VOA标准英语2008年-US Space Agency Plans Solar Probe

By Michael Bowman
Washington
12 June 2008

The U.S. space agency is planning to send a probe to the sun to gather data and shed light on basic questions about how the star operates and its effects on Earth. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, the initiative entails¹ numerous technological² challenges that will test the skill and ingenuity³ of engineers assigned to the project.
　

Artist's drawing of the Solar Probe spacecraft

It is the brightest, most prominent feature of our sky, yet in many ways the sun is shrouded⁴ in mystery.

"We have never had a voyage to a star. We do not know what it does up close, next to its visible surface. And we do not know the [sun's] physical processes very well," said Richard Fisher, who heads NASA's Heliophysics Division, the body responsible for studying the sun.

Among the questions that have long-stumped researchers: how can it be that the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona⁵, is hundreds of times hotter than the star's surface? What force is responsible for solar winds - the stream of charged particles contributing to geo-magnetic storms that affect electrical and communications systems on earth - given that no organized wind has been detected at the sun's surface?

To get some answers, NASA hopes to launch a probe weighing about half a ton into the sun's atmosphere to measure the magnetic field, sense plasma⁶ waves, and analyze⁷ particles emitted from the star. A telescopic imager will take three-dimensional pictures of the corona.

"We are going to go close to a star. It is going to be very hot. There is a technological issue of how you generate power; there is a lot of sunlight, but you cannot use all of it. There is a technical problem of how you shield the payload from all the radiance. And then you have to transmit data halfway⁸ across the solar system, almost," Fisher said.

Planners envision a carbon-composite heat shield that will have to withstand temperatures in excess of 1,400 degrees Celsius⁹ and survive massive radiation blasts. As one might expect, the craft will be solar-powered with retractable¹⁰ liquid-cooled solar panels.

NASA chose the Johns Hopkins University's Applied¹¹ Physics Lab to design and build the probe.

Project Manager Andrew Dantzler says he relishes¹² the unprecedented¹³ engineering challenges facing his team.

"It really is a convolution of technologies that have advanced over the last several years: high-temperature materials, more-efficient solar arrays. It is technology like that that have made this [project] possible," he said.

Dantzler says, when the probe is launched, perhaps as early as 2015, it will constitute the fulfillment of a goal that astronomers¹⁴ and other scientists set forth¹⁵ decades ago.

"This idea goes all the way back to the beginning of the space age. In 1958, the National Research Council first introduced the concept of sending a probe close to the sun. But it is only recently that we have come up with the optimal¹⁶ way of doing that kind of mission."

NASA says, for now, the solar probe mission is an entirely¹⁷ U.S. endeavor, but that space agencies of other nations have expressed an interest in the project and that collaboration¹⁸ would be welcomed.

NASA says, not only will the probe generate information that could prove valuable in predicting solar storms that interrupt electrical systems on Earth, the craft could potentially serve as an early-warning system for solar activity that might affect future human space travel.

1 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

2 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

4 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 corona   

n.日冕

参考例句：

• The corona gains and loses energy continuously.日冕总是不断地获得能量和损失能量。
• The corona is a brilliant,pearly white,filmy light,about as bright as the full moon.光环带是一种灿烂的珠白色朦胧光，几乎像满月一样明亮。

6 plasma   

n.血浆，细胞质，乳清

参考例句：

• Keep some blood plasma back for the serious cases.留一些血浆给重病号。
• The plasma is the liquid portion of blood that is free of cells .血浆是血液的液体部分，不包含各种细胞。

7 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。

8 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

9 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

10 retractable   

adj.可收回的；可撤消的；可缩回的；可缩进的

参考例句：

• a knife with a retractable blade 弹簧刀
• So, any thoughts of what you want for the retractable bed kid? 那么想为那个睡折叠床的小子做什么？ 来自电影对白

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 relishes   

n.滋味( relish的名词复数 )；乐趣；（大量的）享受；快乐v.欣赏( relish的第三人称单数 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望

参考例句：

• The meat relishes of pork. 这肉有猪肉味。 来自辞典例句
• The biography relishes too much of romance. 这篇传记中传奇色彩太浓。 来自辞典例句

13 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

14 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。