新奇事件簿 NASA宇航员申请创纪录（在线收听）

A record number of people have applied to NASA to be part of its astronaut training program. NASA said it received over 18,300 applications for just 14 jobs. This is a record for the administration. Human resources officials at NASA will now spend the next 18 months looking at the applications to select the best ones. It plans to announce the successful applicants in the middle of 2017. Brian Kelly of NASA said it would be a lot of work. He added: "It's heartening to know so many people recognize what a great opportunity this is to be part of NASA's exciting mission. I look forward to meeting the men and women talented enough to rise to the top of what is always a pool of incredible applicants."

NASA宇航员招募申请人数创新高。据美国宇航局表示，职位申请已超1.83万份，他们将角逐14个工作岗位。申请人数创历史新高。NASA人力部将在未来18个月中对申请进行逐一浏览。并计划在2017年中期宣布名单。NASA主管布莱恩·凯利表示，审查工作量将非常大。他还表示：“对于人们来说，参与到NASA项目将会是一次千载难逢的机遇，看到申请数量如此庞大，我们很欣慰。谁会在众多申请人当中脱颖而出，我们拭目以待。”

It seems there is a great desire to work on America's space program and perhaps go to Mars. NASA's Charlie Bolden said: "It's not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars." The top applicants will have an interview at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The chosen candidates will then get two years of initial training. They will learn skills such as spacewalking, teamwork and operating spacecraft systems, and learn Russian. After that, they could go to the International Space Station or work for companies making spacecraft for tourists, such as Boeing and SpaceX.

美国太空项目极具吸引力，或许还有可能登陆火星。NASA负责人查理·博尔登表示：“对于开辟火星旅程，美国民众表现出了极高热情，且他们都有着不同背景，这一点并不奇怪。”候选人将在德州“约翰逊航天中心”接受面试。并接受为期两年的初期训练。技能学习包括太空行走、团队合作、操作航天器以及俄语学习。之后前往国际空间站，或到波音，SpaceX等航天器制作公司工作。