STARSHINE SATELLITES

42 “星光号人造卫星”成功进入运行轨道

DATE=5-2-01
TITLE=EXPLORATIONS #1950 - STARSHINE SATELLITES
BYLINE=Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS.  Thousands of young school students helped to build a satellite that was successfully placed in orbit¹.  Two more satellites that students helped prepare will be (1) launched³ this year.  Our report today tells about these special Starshine (2) satellites.
(((MUSIC BRIDGE-“GOOD MORNING, STAR SHINE”)))
VOICE ONE:
The Starshine satellites are the idea of one man. Gil Moore is a former teacher who taught space science at Utah State （3）University and the Air Force Academy⁴ in Colorado.  Mister⁵ Moore now is the director of the Starshine （4）project. 
For several years, Mister Moore thought it would be fun to have school children take part in the space program.  The question was how this could be done.  School children are too young to be （5）astronauts.  And working on most space （6）equipment calls for many long years of expert experience.  Gil Moore wanted to create a project that would permit school students to learn about space.  He wanted to help children to take an active part in helping⁶ prepare a satellite for real space （7）flight. 
VOICE TWO:
Mister Moore created a very simple project that met all of his goals.  He decided⁷ that students could help build satellites that they could clearly see from Earth without using special equipment.  Starshine is the name of that project. 
The Starshine project called for placing hundreds of very small round metal pieces on a satellite shaped like a ball.  The small pieces of metal would be made by machines.  But each would have to be （8）carefully （9）rubbed by hand until it was bright as a mirror.  This important polishing work would be done by school students.  The students could rub⁸ special chemicals and other （10）materials on the metal pieces.  The sunlight would hit the (11) polished metal pieces and be seen on Earth.
Mister Moore's plan called for teachers to write to Project Starshine and ask to take part in the project.  Starshine officials would send the teachers the needed materials and the （12）instructions.  There would be no cost to the students or the teachers.  
Mister Moore asked NASA if it would provide space on the shuttle or on rockets to take the satellites into orbit.  NASA agreed.
VOICE ONE:
The first of the Starshine series of satellites left Earth on June Fifth, Nineteen Ninety-Nine.  The Space （13）Shuttle （14）Discovery carried it into space.  The crew launched it during the space shuttle's flight to the （15）International Space Station. 
Starshine-One was covered by almost one- thousand metal mirrors that students had polished.  More than twenty-five thousand students had some part in the project.  The students were from six- hundred- sixty schools in eighteen countries.  
Starshine One was placed in （16）orbit three- hundred- eighty- seven kilometers above the Earth.  The little satellite began to spin as it left the cargo⁹ area of the space shuttle.  Light from the Sun hit hundreds of the little metal mirrors at the same time.  As it moved away from the Space Shuttle it looked like an （17）extremely bright, shining （18）jewel in the black night of space.  
VOICE TWO:
Students and teachers immediately began learning¹⁰ how to find the satellite in the morning and evening sky.  They could see the Starshine satellite without the aid of special equipment.  However, the students had to learn how to find it using the science of （19）astronomy.  They did this by measuring Starshine's position from the known path of some stars.  The learned¹¹ to make records of these observations so they knew exactly when the satellite would appear over their part of the world.
The little satellite circled Earth every ninety minutes.  Starshine One was not expected to stay in orbit for very long.  Each time it circled the Earth; the （20）planet's （21）gravity pulled it a little closer to the atmosphere.  Soon, the atmosphere was causing the Starshine One to slow down.  
This caused it to fall even more.  The little satellite stayed in orbit more than eight months.  On February Eighteenth, Two-Thousand, it burned up as it fell further into Earth's atmosphere.  Yet even before Starshine-One fell to Earth, Mister Moore was making plans for the launch² of Starshine Two and Three.  
VOICE ONE:
The National Aeronautics¹² and Space Administration¹³ have a new base from which to launch (22) rockets.  It is the Kodiak Launch Complex in the far northern state of Alaska.  August Thirty-First is the first planned launch dates from the Kodiak base.  NASA will use an Athena One rocket to place four satellites into space.  One of these satellites will be Starshine Three.  The launch of Starshine Two has been （23）postponed until November First.
Starshine Three will be the largest satellite in the series.  It is almost one meter around.  It weighs eighty-eight kilograms and will carry one- thousand- five- hundred mirrors polished by students. 
VOICE TWO:
Starshine Three will carry special devices¹⁴ that can return laser¹⁵ light sent from Earth to the satellite.  It will have thirty-one of these laser reflectors on its surface.  It will also have devices that can change the Sun's light into electric power.  It will carry equipment to send and receive some radio information.  NASA officials on the ground will be able to change the direction of Starshine Three's flight.  And the satellite will carry a special computer disk （24）containing the names of all of the students who worked on the project.
The Athena Rocket will place Starshine Three into orbit five- hundred kilometers above the Earth.  Officials hope to place it in an orbit that will permit most of the children of the world to see it.  Starshine officials say that it will be easy to see just after the sun goes down each day.  The Starshine Three Satellite is expected to be in orbit for several years.  
VOICE ONE:
In November, the Space Shuttle Endeavor¹⁶ is to be launched.  It will link with the International Space Station.  The shuttle crew will launch the Starshine Two satellite just before the shuttle reaches the space station.
Students from twenty-six countries have polished eight- hundred- fifty- eight of the small metal mirrors that cover the surface of Starshine Two.  The students are from two schools in (25) Algeria, more than twenty schools in Australia, three in Brazil and seven in Chile.  Other students are from two schools in Russia, three in the Philippines, one in Spain and several hundred schools in the United States.
VOICE TWO:
Project Starshine may have been the idea of one man, but it has involved the work of many people and organizations. For example, engineers at the Naval¹⁷ Research Laboratory¹⁸ near Washington D-C put all the satellite pieces together into a finished product.  
Experts at the White Sands （26）Proving Ground in the western state of New Mexico designed the methods used by students to polish the small metal mirrors.  The Packager Company of Ogden, Utah produced the necessary chemicals and materials used in the polishing process.  These government agencies¹⁹ and private companies provided²⁰ the time and materials to project Starshine at no cost.  Many other people and organizations also gave their time, effort and money to help place the Starshine satellites into space.
(((MUSIC BRIDGES TWO:  “Good Morning Star Shine”)))
VOICE ONE:
Students and adults who were not involved in polishing the metal pieces can also learn from the Starshine project.  They can improve their science knowledge by using computers to link with special areas of Internet's the World Wide Web.  For example, students link with W-W-W-DOT-heavens-above-DOT-com.  This web site teaches how to find a Starshine satellite in different parts of the World.  The beginning lessons are very simple, and then become difficult.  
VOICE TWO:
The Jet²¹ Propulsion （27）Laboratory in Pasadena, California also is linked to Project Starshine.  J-P-L has a link on the World Wide Web that provides information called “The Basics of Space Flight.”  The information offered by J-P-L is very popular with high school and college students and teachers. 
You can find the interesting Web Site at www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics <E:四张盘\4.5voa 五月www.jpl.nasa.govbasics>.  If you would like to find out more information about Project Starshine, their Web Site address is www.azinet.com/starshine .  Or you can find it by typing the word Starshine and have your computer search for that word.  Enter s-t-a-r-s-h-I-n-e.
((MUSIC BRIDGE: GOOD MORNING STARSHINE))
VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written and produced by Paul Thompson. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes.  This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.

注释：
（1） launch[ lC:ntF, lB:ntF ]n.下水, 汽艇
（2） satellite[ 5sAtElait ]n.人造卫星
（3） university[ 7ju:ni5vE:siti ]n.(综合)大学
（4） project[ 5prCdVekt ]n.计划, 方案 v.设计, 计划
（5） astronaut[5AstrEnC:t]n.太空人, 宇航员
（6） equipment[ i5kwipmEnt ]n.装备, 设备
（7） flight[ flait ]n.飞行, 逃走
（8） carefully[5keEfJlI]adv.小心地, 谨慎地
（9） rub[ rQb ]v.擦, 摩擦
（10） material[mE5tIErIEl]n.材料, 原料adj.物质的, 肉体的
（11） polished[ `pClIFt ]adj.擦亮的, 磨光的
（12） instruction[ in5strQkFEn ]n.指示,教育, 指导
（13） shuttle[ 5FQtl ]n.往返汽车v.穿梭往返
（14） discovery[ dis5kQvEri ]n.发现, 发明的东西
（15） international[ 7intE(:)5nAFEnEl ]adj.国际的, 世界的n.国际性组织, 国际比赛
（16） orbit[ 5C:bit ]n.轨道, 势力范围v.绕...轨道而行
（17） extremely[ iks5tri:mli ]adv.极端地, 非常地
（18） jewel[ 5dVu:El ]n.宝石
（19） astronomy[E5strRnEmI]n.天文学
（20） planet[5plAnIt]n.[天]行星
（21） gravity[ 5^rAviti ]n.地心引力, 重力
（22） rocket[ 5rCkit ]n.火箭v.飞速上升
（23） postpone[ pEust5pEun ]v.推迟, 使延期
（24） contain[ kEn5tein ]v.包含, 容纳, 容忍
（25） Algeria[ Al5dViEriE ]n.阿尔及利亚(北非国家)
（26） proving[ 5pru:viN ]v.校对
（27） laboratory[ lE5bCrEtEri, 5lAbErEtEri ]n.实验室

1 orbit   

n.轨道；vt.使沿轨道运行；使进入轨道运行；vi.沿轨道运行，环行

参考例句：

• The space rocket was launched and went into orbit.宇宙火箭发射后进入轨道。
• We can draw the earth's orbit round the sun.我们可以画出地球绕太阳运行的轨迹。

2 launch   

vt.发动，推出；发射；n.发射，下水，投产

参考例句：

• The makers are about to launch out a new product.制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。
• Would it be wise to launch into this rough sea?在这样汹涌的大海中游泳明智吗？

3 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

4 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

5 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 rub   

n.摩擦，困难，障碍，难点，磨损处；vt.擦，搓，摩擦，惹怒；vi.摩擦，擦破

参考例句：

• Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
• He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。

9 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

10 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

11 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

12 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

13 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

14 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

15 laser   

n.激光

参考例句：

• We keep a laser record.我们保存激光唱片。
• Laser beams are also used in surgery.激光束还可用于外科手术。

16 endeavor   

vt.／n.努力，尽力，尝试

参考例句：

• Thereupon,we knew,our endeavor was valuable.于是，我们知道，我们的努力是有价值的。
• We endeavor to make our customers satisfied.我们力图使顾客都满意。

17 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

18 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

19 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

21 jet   

n.喷气发动机，喷气式飞机；v.喷出，喷射

参考例句：

• Put a match to the jet to light the gas.将火柴放在煤气喷嘴上点燃煤气。
• I don't see the jet of your plan.我不明白你的计划的要点。