VOA标准英语2010-Experience Hubble's Amazing View of the C

Film offers first glimpse of space telescope's breathtaking deep space images in IMAX 3D

Penelope Poulou | Washington, DC 01 April 2010

Astronaut John Grunsfeld is positioned on a foot restraint on the end of Atlantis' remote manipulator system and astronaut Andrew Feustel (bottom center) participate in the mission's fifth and final session of extravehicular activity.

"This is what heaven must look like. There are no words that we have to describe the actual beauty of that earth, seeing it from that vantage point."

In the new film, "IMAX: Hubble 3D," an IMAX 3D camera chronicles the efforts of seven astronauts aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble space telescope as it orbits 320 miles above the Earth.

The film, narrated¹ by Leonardo Di Caprio, also offers breathtaking images taken by the telescope during its nearly 20 years of probing space.

Astounding² images

For 20 years, the Hubble telescope has been surveying the universe, bringing us astounding images of galaxies³ against the black void.

Dr. Ed Wyler, associate administrator⁴ for science at NASA, says Hubble has travelled four or five billion miles throughout the years.

"It's looked farther back in time than any other telescope that's ever looked. The universe is about 13.8 billion years old and it's gone back to about 600 million years after the big bang."

These roiling⁵ cauldrons of gas are actually a dying star that was once about five times the mass of the sun. The "butterfly" stretches for more than two million light-years.

Wyler says the farther the Hubble looks into the cosmos⁶, the closer it gets to its origins. That's because the telescope is seeing light that began its journey across the universe billions of years ago.

But this time machine is getting old and will be retired⁷ in 2014.

Challenging conditions

Since Hubble's launch, astronauts have made five visits for repairs and upgrades. The last and final one, in 2009, was taped in IMAX 3D.

The astronauts repaired the telescope while one of them, in the shuttle, filmed the expedition with a 700-pound IMAX camera which had been loaded into the cargo⁸ bay before take-off.

Abstract art found in the Orion Nebula⁹

Filming was not easy. Hubble and the astronauts circled the Earth every 90 minutes, entering either sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes.

The rapidly changing light was the crew's biggest challenge, says Mission Specialist Michael Massimino. He, the rest of the crew and the filmmakers attended the film premiere in 3D glasses.

"The sun is the brightest thing you can imagine in space," says Massimino.  "And when you get into the dark part of the earth it is really dark. And there is no way to control the light. So, if the lighting¹⁰ is good and there is time to take a shot, you take it."

And then, there were the repairs, says Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld.

"Moving tiny screws with big space gloves. Point circuit boards, changing things out. Putting it all back together. Kind of like, watch repair."

So, the viewer sees space and earth as the astronauts saw them during their spacewalks.

 

"This is what heaven must look like," says Massimino. "There are no words that we have to describe the actual beauty of that earth, seeing it from that vantage point."

IMAX imagery

The film also shows the telescope's images from the deep universe in 3D. Filmmaker Toni Myers says this could not have happened without IMAX technology.

"This is a 3D film but Hubble doesn't shoot imagery in 3D. We have to make that happen."

STS-125 Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld participates in the mission's fifth and final session of extravehicular activity (EVA).

Astrophysicist Frank Summers says to create 3D images they had to use scientific data.

"It really has to start with the science. We've got a whole team of scientists that help provide us the data for how these images and how these models should look."

Graeme Ferguson, a Canadian filmmaker, invented IMAX technology some 40 years ago, along with his brother-in-law.

"I think that [soon] there will be an IMAX in everybody's living room or every home theater," says the IMAX inventor. "You'll be able to visit other planets in your own house."

Experiencing the Hubble mission in IMAX 3D makes Ferguson's prediction seem plausible¹¹. In the meantime, the film is the next best thing.

 

1 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

4 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。

5 roiling   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的现在分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• Now, all that could be seen was the roiling, lead--coloured sea, with its thunderously heaving waves. 狂风挟着暴雨如同弥漫大雾，排挞呼号，在海上恣意奔驶。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Rather, it is a roiling, seething cauldron of evanescent particles. 相反，它是一个不断翻滚、剧烈沸腾的大锅，内有逐渐消失的粒子。 来自互联网

6 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

9 nebula   

n.星云，喷雾剂

参考例句：

• A powerful telescope can resolve a nebula into stars.一架高性能的望远镜能从星云中分辨出星球来。
• A nebula is really a discrete mass of innumerous stars.一团星云实际上是无数星体不连续的集合体。

10 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

11 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。