阿波罗纪念日后，美国宇航局准备重返月球

After Apollo Anniversary, NASA Prepares for Return to Moon

The American space agency NASA recently marked the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. For some, the celebrations were a reminder¹ that the program has not been to the moon since 1972.

But NASA aims to change that -- soon.

NASA’s plans are taking shape in places like Huntsville, Alabama. That is where you will find NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Inside, engineers and other experts are working on building and testing a new Space Launch System, or SLS.

Jody Singer is the center’s director. She says the launch system is the “key enabler” to going to the moon.

“The Space Launch System is the only rocket capable of sending a fully² equipped Orion, the astronauts, the supplies and the systems to the moon in one launch, and taking us deep into space,” Singer said.

The Orion is one of NASA’s spacecraft.

Mike Nichols is a lead testing engineer at the center. He has worked with NASA for over 20 years. On one recent day, he spoke³ with VOA about testing a new liquid hydrogen tank.

Nichols said, “In order to prove that it's strong enough to survive launch, they build this structural⁴ test article, send it to us, we install it in the test end.”

NASA historian Brian Odom explains that the liquid hydrogen tank is just one piece of the larger SLS system. Another is a large metal container for liquid oxygen, he explains.

“The work you see in the background is for the liquid oxygen -- the oxidizer for that SLS vehicle -- to see if it's going to be able to withstand those pressures, those intense dynamics⁵ at launch.

“And so far, everything is looking good.”

NASA’s new moon program is called “Artemis.” The first mission is set for next year, without a crew. Artemis 2 plans to send astronauts around the moon in 2022.

Artemis 3 is expected to touch down on the moon’s south pole in 2024.

If the testing works out, all of the missions will begin their trips to the moon on top of the new SLS system.

Jody Singer says NASA has set its sights on newer, bigger and more difficult goals than ever before.

“So we’re all working very hard to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024, and take what we learn and do it and apply to future missions, such as missions to Mars.”

NASA is not the only program with big goals. Private companies such as Boeing and Space X are developing vehicles to take astronauts into Earth orbit and to the International Space Station.

China’s national space program has also announced a big goal. It aims to land a crew on the moon in the next 10 years.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

enabler - n. something that makes something able to do something

capable - adj. able to do something : having the qualities or abilities that are needed to do something

install - v. to make (a machine, a service, etc.) ready to be used in a certain place

dynamics - n. the science that studies motion and the forces that cause or stop motion

1 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。