2015年度全国职称英语考试综合C|2017职称英语考试综合类阅读理解英文及译文：轨道航天飞机

职称英语考试综合类阅读理解英文及译文：轨道航天飞机

当科学家们在寻找哥伦比亚号灾难的起因时，国家航空航天局已开始着手于新型飞行器的开发计划。这种飞行器将在2012年之前取代现有的穿梭机执行空间站任务，并且能对紧急情况作出迅速反应。

几天前，国家航空航天局公布了轨道航天飞机的第一批任务要求，它的设计必须能够运送四名机组人员往返空间站。

尽管没有透露很多细节，这项计划保证了飞机更为安全，价格更低，准备时间也少于穿梭机。在2012年前，它将可以运送四名成员，但在2010年前，它就将可以执行救援任务。国家航空航天局表示，这一飞行器能够在24小时之内将受伤或生病的空间站工作人员运送到最权威的医疗机构。

新计划的公布表明了尽管2003年2月1日哥伦比亚号坠毁及其7名机组人员丧生所带来的问题仍然存在，国家航空航天局仍旧关注于其在太空探索领域的长期优势所在。

位于阿拉巴马州汉茨威尔的马歇尔太空飞行中心的专家们近年来一直致力于飞行器继任者的研究。“空间发射倡议”在去年被分为两部分：一部分聚焦于未来的发射装置，另一部分则着力于轨道航天飞机。而轨道航天飞机将会更快实现。

该项目的负责人说，国家航空航天局的官员们告诉他们不要因为哥伦比亚号灾难而改变这一项目。

美国总统布什已经向国会要求10亿美元，用于2004年该项目的研究。这一资金将平分给轨道航天飞机项目及新一代发射技术项目。

Orbital Space Plane

While scientists are searching the cause of the Columbia disaster, NASA is moving ahead with plans to develop a new craft that would replace shuttles on space station missions by 2012 and respond quickly to space station emergencies.

The space agency released the first set of mission needs and requirements several days ago for the orbital space plane, which would be designed to transport a crew of four to and from the Interational Space Station.

Although it includes few specifics, the plan stipulates the orbiter will be safer, cheaper and require less preparation time than the shuttle. It would be able to transport four crew members by 2012- though it would be available for rescue missions by 2010. NASA says the craft should be able to transport injured or ill space station crew members to “definitive” medical care within 24 hours.

The release of the requirements showed NASA remains focused on the long –term priorities of space exploration, even as questions linger concerning the loss of Columbia and its seven-member crew on February 1,2003.

Experts at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,have been working for years on a successor to the shuttle. The project, known as the Space Launch Initiative,was divided last year into two parts – one focusing on a future launch vehicle, the other on a space station orbiter. The orbiter is expected to be ready sooner.

The program’s managers say NASA officials have told them not to alter Space Launch Initiative in light of the Columbia disaster.

US President George W.Bush asked Congress for about US＄1 billion for Space Launch Initiative in 2004, funds that would be almost equally split between the Orbital Space Plane and NextGeneration Launch Technology.

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