阿波罗登月50年后 美国的首次登月计划

Plan for First US Mission to the Moon Since Apollo Landing

The first American spacecraft expected to land on the moon in nearly 50 years will be an unmanned robotic lander.

The aerospace¹ company Astrobotic Technology told Reuters it expects to launch the spacecraft named Peregrine in the summer of 2021 from Florida’s Cape² Canaveral. The company said Peregrine will be the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo astronauts last touched down there in 1972. The mission will bring technology and experiments to the moon to prepare for human flights by 2024.

The spacecraft will use the Vulcan rocket developed by an alliance between U.S. aerospace companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Tory Bruno is chief executive of the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Bruno told Reuters, “Our first flight on Vulcan is also the first big step in going back to the moon.”

The Vulcan rocket was selected over the reusable rocket from SpaceX, a company owned by Elon Musk³ of carmaker Tesla. It is powered by engines from Blue Origin, a company started by Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Blue Origin also is working on a heavy-lift rocket.

Astrobotic is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of nine companies chosen by the American space agency NASA to develop vehicles and technology to explore the lunar surface over the next ten years.

NASA Administrator⁴ Jim Bridenstine is pushing private companies to design and develop technology for low-Earth orbit and lunar exploration. He wants NASA to be one of many customers for the technology and to prepare for deeper space exploration.

For ULA, the launch serves as the first of two certification flights for the U.S. Air Force. Vulcan will replace the older Delta⁵ and Atlas⁶ rockets. Those rockets have been used for space missions and by the U.S. military for many years.

As the U.S. prepares to return to the moon, other countries have launched their own missions to the moon.

In January, an unmanned Chinese spacecraft successfully touched down on the far side of the moon. An Israeli robotic lander, however, crashed on its final descent in April. And India landed a Chandrayaan-2 rover in July. The vehicle is on its way to the moon’s south pole, unexplored by any other nation.

I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

Words in This Story

aerospace –adj. describing the industry of making vehicles that travel in the atmosphere and in space

customer –n. a person or organization that buys goods and services from businesses

certification –n. the process of gaining official approval to do something like carrying out a business or doing a task

mission –n. a flight or a spacecraft designed to carry out a task

1 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

2 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

3 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

4 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。

5 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

6 atlas   

n.地图册，图表集

参考例句：

• He reached down the atlas from the top shelf.他从书架顶层取下地图集。
• The atlas contains forty maps,including three of Great Britain.这本地图集有40幅地图，其中包括3幅英国地图。