Spirit Getting Ready to Roam the Red Planet

MARGIN¹⁹: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center; mso-pagination: widow-orphan" align=center>Spirit Getting Ready to Roam the Red Planet

David McAlary

 

The U.S. robot rover Spirit is finally standing¹ up on Mars and nearly ready to drive off the lander onto the red planet's surface. Surface exploration is just a few days away.

U.S. space agency engineers have finished raising the Spirit rover from a kneeling position, extending its six legs. They have also expanded the two forward and two rear legs outward to broaden the wheel base, making it more stable for the rocky Martian terrain².

Mission scientist Jennifer Trosper says the maneuvers⁴ complete the unpacking⁵ of the vehicle.

"Today is the day the Spirit rover finished its final unfolding on the surface of Mars. So it now stands full height and all six wheels are in their final position and ready to drive onto the surface of Mars. So It's a very big day for the Spirit rover."

Engineers had to compress the rover so it could fit inside the spacecraft that flew it on its seven-month journey from Earth. "Today we get to celebrate their endeavor to fit our square peg⁶ in our round or triangular⁷ hole."

The unfolding of the Mars rover began soon after landing when solar panels were opened, antennas⁹ deployed¹¹, and a camera mast raised. The process of standing it up took the past two days, 12 explosive charges, and the activation¹² of nine motors to release the legs and wheels from their packing configuration¹³.

The engineer who designed the process is Chris Voorhees, "Over the last couple of days Spirit has performed what really I think is a reverse robotic origami as it unfolded itself and really turned itself from a lander into a rover."

Before the rover can depart the lander platform to begin seeking signs of ancient water on Mars, engineers must fire another explosive charge to release a set of blades to cut last of three restraining cables.

Ms. Trosper says rover surface deployment¹⁴ could be as early as Tuesday, two days later than originally planned. The maneuver³ was delayed while engineers struggled but failed to retract¹⁵ the airbags used to cushion Spirit's landing.

The deflated¹⁶ bags partially¹⁷ block the preferred exit path down a front ramp¹⁸. Mission officials believe the rover can clear them by a tiny margin, but do not want to take the chance of snagging its solar panels. So Jennifer Trosper says the plan is to rotate the rover one-third of a turn and advance it over the side edge of the lander, a 40-centimeter drop.

"The rover is currently facing south, and so we would be turning to the northwest in order to drive off."

A second U.S. Mars landing mission is only one week away. An identical spacecraft is to touch down on the opposite side of the red planet with the same goal to search for evidence of ancient water that would have made the planet hospitable²⁰ to life.

 

 

注释：

rover [5rEuvE] n. 飞行器

drive off  离开，赶走

terrain [5terein] n. 地形

unpacking [5Qn5pAkiN] n. 打开，拆包

unfolding [Qn5fEuldiN] n. 伸展

compress [kEm5pres] vt. 压在一起，压缩

fit our square peg in our round or triangular hole  语出自“a round peg in a square hole”，原指“不适宜担任某一职务的人”，文中此处是说将原本不适宜放入the spacecraft里面的the rover压缩，以使其合适地放入其内。

solar panel  太阳电池板

antenna⁸ [An5tenE] n. 天线

deploy¹⁰ [di5plCi] v. 展开

mast [mB:st] n. 天线竿

charge [tFB:dV] n. （一定量的）炸药

activation [7Akti5veiFEn] n. 开动，启动

configuration [kEn7fi^ju5reiFEn] n. 外形，结构

reverse [ri5vE:s] adj. 逆程的，颠倒的

origami [7C:ri5^B:mi] n. 折纸手工

depart [di5pB:t] vt. 离开

retract [ri5trAkt] v. 收回

cushion [5kuFEn] vt. 缓和

deflate [di5fleit] vt. 放气，使缩小

ramp [rAmp] n. 斜坡，坡道

snag [snA^] v. 阻碍

rotate [rEu5teit] v. （使）旋转

touch down  降落

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

3 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

4 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

5 unpacking   

n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等）

参考例句：

• Joe sat on the bed while Martin was unpacking. 马丁打开箱子取东西的时候，乔坐在床上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They are unpacking a trunk. 他们正在打开衣箱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

7 triangular   

adj.三角（形）的，三者间的

参考例句：

• It's more or less triangular plot of land.这块地略成三角形。
• One particular triangular relationship became the model of Simone's first novel.一段特殊的三角关系成了西蒙娜第一本小说的原型。

8 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。

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 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。

11 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

12 activation   

n. 激活，催化作用

参考例句：

• A computer controls the activation of an air bag.电脑控制着气囊的启动。

13 configuration   

n.结构，布局，形态，(计算机)配置

参考例句：

• Geographers study the configuration of the mountains.地理学家研究山脉的地形轮廓。
• Prices range from $119 to $199,depending on the particular configuration.价格因具体配置而异，从119美元至199美元不等。

14 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

15 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。

16 deflated   

adj. 灰心丧气的

参考例句：

• I was quite deflated by her lack of interest in my suggestions.他对我的建议兴趣不大，令我感到十分气馁。
• He was deflated by the news.这消息令他泄气。

17 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

18 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

19 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

20 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。