欧“智能1号”飞船成功撞月
文章来源: 文章作者: 发布时间:2006-09-12 06:19 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Europe's first spacecraft to the moon ended its three-year mission Sunday by crashing into the lunar surface in a volcanic1 plane called the Lake of Excellence2, to a round of applause in the mission control room in Germany.[AP]

 

Europe's first spacecraft to the moon ended its three-year mission Sunday by crashing into the lunar surface in a volcanic plain called the Lake of Excellence, to a round of applause in the mission control room in Germany.

Hitting at 2 kilometers per second, the impact of the SMART-1 spacecraft was expected to leave a 3-meter-by-10-meter crater3 and send dust kilometers above the surface.

Observatories4 watched the event from Earth and scientists hoped the cloud of dust and debris5 would provide clues to the geological composition of the site.

"That's it -- we are in the Lake of Excellence," said spacecraft operations chief Octavio Camino as applause broke out in mission control in Darmstadt, Germany. "We have landed."

Minutes later, officials showed off a picture captured by an observatory6 in Hawaii displaying a bright flash from the impact.

Launched into Earth's orbit by an Ariane-5 booster rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, in September 2003, SMART-1 used its ion engine to slowly raise its orbit over 14 months until the moon's gravity grabbed it.

The engine, which uses electricity from the craft's solar panels to produce a stream of charged particles called ions, generates only small amounts of thrust but only needed 80 kilograms of xenon fuel.

The craft's X-ray and infrared7 spectrometers have gathered information about the moon's geology that scientists hope will advance their knowledge about how the moon's surface evolved and test theories about how the moon came into being.

The spacecraft has also been taking high-resolution pictures of the surface with a miniaturized camera.

 

 

 

 

 

 

周日,欧洲首架探月航空器结束了三年探月之旅,成功击中月球表面的“卓越湖”火山平原,此消息让德国的地面控制大厅里爆发出热烈的掌声。

这架名为"智能1号"的探测飞船的撞月速度为每秒2公里。按照此速度,这次撞击预计会在月球表面留下一个直径3米,深10米的坑,而且会在月面激起几公里高的尘埃。

很多观测站在地表观测了撞击全过程,科学家希望撞击所激起的尘云和碎石能为研究“卓越湖”区域的地质构成提供依据。

位于德国达姆施塔特的控制中心爆发出热烈掌声,探测器地面指挥所负责人奥克塔唯奥·卡米诺说:“成功了!我们撞上了卓越湖区!我们着陆了!”

几分钟过后,地面指挥所的官员公布了一张位于夏威夷的某观测站拍摄到的“撞击亮光”照片。

2003年9月,“智能1号”探测器从法国圭亚那地区的库鲁基地由Ariane五号火箭发射升空,在其离子引擎的推进下,“智能1号”缓慢脱离运行轨道,在14个月后进入月球重力场。

离子引擎将航天器太阳能面板所采集的太阳能转化为电能,再生成带电的离子流。太阳能离子引擎所产生的推动力并不大,但所需要的氙气燃料也很少,只有80千克。

“智能1号”的X光和红外线分光仪采集了关于月球地质的很多信息,科学家们希望这些信息能够丰富他们有关月面进化的知识,并能为检验月球形成的各种理论提供依据。

“智能1号”上还装有一个微型照相机,它拍摄了很多高清晰的月面照片。



   
 

 

Vocabulary:


obervatory: 观测站;天文台

high-resolution picture: 高清晰照片
 



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 volcanic BLgzQ     
adj.火山的;象火山的;由火山引起的
参考例句:
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
2 excellence ZnhxM     
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德
参考例句:
  • His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
  • My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。
3 crater WofzH     
n.火山口,弹坑
参考例句:
  • With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
  • They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。
4 observatories d730b278442c711432218e89314e2a09     
n.天文台,气象台( observatory的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • John Heilbron, The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories, 3-23. 约翰.海耳布隆,《教会里的太阳:教堂即太阳观测台》,第3-23页。 来自互联网
  • Meteorologists use satellites, land observatories and historical data to provide information about the weather. 气象学家使用卫星、上天文台和历史资料来提供有关天气的信息。 来自互联网
5 debris debris     
n.瓦砾堆,废墟,碎片
参考例句:
  • After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
  • Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上,导致蛀牙。
6 observatory hRgzP     
n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台
参考例句:
  • Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
  • Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。
7 infrared dx0yp     
adj./n.红外线(的)
参考例句:
  • Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
  • Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。
TAG标签:
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片