美太空署网站揭晓08年十大航天新闻 太空

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2008十大航天新闻揭晓 A Momentous Year in Spaceflight

对太空飞行来说，2008年是非常重要的一年。这一年见证了很多重大的历史性时刻：世界上最强大的伽马射线望远镜、国际空间站上最大的太空舱、印度的第一颗月球探测器和正好是美国首位宇航员后代的太空游客都被成功送入太空。以下是2008年十大航天新闻。

This was a momentous year for spaceflight. It saw the launch of the world's most powerful gamma-ray telescope, the space station's largest room, India's first moon probe, and even a space tourist who happens to be America's first second-generation space traveler.

Here are the Top 10 stories of 2008:
10.美国首位宇航员后代进入太空

美国首位宇航员后代进入太空


　　理查德·加利奥特(Richard Garriott)是美国宇航局前宇航员欧文·加利奥特(Owen Garriott)的儿子。今年10月，理查德搭乘“联盟”号飞船进入地球轨道，成为首位进行太空飞行的美国宇航员后代。理查德通过美国私营公司——太空冒险公司(Space Adventures)，向俄罗斯太空总署支付了3000万美元的费用，为自己预定了前往国际空间站的10日之旅。理查德在空间站上进行了科学实验、教育活动，还携带了一个格式化闪存卡，里面记录了人类取得的最伟大的成就，包括他的一个游戏的拷贝和一部分人的DNA的数码版。理查德飞往国际空间站的时候，该站恰巧是由俄罗斯宇航员谢尔盖·沃尔科夫(Sergei Volkov)负责指挥，沃尔科夫也是第二代太空飞行人员，是著名宇航员亚历山大·沃尔科夫的儿子。他们二人在轨道相遇，并与10月底一起返回地球。


10. The first second-generation space travelers launch

Richard Garriott, the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, became the first American second-generation spaceflyer to reach orbit when he launched aboard a Soyuz rocket in October. For a hefty $30 million, paid to the Russian Federal Space Agency through the private U.S. firm Space Adventures, Garriott booked himself a 10-day vacation on the International Space Station (ISS). During his stay Garriott conducted science experiments, educational outreach activities, and even brought aboard a flash drive loaded with records of humanity's greatest achievements, copies of the avatars in one of his games and digital versions of selected humans' DNA, including that of comedian Stephen Colbert, host of "The Colbert Report." By coincidence, Garriott flew to the space station while it was under the command of Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, himself a second-generation spaceflyer and the son of famed cosmonaut Alexander Volkov. The two spaceflyers met in orbit and returned to Earth together in later October.



9.2008年是自2002年以来航天飞机任务最多的一年

今年11月奋进号航天飞机发射升空


　　2008年，美国宇航局执行了4次航天飞机发射任务，而且每项任务都成功了。这一年是自2002年以来发射航天飞机最多的一年，由于2003年的“哥伦比亚”号航天飞机事故，这一年也显得异常瞩目。2008年的每一次飞行任务，都给国际空间站运去了至关重要的部件，其中包括日本、欧洲和加拿大研制的设备。这一年本来还打算进行最后一次哈勃太空望远镜的维修任务，但是由于该望远镜出现故障，这项任务被迫推迟到2009年以后进行。美国宇航局最近打算在2010年所有航天飞机退役以前，将发射至少9次航天飞机任务。预计2009年将实施6次太空飞行任务。



9. The most shuttle missions to fly in one year since 2002

NASA launched four space shuttle missions in 2008 — and returned each of them safely back home. That's the most shuttle liftoffs since 2002, and especially noteworthy in the wake of the Columbia tragedy of 2003. This year's flights each delivered vital components to the ISS, including major contributions from Japan, Europe and Canada. And the year almost saw one more shuttle flight — the final servicing mission to Hubble — but that launch was delayed until 2009 because of glitches on the orbiting telescope. NASA currently plans to launch nine more shuttle missions before retiring the fleet in 2010. Six of those flights are scheduled for 2009.



8. 世界最强大望远镜发射升空

费米伽马射线太空望远镜


　　由于有了美国宇航局的费米伽马射线太空望远镜，不久后人们可能会对超大质量黑洞、暗物质和被称作伽马射线爆的神秘爆炸等一些宇宙中最令人费解的现象有更多了解。这台望远镜是在2008年6月发射升空的。这台世界上最强大的望远镜是通过高能伽马射线观察宇宙，最初这个天文台被称作“伽马射线广域空间望远镜”(Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope)，但是当这台望远镜建成后开始正常运行时，人们又根据意大利科学家恩里科·费米的名字给它重新命名。




8. Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope launches

Some of the cosmos' most puzzling phenomena — supermassive black holes, dark matter and mysterious explosions called gamma-ray bursts — may soon be more understandable thanks to NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which launched in June. The world's most powerful telescope for observing the universe in high-energy gamma-ray light, the observatory was originally called the Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST), but was rechristened after Italian scientist Enrico Fermi once the telescope was up and running in space.

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7.欧洲的首艘货船飞入太空

“儒勒·凡尔纳”货运飞船


　　2008年3月，欧洲成功发射了“儒勒·凡尔纳”货运飞船(Jules Verneautomated transfer vehicle)，这艘货运飞船的设计目的是给国际空间站上的宇航员运送食品和补给品。该船成功发射并与空间站对接后，按照设计安排，在重返地球的过程中，在大气层里烧毁。双层公共汽车大小的飞船将被至少4艘姊妹货运飞船所取代。


7. Europe's first cargo ship flies

The flotilla of space station-bound spacecraft had been static for the last nine years until a new ship was added to the ranks in March. Europe's Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle was the first of a new fleet of unmanned cargo ships designed to ferry food and supplies to astronauts on the orbiting laboratory. After launching and docking at the station successfully, the vehicle perished as designed in a fiery plunge through the atmosphere back to Earth. The double-decker bus-sized spacecraft is due to be succeeded by at least four sister freighter ships.


6.国际空间站十岁了

国际空间站


　　过去10年间，国际空间站一直安静地漂浮在我们的头顶上方，随着时间推移，它的规模在一点点变大，承担的国家间的科技合作也越来越多。11月20日是耗资1000亿美元的国际空间站的10岁生日，从第一个太空舱——俄罗斯制造的“曙光”号太空舱被发射升空至今，它已经经历了10年的风风雨雨。经过过去多年的发展，空间站已经从一个只相当于一个房间的小公寓住宅，变成一个3居室住宅，在过去10年间，它接待了来自15个国家的大约165名来客，而且已经围绕地球旋转57309周。6月，空间站增加了一个到目前为止最大的新太空舱——旅游车大小的日本“希望”号实验舱。到目前为止，这个宏伟的空间站并未完工，在2010年以前，美国宇航局还将实施8次航天飞机任务，陆续把剩余部件运输到该站。




6. The International Space Station turns 10

For the past 10 years the ISS has been serenely floating above us, steadily growing in size and hosting more and more scientific cooperation between nations. The $100 billion space station marked its 10th anniversary Nov. 20, a decade after its first room, the Russian-built Zarya module, was launched into space. Over the years the lab has grown from the equivalent of a studio apartment into a three-bedroom house, hosted about 165 visitors from 15 countries, and circled the Earth more than 57,309 times. In June the laboratory got its biggest addition yet, the tour bus-sized Japanese Kibo module. The stately space station is not yet complete, though — eight of NASA's remaining shuttle missions will deliver its remaining components by 2010.


5.民营公司研制的猎鹰1号火箭试验成功

“猎鹰1”号火箭于今年9月发射升空


　　9月，太空探索技术公司(SpaceX)成功将“猎鹰1”号火箭发射升空，标志着该公司为把第一枚私人火箭射入太空而进行的长达6年的努力取得成功。3次发射尝试接连失败后，“猎鹰1”号成功飞入太空大大出乎人们的意料。这种液体燃料助推器从太平洋夸贾林岛发射升空，证明了太空探索技术公司的设计非常合理，同时也证明了该公司正在逐步实现其提供低价商业火箭发射服务的目标。该公司研发和试验这个助推器花费了大约1亿美元，但是未来进行太空飞行的这种火箭可能仅需800万美元或者更少。太空探索技术公司现在正计划从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射更大的猎鹰9号火箭。该公司是在23日取得美国宇航局的空间站货运合同的两家公司之一。




5. Privately-developed Falcon 1 rocket finally reaches orbit

In a major milestone, the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) firm successfully launched its Falcon 1 rocket in September, capping off the company's six-year effort to lift the first non-governmental rocket into space. Arriving on the heels of three consecutive failed launch attempts, the Falcon 1's success was no foregone conclusion. The liquid-fueled booster's liftoff from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean proved that SpaceX's engineering is sound, and the company is on its way toward fulfilling its goal of offering low-cost commercial rocket launches. It took about $100 million to develop and test the booster, but future flights should carry an $8 million price tag or less, the company said. SpaceX is now preparing to launch its larger Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and is one of two firms to win a NASA space station cargo contract on Tuesday.

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.印度探测器进入月球轨道

印度月船1号探测器发射升空


　　11月，印度月船1号探测器进入月球轨道，开始为期2年的探测任务，这也标志着它已经成为该国第一艘飞出地球轨道的飞船。印度月球探测器月船1号所携带的一枚镌有印度国旗图案的月球撞击探测器成功降落在月球南极，它在下降过程中拍摄了很多照片。印度取得的这项成就，证实了该国的太空探索能力在不断提高，同时也为该国计划在未来开始进行载人太空项目和送月球车到月球表面奠定了坚实的基础。




4. Indian probe orbits the moon

India's Chandrayaan 1 probe became the nation's first spacecraft to travel beyond Earth orbit when it arrived at the moon in November to begin a planned two-year mission. The vehicle carried a mini craft painted in the red, white and green pattern of India's flag that crash-landed at the moon's south pole, taking pictures on its way down. The achievement establishes India's growing space prowess and sets the stage for the country's planned future goals of starting a manned space program and landing a rover on the moon.



3.中国进行第一次太空行走

中国进行第一次太空行走


　　今年9月，中国宇航员进行了有史以来的第一次太空行走。中国通过第三次载人太空飞行任务----神舟七号，把3名宇航员送入太空。翟志刚穿着中国人自己制造的新太空服，第一个从神舟七号里走出来，成为中国太空行走第一人。翟志刚在舱外活动20分钟，这段时间里，他从舱外取回一个润滑剂试验样本，并在摄像机前挥舞中国国旗。对中国来说，这项活动标志着中国在科技领域取得了巨大成功。中国是继俄罗斯和美国之后，第三个独立将人送入太空的国家。




3. China conducts its first spacewalk

In another first for a nation building up its space program, Chinese astronauts carried out their country's first spacewalk in September. China launched three astronauts on the Shenzhou 7 mission, the nation's third manned spaceflight. Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese spacewalker when he stepped out of his space ship wearing a new Chinese-made spacesuit. During his 20-miute foray into space, Zhigang retrieved a test sample of lubricant from outside the vehicle, and waived a Chinese flag at the camera that was broadcasting his feat live. The event marked an impressive technological achievement for China, only the third country after Russia and the United States to independently launch a person into space.



2.凤凰号在火星北极安全着陆

火星上的凤凰号


　　5月25日，美国宇航局的“凤凰”号火星登陆器成功降落在火星表面，这是自2004年以来，遥控设备第一次成功在这颗红色行星表面降落。这艘静止飞船花了5个多月时间研究火星北极平原的环境，寻找这颗行星上可能存在的生命迹象，而且还确定了火星地下有水冰存在。“凤凰”号的登陆地点比以往的任何登陆器的降落地点都更靠近火星北部，而且它还从这颗我们附近的行星上，为我们提供了大量珍贵图片和试验结果。然而，由于火星北极从夏季向秋季转变，日照量逐渐减少，而且大气层里的尘埃阻碍了阳光照射到这颗行星表面，最终导致这颗登陆器在11月2日用尽所有能量，终止任务。





2. Robot safely lands farther north on Mars than ever before

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander touched down on the red planet in May in the first successful Mars landing since 2004. The stationary spacecraft spent more than five months testing the arctic plains environment for signs of habitability by potential Martian life, and confirmed the presence of water ice below the ground. Phoenix touched down farther north on Mars than any lander before it, and delivered a treasure trove of images and experimental results from our neighboring planet. After its prolific research stint, the lander finally ran out of power on Nov. 2 due to decreasing sunlight caused by the arctic transition from summer to fall and light-obscuring atmospheric dust.


1.美国宇航局成立50周年

美国宇航局50年LOGO


　　10月1日是美国宇航局成立50周年，这一天标志着半个世纪以来美国在太空探索方面所取得的巨大成就，而在1958年美国宇航局成立之前，很多人还对太空探索持怀疑态度。虽然一些人对现在科学家仍未研制出飞车而有些沮丧，但是大部分人可能已经意识到，自从美国人用羡慕的眼光观看飞行在空中的苏联制造的人造卫星以来，美国宇航局已经在太空探索方面取得了巨大进步。美国在月球竞赛中取胜，成为派宇航员成功登上月球的国家，并成立了一支可重复利用的航天飞机机群，而且还与其他国家合作，建设漂浮在太空中的国际空间站用于科学研究。当然，成功的道路上也曾上演可怕的悲剧：阿波罗1号的不幸、挑战者号和哥伦比亚号航天飞机上遇难的宇航员都证明，如果不付出代价，就不会取得这些成功。然而，即便有这些令人悲伤和感到挫败的事实摆在面前，即使有公众对美国宇航局感到厌倦，但是美国人是不会放弃他们的太空梦想的。因为谁都无法预知未来50年将会发生什么事情。




1. NASA's 50th anniversary

On Oct. 1 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration turned 50 years old, marking a half century of achievements in space exploration that many would have doubted were possible before its founding in 1958. While some people are still smarting over the continued absence of flying cars, most can recognize that NASA has come a long way since the days when Americans watched with envy as Sputnik flew overhead. We won the moon (and may be racing back to it all over again), built a fleet of reusable space shuttles, and worked with other nations to construct a continuously-occupied floating space station for scientific research. There have also been horrific tragedies along the way: the lives of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia astronauts attest to the fact that those great achievements weren't attained without a price. But for all the heartbreaks, setbacks and even public boredom with NASA, Americans can't seem to give up the dream of space. Who knows what the next 50 years will bring?