VOA标准英语2010年-Obama's 2011 Budget Scraps Manned Luna

The U.S. space agency's ambitious plan to put astronauts back on the moon has been cancelled in the Obama administration's proposed 2011 federal budget. The $3.6 trillion spending plan for the U.S. government was submitted to Congress on Feb. 1. 

NASA's budget would actually increase by $6 billion over the next five years under the plan. But that amount falls far short of what it would need to support the estimated $81 billion Constellation¹ program, aimed at returning astronauts to the moon by 2020. The costly² program has been fraught³ with budget overruns and delayed by technical challenges with the design and testing of NASA's new Aeries 1 launch vehicle. 

Cuts could boost private interest in public space agency

At a Feb. 1 news briefing, NASA administrator⁴ and former astronaut Charles Bolden said the new budget reflects a more sustainable and ambitious path to manned space exploration. He said NASA will focus on developing innovative⁵ space faring technologies and systems in partnership⁶ with the private sector⁷. "We intend to blaze a new trail of discovery and development. We will facilitate the growth of new commercial industries and we will expand our understanding of the earth, our solar system and the universe beyond," Bolden says.

2010 will see the final five U.S. space shuttle missions.

 

That would mean the private sector would take over getting astronauts into low-earth orbit. Responding to questions about whether the industry is up to the task, Britton Alexander, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation⁸, says the private sector has a long and successful history with NASA.  It's the same industry that has been doing it for NASA for the last 5 years," he says. "So it's really a change in how they contract for those services and vehicles," Alexander says.  He adds that NASA will set the requirements and, "oversee⁹ vehicle safety and the process before putting astronauts on top."

A commitment to expand research conducted in space

Bolden confirmed that 2010 will see the final five U.S. space shuttle missions and he renewed his agency's commitment to more fully¹⁰ use the International Space Station.  "We're going to address practical medical questions about astronaut bone density¹¹ and the effects of radiation, how we can reach destinations sooner to mitigate¹² the effects on space travelers of long journeys," he says.  NASA will also support a broad array of biological, materials and combustion¹³ research aboard the space station. 

Analysts¹⁴ unclear on proposed budget's impact on jobs

Critics of the planned changes are concerned that 4,600 of 15,000 jobs at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida will be cut with the end of the Space Shuttle Program. Alexander expects many of those highly trained workers to find new jobs in private industry. He notes that a $6 billion item in the proposed NASA budget would support commercial manned spacecraft development that could create as many as 5,000 jobs, about a third of which would be in Florida. That's based on a program about half the size of what is being proposed by the administration. It would also spur job growth in Colorado, Texas and California, he says, at the same time that the program to go back to the moon would not have been creating jobs.

Among the items that will get a boost in the NASA budget is earth science research, a new orbiting carbon observatory¹⁵ to replace the one lost on launch last year, and investment in a heavy-lift launcher. In all, the proposed 2011 budget will provide NASA with about $100 billion over the next five years to support these initiatives. But it remains¹⁶ to be seen whether the elimination¹⁷ of the moon program will pass muster¹⁸ in the U.S. Congress, which has the final say on federal spending priorities. 

 

1 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。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

4 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

5 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

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 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。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

12 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

13 combustion   

n.燃烧；氧化；骚动

参考例句：

• We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
• The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

16 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。

17 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

18 muster   

v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册

参考例句：

• Go and muster all the men you can find.去集合所有你能找到的人。
• I had to muster my courage up to ask him that question.我必须鼓起勇气向他问那个问题。