2006年VOA标准英语-Houston Sees Economic Boost from Space Missions

By Greg Flakus
Houston
15 September 2006
 

Artist rendition of the Orion crew exploration vehicle approaching the International Space Station

The U.S. space agency, NASA, has embarked¹ on a long-range plan to return humans to the moon and then go on to explore Mars. The program, called Constellation², includes the development of a new crew exploration vehicle, named Orion. Planning for the new programs is already under way at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and, as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, local leaders see some down-to-earth benefits.

----

Work on both Constellation and the new space vehicle projects will create jobs at all ten NASA facilities in the United States. But the program offices for both are here in Houston at the Johnson Space Center and that could be a boon³ for the local economy.

Bob Mitchell is director of Aerospace⁴ Marketing⁵ for the Bay Area Houston Economic Development Partnership⁶, a non-profit organization that promotes investment and job growth in the area.

"NASA has made it very clear that they are not going to be able to do this on their own," he said. "They are going to need private companies to go out and do some of the things that are going to be required to make the Constellation program successful."

Mitchell says the NASA facility here in Houston already provides a big boost to the area that goes well beyond the number of people it directly employs.

"There are 3,000 civil servants working at the Johnson Space Center, but there are an additional 14,000 aerospace engineers and workers who support what goes on at the Johnson Space Center," he said.

Mitchell says demand for engineers and technical workers will grow as NASA develops the new space vehicle and prepares for the moon and Mars missions. One challenge is providing astronauts with water and oxygen for long periods of time in space. Scientists think these vital substances might be created from resources that could be extracted from the moon's surface.

Bob Mitchell says private companies will work with NASA on these issues.

"We are going to have to live off the moon, so there will be mining required to create water and oxygen, there are going to be telecommunication⁷ systems that are going to have to be a lot better than they are today, there is going to be a need for power systems, and you can go on and on about all the new industries that will flourish from this Constellation program," he explained.

Mitchell says new companies are locating here in Houston looking for some exotic ways to profit from space travel. One local company, Bigelow Aerospace, sees a future in space tourism and has a plan for a hotel in space.

Some of the ideas inspired by NASA's new programs may be many years away from development, but Johnson Space Center spokesman Kelly Humphries says NASA scientists are already working on parts of the Constellation program. He says the first big opportunities for private sector⁸ contract jobs will come from the Orion project.

"The majority of the contractor⁹ work force probably will be located in the Johnson Space Center-Houston area and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where final integration¹⁰ prior to launch will be taking place," he said.

But Humphries says the increase in work related to Orion and Constellation will be offset¹¹ by the diminishing need for people working on the shuttle program. He says unless Congress approves more money for NASA, the agency will have to make the current budget stretch to meet the new goals.

"We are going to have to wait and see what the country wants to do, but I think, overall, the folks here are anticipating a fairly flat budget for the space agency, in general terms, and we are going to have to work within those means," he said. "So, when you transition from the shuttle, you are probably looking at the personnel levels staying fairly close to what they are right now."

But Bob Mitchell says the very fact that the U.S. government is committed to such an ambitious program not only boosts the U.S. aerospace industry, but the U.S. image around the world.

"What it tells the world is that America is going to continue to explore space and America is going to continue to be the front-runner in the exploration of space," he said.

NASA's plan calls for the first launch of the Orion spacecraft no later than 2014, with a human moon landing by 2020. But agency spokesmen say planners are hoping to accomplish both goals well before those deadlines.

1 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

2 constellation   

n.星座n.灿烂的一群

参考例句：

• A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
• The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。

3 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

4 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

10 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

11 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。