2006年VOA标准英语-Controversial Shuttle Mission to Launch Saturda

By David McAlary
Washington
26 June 2006

Members of the space shuttle Discovery crew leave the Operations and Checkout¹ building during a count down dress rehearsal² for flight STS-121 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape³ Canaveral, Flarida on June 15, 2006   
  
The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is set to launch to the International Space Station July 1, a decision that has caused controversy⁴. The space agency, NASA, is sending the ship up for the first time in nearly one year, despite objections from two top agency officials that engineers have not done everything possible to ensure the orbiter's safety after the loss of the shuttle Columbia three years ago. 

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After exhaustive modifications⁵ to the shuttle's external fuel tank, NASA wants to see how the unit flies. The work redesigned several areas of the hard insulating foam⁶ that covers the tank. The goal was to ensure that a chunk⁷ large enough to destroy a shuttle never breaks away during launch again, as it did with Columbia in 2003.

"We have made the largest aerodynamic change to this vehicle that has been made since we started flying 25 years ago," said Wayne Hale, the shuttle program manager.

Technicians stripped 16 kilograms of foam from the shuttle's fuel tank from a total of more than 1,800 kilograms. Hale says they will try to reduce foam shedding even more for later flights, but insists that the newest change must be flight tested first.

"When you have made a major aerodynamic change, and you have studied it in the wind tunnel, and you have studied it with the computer simulations and you think it's good to go fly with, you go fly with that one change, because all those wind tunnels and all that analysis and all those computer models are never quite as good as real life," continued Hale.

But NASA's chief safety officer and chief engineer disagreed with the decision in a shuttle management meeting. They argued against launching Discovery, because they believe foam debris⁸ is still a threat.

Hale admits that all shedding cannot be eliminated under the enormous stresses of liftoff. But agency technical analysis shows that debris heavier than 113 grams is unlikely. That is less than one-seventh the weight of the piece that punched a big hole in Columbia's wing during liftoff.

The two dissenting⁹ shuttle officials say they accept NASA's decision to launch because expected foam loss would not endanger the crew, only the orbiter. They note that since the Columbia accident, NASA has devised procedures for astronauts in orbit to inspect and repair launch damage. If there is an unfixable problem that would cause a dangerous re-entry through the atmosphere, the crew can remain aboard the space station, until a rescue shuttle arrives.

 
Astronaut Piers¹⁰ Sellers
  
During the coming mission, astronaut Piers Sellers will be one of two crewmen to practice inspection¹¹ and repair techniques during a spacewalk. He says Discovery is ready to fly.

"We have now come to the point, I think, that the major villains¹² out there in terms of threat have been dealt with, or at least thoroughly¹³ addressed, and we have driven those risks down as far as we can, which leaves the things you don't [one doesn't] know about," noted¹⁴ Sellers.

Wayne Hale frequently reminds listeners that shuttles have about two million parts, any one of which can break down. The shuttle is extremely complicated because it was designed for many types of missions, according to a former U.S. intelligence official, who was a member of the panel that investigated the shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. Albert Wheelon says shuttles were built for human space flight, to support scientific research and to deploy¹⁵ satellites for U.S. military, intelligence and commercial clients. He points out that each use had specific design requirements.

"Following the Challenger accident, all but the manned space program essentially¹⁶ abandoned the shuttle as a launch vehicle," he explained. "It was left to serve only the space station and the shuttle itself. But the requirements of all the users remained in the design, and it had made it a great deal more complicated than it need to have been, and I think that just adds to the burden of the NASA team trying to make each mission perfect."

On the coming mission, in addition to the spacewalk, the shuttle team will deliver German astronaut Thomas Reiter to expand the station crew to three for the first time since the Columbia accident. It will also bring up supplies and replacement parts to keep the outpost operating

1 checkout   

n.（超市等）收银台，付款处

参考例句：

• Could you pay at the checkout.你能在结帐处付款吗。
• A man was wheeling his shopping trolley to the checkout.一个男人正推着购物车向付款台走去。

2 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

3 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。

4 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

5 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

7 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

8 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

9 dissenting   

adj.不同意的

参考例句：

• He can't tolerate dissenting views. 他不能容纳不同意见。
• A dissenting opinion came from the aunt . 姑妈却提出不赞同的意见。

10 piers   

n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩

参考例句：

• Most road bridges have piers rising out of the vally. 很多公路桥的桥墩是从河谷里建造起来的。 来自辞典例句
• At these piers coasters and landing-craft would be able to discharge at all states of tide. 沿岸航行的海船和登陆艇，不论潮汐如何涨落，都能在这种码头上卸载。 来自辞典例句

11 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

12 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

16 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。