2006年VOA标准英语-Space Shuttle "Discovery" Embarks on 12-Day Mis

By Michael Bowman
Washington
04 July 2006

Shuttle Discovery launch    
  
The Space Shuttle Discovery is in orbit after a picture-perfect launch Tuesday, the first-ever shuttle mission to lift off on America's Independence Day holiday.

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After two cancellations due to poor weather conditions, Discovery rocketed away from Cape¹ Canaveral, Florida under near-cloudless skies for a 12-day mission.

Headed by Commander Steven Lindsay, Discovery's seven-member crew, will visit the International Space Station Thursday to deliver supplies and equipment, and to evaluate safety procedures. At least two spacewalks are planned. One crewmember, Mission Specialist Thomas Reiter of Germany, will remain on the space station for a six-month stint².

The launch went forward despite concerns stemming from a small crack that was discovered in the foam³ insulating Discovery's mammoth⁴ external fuel tank. It was a chunk⁵ of foam that broke off of the Space Shuttle Columbia during a 2003 lift-off that was blamed for the orbiter breaking up upon reentry to the Earth's atmosphere, killing⁶ all seven crewmembers.

Prior to lift off, NASA officials said the foam crack on Discovery was meticulously⁷ inspected, and they did not believe it posed a danger. Initial reports after the launch indicated no major problems with the insulation⁸ or any other components⁹ or systems.

Even so, NASA Space Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale acknowledged that some particles did fall away from the orbiter during lift-off. "What we saw happened after the time that we are concerned about debris¹⁰ coming off. And that is really good news," he said.

NASA officials explained that, as the shuttle rises during a launch, the atmosphere becomes thinner and particles that fall away are no longer accelerated to a speed that can cause damage to the shuttle. That out-of-danger point is reached about two minutes after initial lift-off.

NASA may opt¹¹ to extend the mission to a 13th day, with a final decision on the orbiter's return date expected by Thursday.

This is Discovery's 32nd mission, the 115th overall for the space shuttle program, and the second since the Columbia disaster. The shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired¹² in 2010.

1 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。

2 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

3 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。

4 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

5 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。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

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 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

10 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。

11 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。