美国2名宇航员被困太空近1个月

近日，波音Starliner飞船所运送的两名宇航员已在太空超期停留将近1个月。据了解，飞船原定6月14日返回地球，目前返航时间一再推迟。飞船接近空间站时，5台推进器意外关闭，导致无法对接。飞船还出现了氦气泄漏、推进剂控制阀门运行不良等问题。

🤔️小作业：

1. What alternative options are available for the astronauts' return according to Steve Stich?

A) Using another Starliner capsule.

B) Delaying their return until the thruster issues are fully resolved.

C) Waiting for a new spacecraft to be sent.

D) Using SpaceX's Crew Dragon or the Russian Soyuz capsule.

A) Its structural integrity.

B) Its lithium ion batteries.

C) Its communication systems.

D) Its navigation accuracy.

无注释原文：

Astronauts are stuck on International Space Station indefinitely after problems with Boeing Starliner

From: The Independent

The two astronauts currently stuck on the International Space Station might not be able to come down until August, Nasa has said.

They were taken to the ISS on board Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule in June. Even before launch, the spacecraft ran into technical issues, and it has experienced a host of new ones since.

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the astronauts, were supposed to come back after around a week. But engineers have repeatedly delayed their return flight, because of safety concerns about the capsule.

Since then, they have been stuck indefinitely on the spacecraft, as engineers work to check whether the Starliner would be safe to return.

But in a new update, Nasa engineers said that the astronauts could be stuck until August. The crew on the ISS is supposed to rotate in mid-August, which is serving as something of a deadline for the plans.

The astronauts stuck in space have however said that they believe the spacecraft will allow for their safe return. “I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” NASA astronaut 'Suni' Williams said during the test crew's first news conference since docking to the ISS more than a month ago.

NASA's commercial crew chief Steve Stich told reporters on Wednesday that “we're taking our time” with the testing and that the results of the New Mexico thruster tests “are not quite what we would have hoped for.”

Stich said he hopes the testing will be completed by this weekend. Stich previously said this testing could last “a couple weeks,” followed by a detailed Nasa review of the data to inform the agency's decision on letting Starliner fly the astronauts home.

Also docked to the space station is SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule that ferried four astronauts to the ISS in March, and a Russian Soyuz capsule that delivered three others in September. Stich acknowledged that at least one of those vehicles could provide an alternative ride home for Wilmore and Williams.

“We have a little bit more time to go through the data, and then make a decision as to whether we need to do anything different” with the return plan, Stich said. “But the prime option today is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner. Right now, we don't see any reason that wouldn't be the case.”

Starliner is approved to stay docked to the ISS for 45 days - which would be July 21 - or up to 90 days using various backup systems and depending largely on the health of its lithium ion batteries, which have caused concerns in the past.

Though Nasa and Boeing have said Starliner is capable of returning the astronauts to Earth in the event of an emergency on the ISS, the capsule is not approved to fly home under normal, non-emergency circumstances until its thruster issues are resolved or at least better understood.

A Russian satellite last month broke apart into some 180 pieces of debris near the space station's orbit and forced astronauts into their various docked spacecraft, including Wilmore and Williams getting into Starliner, to prepare for a potential escape. Boeing cited the event as an example of Starliner's readiness to return home if absolutely necessary.

Mark Nappi, Boeing's Starliner chief, told reporters that such an emergency return scenario would simply involve Starliner undocking from the station and safely returning the crew to Earth, despite questions about the thrusters.

“I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we can get in our spacecraft, and we can undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to come home,” Williams said.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Astronauts are stuck on International Space Station indefinitely after problems with Boeing Starliner

From: The Independent

The two astronauts currently stuck on the International Space Station might not be able to come down until August, Nasa has said.

美国航空航天局（NASA）表示，目前被困在国际空间站（ISS）的两名宇航员可能要到8月份才能返回地球。

stuck /stʌk/ 作形容词，1）表示“动不了的；固定的；卡住的；（想法）摆脱不了的”，英文解释为“unable to move, or set in a particular position, place, or way of thinking”举个🌰：This door seems to be stuck - can you help me push it open? 这扇门似乎卡住了——你能帮我把它推开吗？

2）表示“陷入困境的；难以改变的；难以摆脱的”，英文解释为“in a difficult situation, or unable to change or get away from a situation”

3）表示“（读书或回答问题等）卡壳的，难住的，答不上来的”，英文解释为“not able to continue reading, answering questions, etc. because something is too difficult”举个🌰：I'm really stuck - do you have any idea how to answer these questions? 我确实给难住了——你知道该怎么回答这些问题吗？

stick的过去式及过去分词，stick /stɪk/ 作动词，表示“粘住，粘贴;固定住”，英文解释为“to cause something to become fixed, for example with glue or another similar substance”举个🌰：I tried to stick the pieces together with some glue/tape. 我想用胶水/胶带把这些部件粘到一起。

They were taken to the ISS on board Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule in June. Even before launch, the spacecraft ran into technical issues, and it has experienced a host of new ones since.

今年6月，他们搭乘波音公司问题重重的Starliner飞船到达国际空间站。在发射前，这艘飞船就遇到了技术问题，自那时起又出现了一系列新的问题。

capsule /ˈkæp.sjuːl/ 1）表示“（装药物的）胶囊”，英文解释为“a small container which has a measured amount of a medicine inside and which dissolves when you swallow it”

2）表示“（装物或装液体的）小塑料容器”，英文解释为“a small plastic container with a substance or liquid inside”

3）表示“太空舱；航天舱”，英文解释为“the part of a spacecraft in which people travel and that often separates from the main rocket”

📍the return capsule / re-entry capsule 返回舱

a host of表示“许多，大量”，英文解释为“a large number of something”举个🌰：There's a whole host of reasons why he didn't get the job. 有一大堆理由可以解释他为什么没有得到那份工作。

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the astronauts, were supposed to come back after around a week. But engineers have repeatedly delayed their return flight, because of safety concerns about the capsule.

宇航员苏尼塔·威廉姆斯（Sunita Williams）和布奇·威尔莫尔（Butch Wilmore）原计划在约一周后返回。但由于飞船的安全问题，工程师们一再推迟他们的返回时间。

Since then, they have been stuck indefinitely on the spacecraft, as engineers work to check whether the Starliner would be safe to return.

从那时起，他们就被无限期地困在飞船上，因为工程师们要检查Starliner飞船是否可以安全返回。

indefinitely /ɪnˈdef.ɪ.nət.li/ 表示“不确定地；不清楚地；无限期地”，英文解释为“for a period of time with no fixed end”举个🌰：The negotiations have been put off/postponed indefinitely. 谈判被无限期地推迟了。

But in a new update, Nasa engineers said that the astronauts could be stuck until August. The crew on the ISS is supposed to rotate in mid-August, which is serving as something of a deadline for the plans.

但在最新消息中，美国航空航天局工程师表示，宇航员可能要到八月才能返回。国际空间站上的乘组应该在8月中旬轮换，这在某种程度上是计划的最后期限。

crew /kruː/ 1）作名词，表示“全体船员；全体机务人员”，英文解释为“The crew of a ship, an aircraft, or a spacecraft is the people who work on and operate it.”举个🌰：The mission for the crew of the space shuttle is essentially over. 航天飞机全体机务人员的使命基本完成。

2）作名词，表示“一组工作人员”，英文解释为“A crew is a group of people with special technical skills who work together on a task or project.”如：a two-man film crew making a documentary 一个制作纪录片的两人摄制组。

3）作动词，表示“当船员；充当…的船员”，英文解释为“If you crew a boat, you work on it as part of the crew.”举个🌰：This neighbour crewed on a ferryboat. 这位邻居在一艘渡船上当船员。

rotate /rəʊˈteɪt/ 1）表示“（尤指围绕一个固定点）（使）旋转，（使）转动”，英文解释为“to turn or cause something to turn in a circle, especially around a fixed point”举个🌰：Rotate the handle by 180° to open the door. 要想打开门，将把手旋转180度。

2）表示“轮流做；（由…）轮值；轮换”，英文解释为“If a job rotates or if a group of people rotate their jobs, the jobs are done at different times by different people.”

deadline /ˈded.laɪn/ 表示“最后期限；截止日期”，英文解释为“a time or day by which something must be done”举个🌰：There's no way I can meet that deadline. 我根本无法在那个期限内完成。

The astronauts stuck in space have however said that they believe the spacecraft will allow for their safe return. “I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” NASA astronaut 'Suni' Williams said during the test crew's first news conference since docking to the ISS more than a month ago.

然而，被困在太空中的宇航员表示，他们相信飞船能够安全返回。“我心里有一种非常好的感觉，这艘飞船会安全地带我们回家，”美国航空航天局宇航员苏尼塔·威廉姆斯在一个多月前与国际空间站对接后的首次新闻发布会上说。

dock /dɒk/  作动词，1）表示“（使宇宙飞船在外层空间）对接”，英文解释为“if two spacecraft dock, or are docked, they are joined together in space”举个🌰：Next year, a technology module will be docked on the space station. 明年将有一个技术舱与航天站对接。

2）日本吉野家董事发表歧视女性言论引众怒文中提到，dock还可以表示“克扣，扣发（尤指金钱）”，英文解释为“to reduce an amount of money that is given to someone”

3）表示“（使）靠岸，（使）停泊，（使）进港”，英文解释为“if a ship docks, it arrives at a dock and if someone docks a ship, they bring it into a dock”举个🌰：Hundreds of people turned up to see the ship dock at the pier. 数百人前来观看该船入港。

NASA's commercial crew chief Steve Stich told reporters on Wednesday that “we're taking our time” with the testing and that the results of the New Mexico thruster tests “are not quite what we would have hoped for.”

美国航空航天局商业乘组组长史蒂夫·斯蒂奇（Steve Stich）周三告诉记者，“我们正在慢慢地”进行测试，新墨西哥州推进器测试的结果“并不完全符合我们的预期”。

thruster  /ˈθrʌstə(r)/ 表示“助力器；（尤指航天器的）推进器，推力器”，英文解释为“a small engine used to provide extra force, especially on a spacecraft”

Stich said he hopes the testing will be completed by this weekend. Stich previously said this testing could last “a couple weeks,” followed by a detailed Nasa review of the data to inform the agency's decision on letting Starliner fly the astronauts home.

斯蒂奇表示，他希望测试能在本周末完成。斯蒂奇此前曾表示，测试可能会持续“几周”，随后是美国航空航天局对数据进行详细审查，以决定是否让Starliner飞船搭载宇航员返回地球。

Also docked to the space station is SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule that ferried four astronauts to the ISS in March, and a Russian Soyuz capsule that delivered three others in September. Stich acknowledged that at least one of those vehicles could provide an alternative ride home for Wilmore and Williams.

目前与空间站对接的还有，3月份将四名宇航员运送到国际空间站的SpaceX公司载人龙飞船，以及9月份运送了另外三名宇航员的俄罗斯联盟号飞船。斯蒂奇表示，其中至少有一艘飞船可以为威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯提提供返回地球的备选飞船。

ferry /ˈfer.i/ 作名词，表示“（尤指定期的）渡船，轮渡”，英文解释为“a boat or ship for taking passengers and often vehicles across an area of water, especially as a regular service”如：a car ferry 汽车渡轮。

作动词，表示“（尤指定期）渡运；运送”，英文解释为“to transport people or goods in a vehicle, especially regularly and often”举个🌰：I spend most of my time ferrying the children around. 我大部分时间都用在把孩子们送来送去上了。

alternative /ɒlˈtɜː.nə.tɪv/本身可以作名词也可以作形容词，表示“可替代的，供选择的（事物）”，英文解释为“An alternative plan or method is one that you can use if you do not want to use another one.”举个🌰：An alternative venue for the concert is being sought. 正在寻找其他可举办音乐会的地方。

“We have a little bit more time to go through the data, and then make a decision as to whether we need to do anything different” with the return plan, Stich said. “But the prime option today is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner. Right now, we don't see any reason that wouldn't be the case.”

“我们还有一点时间来研究数据，然后决定是否需要对返回计划做任何调整，”斯蒂奇说。“但目前首要选择是让两人搭乘Starliner飞船返回。现在我们没有看到任何不支持这一选择的理由。”

prime /praɪm/ 1）表示“首要的，主要的；基本的”，英文解释为“main or most important”举个🌰：This is a prime example of 1930s architecture. 这是20世纪30年代建筑风格的一个重要的范例。

2）表示“质量最好的，一流的”，英文解释为“of the best quality”举个🌰：The hotel is in a prime location in the city centre. 该旅馆位于市中心的黄金地段。

option /ˈɒp.ʃən/ 1）表示“选择，选项；选择权”，英文解释为“one thing that can be chosen from a set of possibilities, or the freedom to make a choice”举个🌰：The best option would be to cancel the trip altogether. 最好的选择是彻底取消这次行程。

2）表示“期权；未来购买权”，英文解释为“the right to buy something in the future”如：a share/stock option 股票期权。

Starliner is approved to stay docked to the ISS for 45 days - which would be July 21 - or up to 90 days using various backup systems and depending largely on the health of its lithium ion batteries, which have caused concerns in the past.

Starliner飞船获准与国际空间站对接45天——即到7月21日——或使用各种备用系统对接最多90天，这主要取决于其锂离子电池的健康状况，而这些电池在过去曾引起过担忧。

backup /ˈbæk.ʌp/ 作名词，表示“备用物（如设备、计划）；后备人员；候补物，替代物，备用物”，英文解释为“If you have something such as a second piece of equipment or set of plans as backup, you have arranged for them to be available for use in case the first one does not work.”举个🌰：Every part of the system has a backup. 这套系统的每个部分都有备件。

作形容词，表示“伴奏的；伴唱的”，英文解释为“supporting the main singer, performer, etc. ”如：backup vocals 伴唱。

📍backup-dancer / back-up dancer 还有英式backing dancer都可以表示“伴舞”，英文解释为“a dancer who dances behind or with a main singer, performer, or band”

lithium /ˈlɪθ.i.əm/ 表示“锂”，英文解释为“a chemical element that is a soft, silver-coloured metal”

ion /ˈaɪ.ɒn/ 表示“离子”，英文解释为“an atom or small group of atoms that has an electrical charge because it has added or lost one or more electrons”

Though Nasa and Boeing have said Starliner is capable of returning the astronauts to Earth in the event of an emergency on the ISS, the capsule is not approved to fly home under normal, non-emergency circumstances until its thruster issues are resolved or at least better understood.

尽管美国航空航天局和波音公司表示，Starliner飞船能够在国际空间站发生紧急情况时将宇航员送回地球，但在推进器问题得到解决或至少更好地理解其问题所在之前，不允许飞船在正常、非紧急情况下返回地球。

capable /ˈkeɪ.pə.bəl/ 表示“有能力的；熟练的；能干的”，英文解释为“able to do things effectively and skilfully, and to achieve results”举个🌰：She's a very capable woman/worker/judge. 她是个很能干的女人/很熟练的工人／能力很强的法官。

📍-capable 表示“可…的，有…能力的（加在名次后形成形容词）”，英文解释为“added to nouns to form adjectives that mean able to use the stated thing”举个🌰：These are nuclear-capable aircraft (= they can carry nuclear weapons). 这些飞机可载核武器。

📍capable of sth/doing sth 表示“有能力做…；能做…”，英文解释为“having the ability, power, or qualities to be able to do something”举个🌰：A force ten wind is capable of blowing the roofs off houses. 10级的大风能吹走屋顶。

A Russian satellite last month broke apart into some 180 pieces of debris near the space station's orbit and forced astronauts into their various docked spacecraft, including Wilmore and Williams getting into Starliner, to prepare for a potential escape. Boeing cited the event as an example of Starliner's readiness to return home if absolutely necessary.

上个月，一颗俄罗斯卫星在空间站轨道附近解体，产生了约180块碎片，迫使宇航员进入各种对接的飞船，包括威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯进入Starliner飞船，为可能的逃生做准备。波音公司以这次事件为例，说明Starliner飞船已做好在必要时返回地球的准备。

debris /ˈdeb.riː/ 表示“碎片，残片；残渣；垃圾；废弃物”，英文解释为“pieces of material that are not wanted and rubbish/garbage that are left somewhere”举个🌰：Clear away leaves and other garden debris from the pond. 把池塘里的树叶和其他庭园垃圾清除干净。

orbit /ˈɔː.bɪt/ 作名词，1）表示“（天体等运行的）轨道”，英文解释为“a curved path followed by a planet or an object as it moves around another planet, star, moon, etc.”

2）表示“（人、组织等的）影响范围，势力范围”，英文解释为“an area that a particular person, organization, etc. deals with or is able to influence”如：to come/fall/be within sb's orbit 进入/落入/属于某人的势力范围。

作动词，表示“绕轨道运行，沿轨道围绕（行星或恒星）运行”，英文解释为“to follow a curved path around a planet or star”举个🌰：On this mission the Shuttle will orbit (the Earth) at a height of several hundred miles. 此次任务中，这架航天飞机将在距地面数百英里的高空绕（地球）轨道运行。

📍词根“orb-”来自拉丁语“orbis”，意味着“圆”，表示物体围绕中心点的路径。近义词：path（路径），同根词：orbital（轨道的），常用短语：enter into orbit（进入轨道）

Mark Nappi, Boeing's Starliner chief, told reporters that such an emergency return scenario would simply involve Starliner undocking from the station and safely returning the crew to Earth, despite questions about the thrusters.

波音公司Starliner飞船负责人马克·纳皮（Mark Nappi）告诉记者，尽管推进器存在问题，但这种紧急返回情况只需Starliner飞船脱离空间站，然后将乘组安全送回地球即可。

“I feel confident that if we had to, if there was a problem with the International Space Station, we can get in our spacecraft, and we can undock, talk to our team, and figure out the best way to come home,” Williams said.

威廉姆斯说：“我相信，如果有必要，如果国际空间站有问题，我们可以进入我们的飞船，我们可以脱离对接，与我们的团队沟通，并找出返回地球的最佳方式。”

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