EXPLORATIONS - Space Digest

EXPLORATIONS -July 24, 2002: Space Digest

By Paul Thompson
VOICE ONE:
This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Today, we tell about plans

to build a new international space research center at Cape¹ Kennedy. We tell about new pictures of a star that
exploded ten-thousand years ago. And we begin with a report about a new space communications system that is
being built in Spain.

((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
Spanish workers are building a huge communications device² near Madrid. It will soon be used to communicate

with all spacecraft. It will also help NASA study the planet³ Mars⁴ and comets that travel through space.

 

The large device looks like a huge round dish. It is thirty-four meters across. It
weighs more than five -hundred tons. The device is a radio antenna⁵. It sends and
receives radio signals to and from spacecraft. It also guides the radio signals to a
protected, underground electronics⁶ room.

VOICE TWO:

The antenna is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. NASA’s Jet⁷ Propulsion
Laboratory⁸ in Pasadena, California is responsible for the Deep Space Network.

The network connects different kinds of radio communications for spacecraft exploring the solar system. It
operates huge antenna dishes in California, Spain and Australia. These communications stations take turns
linking with different spacecraft as the Earth turns.

The Deep Space Network antennas⁹ catch information sent from spacecraft. These spacecraft can be as near as an
orbit¹⁰ around Earth, or millions of kilometers away. The antennas also send commands to spacecraft. The new
antenna in Madrid will increase the communicating power of the center in Spain by thirty-three percent.

VOICE ONE:

Finishing the new antenna on time is extremely important. NASA needs this antenna to communicate with
several new projects. The need for space communications will greatly expand by November of next year. NASA
says that for three months beginning in November, two-thousand-three, the Deep Space Network will be very
busy.

The network will be communicating with three devices¹¹ that will land and explore some of the surface of Mars. It
also will communicate with two other spacecraft in orbit around Mars. The five spacecraft orbiting¹² and landing¹³
on Mars are from the United States, Europe and Japan.

At the same time, two other new spacecraft will be gathering¹⁴ information about comets. The Deep Space
Network will also have to keep in communication with all of the other spacecraft that are already traveling
through the galaxy¹⁵.

VOICE TWO:


The device that is being built in Spain will join five other thirty-four meter antennas. Three are at the network’s
Goldstone station near the city of Barstow in the western American state of California. One is already at the
communications station near Madrid. Another is near Canberra, Australia. Each of the three communications

stations also has a seventy-meter antenna and several smaller antennas.

The new addition to the Deep Space Network will help provide exciting new discoveries to report in the future.

((MUSIC BRIDGE ))

VOICE ONE:

Once there was a huge star, millions of kilometers from Earth. This huge star was almost twenty-five times larger
than our Sun. Space scientists say large stars like this do not live long. They burn their fuel a thousand times
faster than our Sun. They use up their supply of nuclear fuel in tens of millions of years.

When their fuel is almost gone, a series of events takes place. The star first begins to cool. In the end, the material
of the star begins to fall back into itself. This causes gravity to increase by large amounts. In the end, a huge
explosion¹⁶ results. The material from the explosion travels into space at more than seventy-two million kilometers
per hour. A star that explodes like this is called a supernova.

VOICE TWO:

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has sent to Earth photographs of the remains¹⁷ of a huge star. NASA scientists
say it exploded more than ten-thousand years ago.

Light from that explosion first reached Earth in the sixteen-hundreds. That light had
traveled ten thousand light years. It was so bright it could even be seen during the
day.

All that is left of the huge star are long, thin clouds that look like ribbons. The
Hubble pictures show them as long pieces of red, green, pink and blue. NASA
scientists say the colors are caused by different chemicals. The dark blue color is
caused by oxygen. The color red is created by sulfur¹⁸.

The photographs were made by the Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera Two. NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, designed and built the camera. The remains of the dead star are called
Cassiopeia A, or just “Cas A”
for short. Cas A is the youngest known supernova that remains in our Milky¹⁹
Way galaxy.

VOICE ONE:

The new photographs of Cas A are permitting scientists to study the supernova ’s remains very clearly. For the
first time, scientists can study the material from the dead star.

Scientists say the new pictures show this material has become thousands of small groups of gas particles²⁰ which
are slowly cooling. They say each group will someday become new stars and planets²¹.

NASA officials say the new Hubble photographs were taken in January two-thousand and January two-thousand
and two.

If you have a computer that can link with the Internet, you can see Hubble ’s beautiful picture of Cas A. Type in
w-w-w dot v-o-a-n-e-w-s dot c-o-m and follow the link to Special English.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

In February two-thousand-one, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the state of Florida agreed to design, build
and operate a new science center.


The building is named the Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory. It will serve as a major link to
the International Space Station for science experiments. It will also be used for experiments in biological science
here on Earth. And it will be used for research about the ecology of the area surrounding Kennedy Space Center.

Scientists who work in life science research being done on the International Space Station will use the new
building. They will prepare experiments to be launched²² on the Space Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center to
the Space Station.

VOICE ONE:

The Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory represents a joint²³ effort between NASA and Florida.
The state will provide thirty-million dollars to build the science laboratory. The building is expected to be ready
for use in two-thousand-four.

The new science laboratory is the first building in the International Space Research Park at NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center. The new space research park is to be a research and development center for the exploration of
space. NASA says it will combine research strengths in areas such as space technology, energy, ecology sciences
and biology sciences.

The International Space Research Park will be the major area where science experiments are prepared for the
International Space Station. NASA would like it to provide a base for groups interesting in working in space
science and space exploration. It hopes to include both government and private groups. These private groups
would include major research universities and industries involved in advanced technology.

NASA planners say they believe that top scientists and space technology engineers will want to work at the new
center. They will want to do this because the new research center will be linked to the Kennedy Space Center.

VOICE TWO:

NASA officials say the International Space Research Park will be built on more than one -hundred-sixty hectares
of land. They hope the space research center will be used by countries around the world that are interested in
space research.

NASA says it will provide the most modern structures for this kind of research. It also says the research center
will not be used for the building of large space vehicles or equipment that might be a danger to others who use
the strutures.

NASA says the International Space Research Park will support the exploration of space and help improve the
economy of the state of Florida. Officials say the new research center will make the Kennedy Space Center the
world’s leader in space science, development and exploration.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. Our director was Cynthia Kirk. Our studio engineer was Keith
Holmes. This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English on the
Voice of America.

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1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

3 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

4 Mars   

n.火星，战争

参考例句：

• As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
• He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。

5 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。

6 electronics   

n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术

参考例句：

• About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。
• He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。

7 jet   

n.喷气发动机，喷气式飞机；v.喷出，喷射

参考例句：

• Put a match to the jet to light the gas.将火柴放在煤气喷嘴上点燃煤气。
• I don't see the jet of your plan.我不明白你的计划的要点。

8 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

9 antennas   

[生] 触角，触须（antenna的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Marconi tied several antennas to kites. 马可尼在风筝上系了几根天线。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Radio astronomy today is armed with the largest antennas in the world. 射电天文学拥有世界上最大的天线。

10 orbit   

n.轨道；vt.使沿轨道运行；使进入轨道运行；vi.沿轨道运行，环行

参考例句：

• The space rocket was launched and went into orbit.宇宙火箭发射后进入轨道。
• We can draw the earth's orbit round the sun.我们可以画出地球绕太阳运行的轨迹。

11 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

12 orbiting   

a.环绕的

参考例句：

• This orbiting telescope is the largest optical instrument in space. 这种轨道望远镜是宇宙中最大的光学仪器。 来自中级百科部分
• Let's pretend we' re on the spaceship orbiting round the earth ! 让我们假装是在沿轨道绕地球运转的宇宙飞船上！

13 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

14 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

15 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

16 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

19 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

20 particles   

微粒( particle的名词复数 )； 颗粒； 极少量； 小品词

参考例句：

• These small particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters. 这些颗粒聚结形成较大的团。
• The nucleus of an atom consists of neutrons, protons and other particles. 原子核由中子、质子和其他粒子构成。

21 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星

22 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

23 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。