The space shuttle Endeavour has lifted off on its 25th and final mission.
美国航天飞机“奋进”号，已经在最后一次任务中升空。
"8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 ... and liftoff for the final launch of Endeavour, expanding our knowledge and expanding our lives in space."
“8，7，6，5，4，3，2，1.....‘奋进’号航天飞机升空了。它扩展了我们的太空知识，也拓展了我们的太空生活。”
And, with that, six astronauts and the youngest shuttle in NASA's fleet, Endeavour, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bound for the International Space Station.
美国航空航天管理局所属机队里最年轻的航天飞机‘奋进’号，搭载着六名宇航员，从佛罗里达州肯尼迪太空中心发射升空，飞向国际空间站。
Astronaut Mark Kelly is commanding Endeavour's final mission.
在‘奋进’号这最后一次任务中，担任指挥的是美国宇航员马克·凯利。
He shared a few words with mission control about 10 minutes before launch.
"As Americans, we endeavor to build a better life than the generation before, and we endeavor to be a united nation," said Kelly. "In these efforts, we are often tested. This mission represents the power of teamwork, commitment and exploration. It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop."
Kelly's wife, U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, attended Monday's launch. Giffords was severely wounded during a shooting rampage in Arizona in January and has been recovering at a medical center in Houston, Texas.
凯利的妻子，美国联邦众议员吉福兹，星期一也在场参观发射过程。吉福兹今年一月在亚利桑那州发生的枪击事件中受了重伤，如今正在德克萨斯州休斯顿的医院接受康复治疗中。
She was among the estimated half-million spectators at the liftoff.
她和大约五十万人群在现场观看次发射。
Endeavour was set to launch in late April, but an electrical problem in a heater circuit forced a delay. Engineers replaced the switchbox and installed new wiring.
奋进号原订四月下旬发射，但是由于加热器中电路发生问题，被迫延期。工程人员更换了电路开关盒，并且安装了新线路。
A few hours ahead of Monday's launch, technicians repaired damage to tile around the shuttle's crew hatch, but NASA said it would cause no issue for the flight.
在星期一发射之前的几个小时中，技术人员修复了机组人员舱口的外层损坏部分。但是航空航天局说，这些问题不足以影响飞行。
After the successful liftoff, Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach spoke to reporters.
"Endeavour is in orbit safely and is going to perform a great mission, and we'll see her back here on June 1," he said. "So, a great day here at the Kennedy Space Center and for the shuttle program."
The primary objective of Endeavour's 16-day mission is to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station. The spectrometer, or AMS, is a sophisticated detector that will help researchers study the formation of the universe.
奋进号在这次为时16天的任务中，主要是为国际空间站运送“阿尔法磁谱仪”，这套磁谱仪是精密的侦测仪器，它有助于研究宇宙的形成问题。
It will look for elusive evidence of anti-matter by searching for anti-carbon and anti-helium molecules among all discernible particles.
它也将籍着从难以分辩的微粒中寻找反碳和反氦的分子，探索难以捉摸的反物质的证据。
This will be the last mission for Endeavour, and the second-to-last mission for the U.S. shuttle fleet. NASA is retiring the shuttles in order to focus on developing the next generation of spacecraft that could go beyond low-Earth-orbit.
这次飞行，将是奋进号的最后一次使命。也是美国航天飞机的到数第二次使命。航空航天局正安排使所有航天飞机退役后，专注于发展第二代可飞越低地球轨道的飞机。
The next and final launch of the space shuttle Atlantis is set for July.
美国航空航天局最后一次航天飞机亚特兰蒂斯号的发射，预定在今年七月。 |