VOA常速英语2007-US Space Shuttle Docks at International Space St

By Alex Villarreal
Washington
25 October 2007

The U.S. space shuttle Discovery has docked at the International Space Station, marking the next phase in a complex mission to expand the international orbiter. VOA's Alex Villarreal reports from Washington.

Space station crew members, led by Commander Peggy Whitson, welcomed Discovery Commander Pam Melroy and her crew when they boarded the station.

Whitson and Melroy are the first women in NASA history to lead two spacecraft at the same time.

Their crews united after pressure checks ensured the hatches between the spacecraft were safe to open, just two hours after Discovery docked.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, deputy ISS program manager Kirk Shireman said the docking is exciting, but much work remains¹.

"Getting on orbit and docking to the ISS is the first step, but we have still a daunting² task ahead of us," he said.  

Officials say this will be one of the most difficult missions in the shuttle program's history.

Discovery brought with it a new module³ to expand the size of the space station. The module will provide docking ports for Japanese and European scientific laboratories to be installed on the ISS.

Shireman said the module is the gateway⁴ to having all international partners on the orbiter.

Discovery's 10-day mission also includes using the station's robotic arm to move a massive solar panel section to another part of the ISS.

Shuttle Flight Director Rick LaBrode said the move will be difficult, but remains optimistic.

"We're confident that we're going to be able to do it. We've done it, we've practiced it, and we're ready. So it's going to be exciting," he said.

Before docking, Discovery did a backflip so the ISS crew could take photos of its underbelly. Specialists at mission control will analyze⁵ the photos to check for damage.

LaBrode said nothing significant has been found so far.

Before launch, engineers found possible defects in three panels. An independent review board urged NASA to replace the tiles, but agency officials decided⁶ not to delay the launch.

Discovery is scheduled to return to Earth on November 6.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

3 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。

4 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

5 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。

6 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。