NASA經(jīng)理對(duì)2024年登月計(jì)劃表示懷疑

NASA經(jīng)理對(duì)2024年登月計(jì)劃表示懷疑

A top NASA manager cast doubt Wednesday on the space agency’s ability to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.

美國(guó)宇航局一名高級(jí)管理人員周三對(duì)航天局在2024年前將宇航員送上月球的能力表示懷疑。

Kenneth Bowersox, acting associate administrator for human exploration and operations, told a Congressional subcommittee that NASA is doing its best to meet the White House-imposed deadline.

負(fù)責(zé)人類探索和行動(dòng)的代理副署長(zhǎng)肯尼斯·鮑爾索斯(Kenneth Bowersox)對(duì)國(guó)會(huì)一個(gè)小組委員會(huì)表示，NASA正在盡最大努力在白宮規(guī)定的最后期限前完成任務(wù)。

Bowersox — a former space shuttle and space station commander — said it’s good for NASA to have “that aggressive goal.” Many things need to come together, like funding and technical challenges, he said, for 2024 to stand a chance.

前航天飛機(jī)和空間站指揮官鮑爾索斯說，對(duì)NASA來說，有這樣一個(gè)“積極的目標(biāo)”是件好事。他說，要想在2024年獲得成功，許多事情需要結(jié)合起來，比如資金和技術(shù)挑戰(zhàn)。

NASA has named the program Artemis after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology and promises the first moonwalking team will include a woman. The pair would land on the lunar south pole, where vast reserves of frozen water could be tapped for future explorers. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine — who’s pushing Artemis every chance he gets — stresses the goal is sustainability this time around, with the moon serving as a critical training ground for Mars expeditions, perhaps in the 2030s.

美國(guó)宇航局以阿波羅在希臘神話中的孿生姐妹阿耳忒彌斯的名字為該項(xiàng)目命名，并承諾第一個(gè)月球漫步團(tuán)隊(duì)將包括一名女性。他們將在月球南極著陸，那里有大量的冷凍水可供未來的探險(xiǎn)者開采。美國(guó)宇航局局長(zhǎng)吉姆·布里登斯汀(Jim Bridenstine)強(qiáng)調(diào)，這次的目標(biāo)是可持續(xù)發(fā)展，月球可能在本世紀(jì)30年代成為火星探險(xiǎn)的重要訓(xùn)練基地。

NASA’s replacement for the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket — the Space Launch System or SLS — is still in development. Its launch debut has slipped repeatedly and, according to Bowersox, will now occur no earlier than the end of next year. This initial test flight will send an Orion capsule around the moon with no one on board.

美國(guó)宇航局正在研制阿波羅時(shí)代土星五號(hào)火箭的替代品——太空發(fā)射系統(tǒng)或SLS。據(jù)鮑爾索克斯說，它的首次亮相一再推遲，現(xiàn)在來看不會(huì)早于明年年底。這次首次試飛將發(fā)射一個(gè)無人駕駛的獵戶座太空艙繞月飛行。

The space agency still needs to come up with new lunar landers, rovers and spacesuits.

航天局仍然需要研制出新的月球著陸器、探測(cè)器和宇航服。