来倒计时的声音，火箭发射后，如果没有发生故障，就会在降落伞的帮助下轻轻飘回地面。

Ormerod was into astronauts and science fiction as a kid but never imagined being able to travel beyond Earth. "When only a tiny percentage of people can go to space, what does everyone else who dreams of it do?" he wondered. Then, at a rocket launch in his native Scotland, he found the answer: They live their interstellar dreams on the ground. Soon he was following scientists to a Mars simulation in Utah and aurora² hunters to the otherworldly coast of Iceland. Next he'll visit crop circle enthusiasts³ in Russia and astronomers⁴ in South Africa. "They're ordinary people," Ormerod says, "but they're blasting into outer space."

奥默罗德小时候很喜欢宇航员和科幻小说，但从没想过自己能飞出地球。他想知道：“当只有很小一部分人可以进入太空时，其他所有梦想进入太空的人又会做什么？”然后，在家乡苏格兰的一次火箭发射中，奥默罗德找到了答案：他们在地面上实现了他们的星际梦想。不久后，奥默罗德跟随科学家前往犹他州进行火星模拟实验，并跟随奥罗拉猎人前往超凡脱俗的冰岛海岸。接下来，他将访问俄罗斯麦田怪圈爱好者和南非天文学家。奥默罗德说：“他们都是普通人，但他们正冲向外太空。”

1 malfunction   

vi.发生功能故障，发生故障，显示机能失常

参考例句：

• There must have been a computer malfunction.一定是出了电脑故障。
• Results have been delayed owing to a malfunction in the computer.由于电脑发生故障，计算结果推迟了。

2 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

3 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

4 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》