VOA标准英语2014--火箭发射失败 美国私人航天受挫

 

With Failed Launch, US Private Space Industry Suffers Setback¹ 火箭发射失败 美国私人航天受挫

Wednesday's successful launch of a Russian space vehicle taking supplies to the International Space Station was in sharp contrast to the explosion of a private U.S. cargo² space craft shortly after it's Tuesday launch on a similar mission. But U.S. space agency NASA, which contracted the private firm to supply the space station, says the program will move forward, with more launches to come.

Under a $1.9 billion contract with NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation, based in Virginia, has sent two cargo vehicles to the International Space Station without a hitch³.

This time, their Cygnus spacecraft, powered by an Antares rocket was carrying more than two tons of water and food and also some classified equipment.

But several seconds after the launch the rocket blew up, before the new second stage motor was able to ignite.

The explosion completely destroyed the cargo and damaged the launch pad, but no injuries or loss of life were reported.

At a press conference at Wallops Island launch facility Executive Vice⁴ President and General Manager at Orbital Sciences Corporation, Frank Culbertson, said the Antares program will be put on hold.

“We will not fly until we understand the root cause and the corrective action necessary to insure that this doesn’t happen again," said Culbertson.

President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation⁵, Eric Stallmer, says the space flight industry is already looking ahead.

“It’s a setback, a short-term setback, but Orbital, they have still four more launches to go to the International Space Station and we anticipate those to be a huge success," said Stallmer.

However, Orbital Corporation’s revenue will suffer, according to John Logsdon of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.

“Because not only was this a major source of revenue for the company, this commercial cargo contract, but we don’t know yet how much damage has been done to the launch pad and it’s the only pad from which the Antares vehicle could be launched," said Logsdon.

NASA has a similar contract with another private firm, Space X Corporation, based in California, and their cargo vehicle is scheduled to launch in December.

For now the U.S. is only sending unmanned flights into space.  but that will change.  Space X and Boeing have both signed contracts with NASA and manned space flights are planned as soon as 2017.

1 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

2 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。

3 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。