VOA科学技术2024--NASA Delays Moon Missions Over Technical, Safety Problems

The American space agency NASA has postponed¹ two moon missions that are facing development and safety issues.

NASA's program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972 is called Artemis. The agency split the program into three parts

In 2022, Artemis I sent NASA's Orion spacecraft on a trip around the moon without a crew. The agency's huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carried Orion into space. The spacecraft traveled more than 400,000 kilometers from Earth and completed a close fly-by of the moon. NASA officials declared Artemis I a big success.

The second planned trip, Artemis II, was set for late 2024. The goal was to send Orion on the same path Artemis I took, but with four astronauts. NASA announced last week it had set a new September 2025 target for the launch of Artemis II.

The third mission, Artemis III, will attempt to land astronauts on the surface of the moon. NASA says the crew is expected to include "the first woman and the first person of color." Artemis III was planned for 2025 but has now been pushed back to September 2026.

NASA Administrator² Bill Nelson said the postponements were necessary in order to give the agency time to deal with several ongoing³ problems affecting the Artemis program. "Safety is our top priority," Nelson said. He added that the delays will "give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges."

NASA's announcement about the delays came shortly after the successful launch of a private American company's spacecraft that aimed to land on the lunar surface.

That spacecraft, called Peregrine, is a moon lander built by Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic Technology. It launched January 8 aboard a Vulcan Centaur⁴ rocket built by America's United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Immediately after Peregrine's launch, Astrobotic officials praised the mission as the first step to becoming the first private space vehicle to land on the moon. But shortly after the launch, a fuel leak was discovered.

Astrobotic has said the spacecraft would continue on its mission while leaking fuel but faces ongoing power and propulsion problems. The company aims to keep the lander going as long as possible and to collect data from its instruments. But officials from Astrobotic have said Peregrine is no longer expected to land on the moon.

Peregrine is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It aims to hand over the nation's major missions to private companies in an effort to operate at reduced costs.

Peregrine and other planned missions in the CLPS program aim to land on the moon to support future Artemis activities. Another program member, Texas-based Intuitive Machines, plans to launch its Nova-C lander to the moon next month.

Astrobotic has said it also plans to send another lander, called Griffin, to the moon's south pole in late 2024. It will be carrying an exploring robot, or rover, called VIPER⁵. VIPER is designed to search for water sources on the moon.

NASA's moon-landing effort has been delayed repeatedly over the past 10 years, adding billions of dollars to the cost, The Associated Press reports. Government estimates have predicted total program costs will reach $93 billion through 2025.

Reuters news agency reported NASA discovered problems with the Orion spacecraft's batteries during vibration⁶ tests. Engineers have said the batteries will likely need to be replaced.

Catherine Koerner is a leader at NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in Washington. She said in a statement all technical issues will be fully⁷ investigated with safety as NASA's top goal. "We are letting the hardware talk to us so that crew safety drives our decision-making."

Koerner added, "We will use the Artemis II flight test, and each flight that follows, to reduce risk for future moon missions." Even with the delays and ongoing concerns, she said NASA is "closer than ever to establishing sustained exploration of Earth's nearest neighbor under Artemis."

Words in This Story

mission – n. to do something considered very difficult or impossible

priority –n. the most important thing

challenge – n. something difficult that tests one's ability or determination

propulsion – n. a force that pushes something forward

battery – n. a device that chemically stores electricity so it can be used as direct current in electrical circuits such as computers and motors

vibrate – v. to make something shake with small, quick movements

sustain – v. to cause or permit something to continue for a period of time

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 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。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 centaur   

n.人首马身的怪物

参考例句：

• His face reminded me somehow of a centaur.他的脸使我想起半人半马的怪物。
• No wonder he had soon been hustled away to centaur school.也难怪父母匆匆忙忙就把他送到了半人马学校。

5 viper   

n.毒蛇；危险的人

参考例句：

• Envy lucks at the bottom of the human heart a viper in its hole.嫉妒潜伏在人心底，如同毒蛇潜伏在穴中。
• Be careful of that viper;he is dangerous.小心那个阴险的人，他很危险。

6 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。