VOA常速英语2007-Weather is Concern for Tuesday Shuttle Launch

By Brian Wagner
Miami
22 October 2007

NASA officials say possible rains and low clouds may force the delay of Tuesday's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports the shuttle is set to deliver a new module¹ to expand the International Space Station.

NASA officials said Monday there were no technical issues to resolve before the scheduled launch of Discovery on Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center. But officials say forecasts show bad weather is likely, and they reduced the chance of liftoff to 40 percent.

Shuttle weather officer Kathy Winters says stormy weather may move through the space center around the time of the late morning launch.

"This is the time period we are worried about, with a chance for isolated² showers in the area, also some cumulus cloud development, and that scattered³ [cloud] deck at 30,000 feet could be varying between scattered and broken at that time," said Kathy Winters. "With that, we have a 60 percent chance of KSC [Kennedy Space Center] weather prohibiting launch."

If the weather does not permit launch on Tuesday, officials say they will try again on Wednesday or Thursday.

NASA test director Stephen Payne said thunderstorms had caused minor⁴ delays in preparations on Sunday, but he said crews had completed all necessary work on the shuttle.

"At this point in the count[down] we are on schedule, our systems are all good," said Stephen Payne. "We are in great shape. There are no issues we are tracking."

Payne said that engineers have made slight changes to the shuttle's launch schedule to prevent the formation of ice, which they say causes foam⁵ insulation⁶ to break off the fuel tank during launch. A piece of falling foam damaged Endeavour's thermal⁷ protection system during launch in August, and damage from foam debris⁸ is blamed for the break-up of the shuttle Columbia during re-entry in 2003.

The Discovery will be carrying a crew of seven astronauts who will deliver a new module to the International Space Station. The new module is one of several that international partners plan to add to the orbiter to double the interior capacity of the station to allow six astronauts to live and work.

The Discovery crew is scheduled to return to Earth on November 6.

1 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 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。

6 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。

7 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

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。