美国国家公共电台 NPR China's Lunar Lander To Explore Moon's Far Side

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There's a new probe in orbit around the moon. And sometime earlier in this new year, it's expected to land on the Moon's far side, the side we never see from Earth. It is a Chinese probe. And as NPR's Joe Palca explains, although it's essentially¹ a scientific mission, it's also laying the groundwork for sending Chinese astronauts to the moon.

JOE PALCA, BYLINE²: It only makes sense to send machines to the moon before trying to send humans.

JIM HEAD: Before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the United States sent 21 robotic missions to the moon to prepare the way.

PALCA: Jim Head is a planetary scientist at Brown University. He says he's convinced the Chinese are doing the same thing.

HEAD: The robotic program is providing all the kinds of background that you would need for building space suits and things like that, like lunar rovers. So they're building towards human exploration, for sure.

PALCA: That's not to say there won't be interesting science to come from the mission. Briony Horgan is a planetary scientist at Purdue University.

BRIONY HORGAN: This mission is really exciting because it's the first time any space agency will have landed on the far side of the moon.

PALCA: Horgan says scientists know the far and near sides are very different.

HORGAN: The far side is actually much more primitive³. It contains really ancient crust that dates back to the very, very early solar system. There's rocks all over the far side that are over 4 billion years old. And now we're really excited to see what those look like up close.

PALCA: Now, it may seem odd that, with so much to explore on the far side, all the landing probes to date have gone to the near side.

HORGAN: That's mostly because it's a lot easier to communicate with, right? I mean, we can actually see the near side. And so we get direct radio communication with the entire near side of the moon.

PALCA: Horgan says the Chinese have solved that problem by adding a third component⁴ to the mission. The first component is a lander. The lander carries the second component, a mobile rover.

HORGAN: And then the third component is a satellite that's going to stay in orbit above the far side of the moon and act as a relay between the Earth and the far side of the moon.

PALCA: It might be handy if U.S. lunar missions could also use the relay satellite. But that's not likely. Official collaboration⁵ between NASA and the Chinese space program is essentially prohibited by law. There are also restrictions⁶ on exporting U.S. space technology to China. But Brown University's Jim Head says some amount of collaboration just makes sense.

HEAD: Why would we send a spacecraft to the same location to do exactly the same thing when we can optimize⁷ the amount of scientific return for the United States and for other countries by collaborating⁸ as best we can?

PALCA: And while China may not be as forthcoming as NASA about what their civilian⁹ space program is up to, Head says they're not completely opaque¹⁰, either.

HEAD: If you talk to the right people, they are not holding things back. There are security issues there from their point of view, as well as ours. But nonetheless, they've been very forthcoming with their civilian space program.

PALCA: The United States has its own lunar ambitions. The Trump¹¹ administration has asked NASA to focus on returning humans to the moon. It's just possible there will already be Chinese astronauts there when they arrive. Joe Palca, NPR News.

1 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

4 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

5 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。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 optimize   

v.使优化 [=optimise]

参考例句：

• We should optimize the composition of the Standing Committees.优化人大常委会组成人员的结构。
• We should optimize our import mix and focus on bringing in advanced technology and key equipment.优化进口结构，着重引进先进技术和关键设备。

8 collaborating   

合作( collaborate的现在分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• Joe is collaborating on the work with a friend. 乔正与一位朋友合作做那件工作。
• He was not only learning from but also collaborating with Joseph Thomson. 他不仅是在跟约瑟福？汤姆逊学习，而且也是在和他合作。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 opaque   

adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的

参考例句：

• The windows are of opaque glass.这些窗户装着不透明玻璃。
• Their intentions remained opaque.他们的意图仍然令人费解。

11 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。