CNN 2011-05-19

The space shuttle Endeavour taking off on its final endeavor. The launch was delayed due to mechanical problems, but NASA officials said those were all fixed¹.

The shuttle and its crew are headed to the international space station. This is a 16-day mission and the next-to-the-last mission for the space shuttle program. Mae Jemison has flown on Endeavour before. On that mission, she became the first African-American woman to travel into space. She said yesterday's launch brought up mixed emotions.

It's very bittersweet, because it was a wonderful, beautiful launch. I was on the second mission of Endeavour. And things are transitioning. When we spoke² last year, we were there talking about the fact that the shuttle era was coming to an end, and now the United States was putting more of its research money into how to do interplanetary travel, how to come up with the kinds of engines that are needed to go, to taking us to an asteroid³. So, that transition is great, but it's sort of hard to see the shuttle program ending.

1 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。