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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By David McAlary
A panel of scientists and engineers appointed by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences urges NASA to refurbish the observatory1 one final time, predicting that compelling scientific returns will result.
NASA had scheduled a space shuttle mission for 2006 to replace Hubble's weakening batteries and stabilizing2 gyroscopes and add two new instruments to expand its discovery capability3 10 to 30 times.
But space agency chief Sean O'Keefe canceled the flight after the loss of the orbiter Columbia and its seven crewmembers last year, saying it would entail4 risks NASA is not willing to take. He said that when shuttles return to flight after safety modifications5 sometime next year, they would fly only to complete international space station construction.
A strong public outcry forced him to reconsider his decision, but he has committed only to the possibility of a robotic repair mission to the Hubble.
However, the National Academy of Sciences panel says NASA should not forego the astronaut option as it pursues the robot plan.
The panel's chairman is Louis Lanzerotti, a consultant6 with Lucent Technologies.
"The uncertain current status of the shuttle return to flight as well as uncertainties7 in the early stages in the development of a robotic mission lead us to believe that the key technical decision points are at least a year in the future and that keeping both options open would be a prudent8 direction for the agency to take," Mr. Lanzerotti said.
The chairman of a congressional committee that oversees9 NASA said he endorses10 the panel's referral.
NASA has conducted a strong campaign not to dispatch a shuttle to the Hubble Telescope. It cites the experts to investigate the Columbia accident as saying shuttles face more risk if they fly anywhere other than to the space station. This is partly because astronauts would not have the safe haven11 the station can provide if a shuttle were to have potentially dangerous technical problems in orbit.
NASA's Sean O'Keefe told the National Academy of Sciences panel recently that if a shuttle were in trouble at the telescope, launching another shuttle to rescue the crew would be very risky12.
"The consequences of getting it wrong on a shuttle servicing mission to which you are at the worst scenario13 and have to effect this mid-orbit transfer that we've never tried before, I think I'd rather be in a position of trying a robotic autonomous14 rendezvous15 and docking capacity that we've never tried before rather than a human transfer between two orbiters that we've never tried before on the unlikely event that that were to happen," he noted16.
But the National Academy of Sciences experts remind Mr. O'Keefe that he also testified that eliminating risk in space is impossible. In addition, they point out that the Columbia accident investigators17 found it acceptable to take fewer risk reducing steps to shuttle destinations other than the space station simply because there are fewer measures that can be taken.
David McAlary, VOA News, Washington.
注释:
U.S. National Academy of Sciences 美国国家科学院
NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)美国国家航空和宇航局
gyroscope 回转仪
modification 改造
forego 领先……
astronaut 宇航员
pursue 继续
consultant 顾问
prudent 谨慎的
dispatch 派遣
scenario 预料
investigator 调查人
1 observatory | |
n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台 | |
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2 stabilizing | |
n.稳定化处理[退火]v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的现在分词 ) | |
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3 capability | |
n.能力;才能;(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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4 entail | |
vt.使承担,使成为必要,需要 | |
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5 modifications | |
n.缓和( modification的名词复数 );限制;更改;改变 | |
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6 consultant | |
n.顾问;会诊医师,专科医生 | |
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7 uncertainties | |
无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 ); 不确定; 变化不定; 无把握、不确定的事物 | |
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8 prudent | |
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的 | |
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9 oversees | |
v.监督,监视( oversee的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10 endorses | |
v.赞同( endorse的第三人称单数 );在(尤指支票的)背面签字;在(文件的)背面写评论;在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品 | |
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11 haven | |
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所 | |
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12 risky | |
adj.有风险的,冒险的 | |
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13 scenario | |
n.剧本,脚本;概要 | |
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14 autonomous | |
adj.自治的;独立的 | |
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15 rendezvous | |
n.约会,约会地点,汇合点;vi.汇合,集合;vt.使汇合,使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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16 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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17 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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