VOA慢速英语--美国宇航局准备在火星上进行首次直升机飞行试验

NASA Prepares for First Helicopter Flight Test on Mars

The U.S. space agency's explorer, Perseverance¹, arrived on Mars on February 18 with an important piece of equipment.

NASA's Perseverance was carrying an experimental aircraft called Ingenuity², which is set to have its first test flight this week. NASA hopes to make the helicopter the first vehicle to fly on a planet other than Earth.

NASA recently announced that Ingenuity had been safely lowered onto the surface of Mars from its storage space underneath³ Perseverance. The explorer, or rover, then moved about five meters away from Ingenuity. The rover and aircraft are communicating through radios.

After separating from the rover, the helicopter faced its first important test on Mars -- protecting itself from the planet's freezing temperatures. Readings taken from instruments on Perseverance from early April showed low temperatures at the landing area, called Jezero Crater⁴, had reached minus 83 degrees Celsius⁵.

In a statement, NASA said Ingenuity passed the test by surviving its first night alone in the extreme cold. The helicopter used its own solar-powered battery to operate a heater to protect its electrical equipment from damage.

The space agency praised the success as "a major milestone⁶" for the experimental aircraft.

MiMi Aung is Ingenuity's project leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She said that while her team did all it could to prepare the helicopter, the group was very excited to see the results of their work on Mars.

"We now have confirmation⁷ that we have the right insulation⁸, the right heaters, and enough energy in its battery to survive the cold night, which is a big win for the team," Aung said. "We're excited to continue to prepare Ingenuity for its first flight test."

The next set of tests involves the aircraft's motors and rotor equipment. The helicopter will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled flight on another planet.

NASA has compared Ingenuity's attempt to the Wright Brothers' first flight of a motor-driven airplane near Kitty Hawk⁹, North Carolina, in 1903. In recognition of that historic flight, a small piece of cloth that covered a wing from the Wright Brothers plane was attached to the helicopter for its first flight on Mars.

The main purpose of the Perseverance rover is to search for signs of microbial life from the planet's ancient past. The explorer is expected to collect rock and soil materials from the surface. They will be sent to Earth by a future mission to Mars.

During its first test, Ingenuity will attempt to rise about three meters off the surface. It will try to briefly¹⁰ push forward into the planet's extremely thin atmosphere. Then, the aircraft will attempt to turn around and complete a soft landing.

If the first flight is successful, other tests will be carried out, with Ingenuity trying to go a little higher and farther each time. NASA says such helicopters could assist astronauts on future search and collection missions.

NASA recently released pictures of Perseverance and Ingenuity. The space agency described one of the pictures as a "selfie." It showed the rover and helicopter sitting on the rocky surface of Mars.

The rover was able to capture the selfie with its robotic arm, which has a camera attached to the end. NASA said the picture was made from 62 individual images that were put together once they were sent back to Earth.

Words in This Story

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity

milestone – n. an important point in the progress or development of something

insulation – n. a material used to stop heat, cold, sound or electricity from escaping or entering

rotor – n. a part of a machine that spins, especially the device supporting the turning blades of a helicopter

microbial – adj. relating to microbes (very small living things)

mission – n. the flight of a spacecraft to perform a task or job

1 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

2 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

3 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

4 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

5 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

6 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

7 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

8 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。