VOA常速英语2015--为登火星做准备 NASA碟形登陆减速器测试再遇挫

为登火星做准备 NASA碟形登陆减速器测试再遇挫

After several weather related delays,the world's largest helium balloon was launched from a military base in Hawaii to test a saucer-like device called the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator(LDSD).

在因天气原因造成几次延误过后，这只世界上最大的氦气球从夏威夷的一座军事基地内升空进行一种名为“低密度超音速减速器”碟形装置的测试。

The LDSD is designed to investigate and test breakthrough technologies for landing robotic and human missions on Mars,and safely returning large payloads to Earth.

此次旨在研究并测试一些登陆机器人，人类执行火星任务及携带大型有效载荷安全返回地球的突破性技术。

"This new technology is required to land five metric tons,for human missions,maybe 30 and beyond,metric tons on the surface.

“这项新技术需要能够使5公吨的重量在火星表面登陆，如果是载人任务也许需要超过30公吨。

So,the parachute we're using today can improve performance for landing mass by 100 to 200 percent,and that's really critical for not only future enhanced robotic missions,but human exploration of Mars."

因此我们现如今使用的降落伞可以把着陆质量提高2倍。不仅对于未来的机器人着陆任务，而且对载人探索任务都至关重要。

Scientists say the thin atmosphere around Mars requires especially strong parachutes for landing heavy and fast-moving spacecraft.

科学家表示火星周围的稀薄大气层需要特别加强的降落伞用来降落沉重，快速移动的航天器。

"As we started thinking about the next generation of more capable,more exciting,more bold missions to Mars,we started realizing that we didn't have the technologies in place to land them,and we had to start today,start developing those technologies. Things like inflatable drag devices,that we could inflate¹ at the speed of sound."

“当我们开始考虑下一代更具能力、更令人激动、更大胆的火星探测任务时，我们意识到没有相对应的着陆技术。我们必须从今天开始发展这些技术。比如可在音速速度下充气的减速装置。”

The parachute tested Monday is 30 meters in diameter.

周一进行测试的降落伞直径是30米。

A "flying saucer" it was carrying weighed more than 3,000 kilograms,about twice the weight of the kind of robotic rover spacecraft NASA can currently land on Mars.

它搭载的飞碟重量超过3,000公斤，约是目前NASA可着陆火星机器人探测飞行器的2倍。

Late Monday,a NASA spokeswoman said the test failed when the parachute deployed² but did not inflate.

NASA一位发言人周一稍晚时候表示此次试验失败的原因是降落伞虽然张开但没有充气。

 

A similar test in June of last year suffered the same fate.

去年6月的的类似试验也发生了同样的情况。

1 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

2 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。