CNN 2011-07-12

 Hi, we're launching a special addition of CNN Student News this week. As the space shuttle program wraps up, we're taking a look back and a look forward at NASA's space program.

 

US has been launching shuttles for 30 years. They are the world's first reusable spacecraft. They launch like a rocket and land like a plane. Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour - these five orbiters have launched more than 600 astronauts into space. This video you're seeing right here highlights some of their achievements.

 

Over the course of 134 shuttle flights, these crews have logged millions of miles in space and carried thousands of tons of cargo¹. The space shuttle has served as America's main transport for crews and supplies to the International Space Station. Shuttle crews have also repaired space equipment, like the Hubble Telescope. They've launched new satellites, and they've done experiments that can't be done on Earth.

 

When the shuttle was first announced, the idea was that shuttle launches would be cheap enough to happen every week. But it actually costs about half a billion dollars to launch a shuttle, and NASA only ever planned a few missions each year. So what's NASA's plans for the shuttles' retirement²? Each one of them will become an exhibit in museums across America. So maybe one day, you might even get to go inside one.

 

Now we're going to hear from someone who not only gets to go inside a shuttle, he gets to fly in one too: the commander of Atlantis's latest mission, speaking a few weeks before the last scheduled mission.

 

I don't think that the full magnitude of the moment will really hit us until the wheels have stopped on the runway. I'm not sure words will really be able to capture - for the crew and for the entire shuttle workforce³ - just how much the shuttle program has meant to us for the last 30 years.

 

Time for the Shoutout. Which constellation⁴ is named for a hunter in Greek mythology⁵? If you think you know it, shout it out! Is it Capricorn, Orion, Ursa Major or Scorpio? You've got three seconds, go! Orion is the mythological⁶ hunter who can also be found in the stars. That's your answer and that's your Shoutout.Orion is also the name of a new program at NASA. It's expected to be the replacement⁷ for the space shuttle program. Americans could be headed back to the moon or into deep space toward Mars. Now those missions are a long way off. Part of the Orion program did go on the road recently though, and WTXL reporter Greg Angel got a chance to check it out.

 

It flies into space and looks at stars or moons or other planets.

 

Dmarcus McDonald is talking about Orion. This capsule, touted⁸ as the future of NASA, expected to one day carry man into deep space.

 

What this vehicle will allow us to do is hopefully go beyond lower Earth orbit, on to the moon and hopefully to Mars, ultimately, is our goal.

 

But 34 million miles from Mars, here on Earth, Orion is getting a lot of attention during this special stop in Tallahassee. Dee Arnold drove in from Valdosta, Georgia to check it out before Orion is taken to its final destination at Kennedy Space Center.

 

I just like things that go on with the space program, and I just think it's awesome⁹. I just wanted to see the next thing that NASA was going to do, the next part of space explorations.

 

Three, two, one, launch.

 

The Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, as it's called, will likely be in line to replace the shuttle program.

 

We're excited and very passionate¹⁰ about the work we do on this program, and we hope to launch our first orbital test flight as early as 2013, so we're ready to get on with the next program.

 

While there's still a lot of work to be done, according to NASA, this spacecraft should eventually be capable of sustaining a crew of up to six astronauts on deep space missions that could last anywhere from six days for a lunar fly-by, to up to 900 days for a Mars exploration mission.

 

There's debate among scientists on this issue and we know you've got some opinions on it too. Where should America go next? To the moon? Trips to Mars? Somewhere else? Or should we just stay home? Send us your thoughts about the end of the shuttle program and the start of the next space program on our blog. 

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

3 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

4 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。

5 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

6 mythological   

adj.神话的

参考例句：

• He is remembered for his historical and mythological works. 他以其带有历史感和神话色彩的作品而著称。
• But even so, the cumulative process had for most Americans a deep, almost mythological significance. 不过即使如此，移民渐增的过程，对于大部分美国人，还是意味深长的，几乎有不可思议的影响。

7 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

8 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

9 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

10 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。