Atlantis opens next chapter, says NASA

 　　BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The Atlantis mission to be launched by NASA on July 8 will not be an end to the space age, as some media suggest.

　　Although it is the final mission of the space shuttle, it will open up "the next chapter" in the United States' space exploration, NASA's administrator¹ Charles Bolden Jr said at the National Press Club in Washington on Friday.

　　"When I hear people say - or listen to media reports - that the final shuttle flight marks the end of US human space flight, I have to say . . . these folks must be living on another planet," he said.

　　"As a former astronaut and the current NASA administrator, I'm here to tell you that American leadership in space will continue for at least the next half-century because we have laid the foundation for success - and for NASA, failure is not an option," he said.

　　One of the foundations is the "unprecedented²" research capabilities³ the International Space Station (ISS) now possesses, largely thanks to the space shuttle missions.

　　Although some media imply that "the game will be up" once the ISS is out of orbit in 2020, he said the splendid research results and rich knowledge astronauts and scientists have accumulated through more than 1,200 experiments since 1998 have laid out "a stepping-stone to the rest of the solar system and the tip of what comes next".

　　As NASA turns a new page, it will "focus on deep space exploration", while leaving US private companies to operate low Earth orbit transportation systems for tourism and business, he said.

　　NASA will develop "a deep space crew vehicle and an evolvable heavy-lift rocket," he said. The moon, asteroids⁴ and Mars will be the next destinations for humans to live and work, he said.

　　"We will maintain and grow US leadership in space and derive⁵ all the benefits that flow from it. Tomorrow's space program is taking shape right now," he said.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 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。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

5 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。