VOA科学技术2024--2023 Was Another Big Year for Space Missions

2023 Was Another Big Year for Space Missions

As 2023 comes to a close, we are taking a look back at some of the biggest space stories of the year.

Asteroid¹ sample returns to Earth

A container carrying asteroid material captured in space three years ago arrived safely on Earth in September. The container, or capsule, was released by the American space agency NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft. It floated to Earth and landed in a desert area in the western state of Utah.

The spacecraft captured the asteroid material, or sample, from the asteroid Bennu in 2020. NASA announced in October the first examinations of the sample showed evidence of high-carbon material and water. These two substances suggest the possibility that "the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock."

Psyche² mission

NASA's Psyche spacecraft launched on a mission to observe an asteroid made mostly of metal. It is expected to travel 3.6 billion kilometers over six years to reach the asteroid, also called Psyche.

NASA believes the asteroid could have separated during violent crashes that happened during our solar system's early creation. Scientists think data collected on the asteroid could provide new details about how rocky planets, including Earth, formed.

Laser communication demonstration³

The Psyche spacecraft is also being used to test a laser-based communication method. The system aims to greatly improve data links between Earth and spacecraft exploring deep space.

A few weeks ago, NASA demonstrated the technology with a short video sent by the laser technology over 30 million kilometers to Earth. The space agency said it took less than two minutes for the video to reach an observatory⁴ in California. The video showed a cat repeatedly chasing a red laser light.

Oldest black hole discovery

Scientists announced last month they had discovered the oldest black hole ever found. The huge object is believed to have formed about 470 million years after the Big Bang. The researchers said the findings confirm their theory that supermassive black holes existed in the very early universe.

European telescope shows ‘dark universe'

Last month, the European Space Agency (ESA) released the first images from its new Euclid space telescope. ESA designed Euclid to study dark matter and dark energy. Scientists think those hidden forms of matter and energy make up 95 percent of the universe. ESA said the newly-released images covered 1,000 galaxies⁵ about 240 million light years away from Earth.

Webb telescope observes distant black hole

Data collected by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope helped astronomers⁶ identify the most distant, active supermassive black hole ever discovered. Researchers said the black hole sits at the center of a galaxy⁷ called CEERS 1019. The galaxy is estimated to have existed about 570 million years after the Big Bang.

Ingenuity⁸ helicopter keeps exploring Mars

Earlier this month, NASA said its Ingenuity helicopter continues to perform well in tests carried out on Mars. So far, Ingenuity has completed at least 66 flights over the past two-and-a-half years. NASA said it is also testing equipment on Earth that it plans to include in future helicopters built for space exploration. The latest tests on Earth involved new rotor blades the space agency said reached speeds near the speed of sound in experiments.

India lands spacecraft on moon

In August, India became the fourth country to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon. The moon lander, called Chandrayaan-3, also became the first spacecraft to land near the moon's south pole. The south pole is thought to be an important area, with scientists saying it may contain large amounts of frozen water and minerals.

Chinese water discovery on moon

Chinese scientists announced in March they had discovered water in materials collected during the country's Chang'e 5 mission. Researchers from Nanjing University reported the water was in the form of extremely small beads¹⁰ found in dirt collected in 2020. The scientists noted¹¹ that billions, if not trillions, of these beads could exist on the moon, possibly providing a huge water source. But the team said mining the water would be difficult.

Words in This Story

asteroid– n. an object made of rock and metal that orbits the sun, but is smaller than planets

mission – n. a flight by a spacecraft to perform a specific task

rotor blade – n. a thin, flat pieces of material that spin to make aircraft lift off the ground and travel

bead⁹ – n. a small, round drop of liquid (such as water or blood)

1 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。

2 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 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。

5 galaxies   

星系( galaxy的名词复数 )； 银河系； 一群（杰出或著名的人物）

参考例句：

• Quasars are the highly energetic cores of distant galaxies. 类星体是遥远星系的极为活跃的核心体。
• We still don't know how many galaxies there are in the universe. 我们还不知道宇宙中有多少个星系。

6 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》

7 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

8 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。

9 bead   

n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠

参考例句：

• She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
• She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。

10 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。