Underfunding shackles Nasa vision 资金不足限制航空航天局长远
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-09-09 03:00 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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Nasa needs its annual $18bn budget boosted by $3bn if astronauts are to conduct meaningful missions like trips to the Moon and beyond, a panel warns.

一个专家小组警告,美国航空航天局年度预算将增加30亿美元--达到180亿美元才足以使宇航员进行诸如登月、太空航行等更有意义的活动。

Nasa had been hoping its Orion ship would take it back to the Moon
Nasa had been hoping its Orion ship would take it back to the Moon

The panel, convened1(聚集,集合) by the White House to review human spaceflight plans, has delivered its summary findings.

It says the spaceship and rocket programmes being developed to replace the shuttle are not presently viable2(能养活的,能生育的).

The group has given President Barack Obama a series of options to help him shape the US space agency's future.

But the panel, led by retired3 aerospace4 executive Norm Augustine, says only a funding increase can truly get Nasa back on track.

"The committee finds that no plan compatible with the [Financial Year] 2010 budget profile permits human exploration to continue in any meaningful way," it said.

"The committee further finds that it is possible to conduct a viable exploration program with a budget rising to about $3bn annually5 above the FY 2010 budget profile."

Longer delay

After the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, former President George W Bush proposed retiring the orbiter fleet in favour of using an Apollo-like capsule and rockets to take humans back to the Moon by 2020.

But this programme, known as Constellation6, has had to battle technical and budgetary woes7(悲痛,苦恼), meaning that its entry into service originally intended for 2012 will now be at least three years late.

And it is the Augustine panel's assessment8 that this delay will probably turn out to be longer still, perhaps leaving a gap of seven years between the final flight of the shuttle and the first mission of its successor.

"The committee did not identify any credible9 approach employing new capabilities10 that could shorten the gap to less than six years," the summary report notes.

"The only way to significantly close the gap is to extend the life of the shuttle programme."

This is one of the five broad options presented by the panel to President Obama.

Most involve the cancellation11 or modification12 of Constellation as currently envisaged(面对,正视). Most see a greater role for the private sector13 in launching astronauts to low-Earth orbit.

And most also call for an extension of the International Space Station project to 2020, well beyond the currently planned end point of 2016.

Nasa already has spent some $8bn developing Constellation. The proposed Ares I rocket and its crew carrier called Orion are both at an advanced stage.

Orion has just passed its preliminary design review and a test version of the Ares 1 stands ready at the Kennedy Space Centre for a demonstration14 flight in October.

Many commentators15 have speculated that the Ares 1 will be cancelled, but they suspect Orion will live on, perhaps launching on a vehicle with a design which relies more heavily on space shuttle technology.

The Augustine panel will deliver its full report later this month. President Obama will consult(商讨,查阅) his new Nasa Administrator16 Charles Bolden and chief scientist John Holdren before responding. A new vision for Nasa is expected to be outlined in October.



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1 convened fbc66e55ebdef2d409f2794046df6cf1     
召开( convene的过去式 ); 召集; (为正式会议而)聚集; 集合
参考例句:
  • The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
  • The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。
2 viable mi2wZ     
adj.可行的,切实可行的,能活下去的
参考例句:
  • The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
  • The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。
3 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
4 aerospace CK2yf     
adj.航空的,宇宙航行的
参考例句:
  • The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
  • Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。
5 annually VzYzNO     
adv.一年一次,每年
参考例句:
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
6 constellation CptzI     
n.星座n.灿烂的一群
参考例句:
  • A constellation is a pattern of stars as seen from the earth. 一个星座只是从地球上看到的某些恒星的一种样子。
  • The Big Dipper is not by itself a constellation. 北斗七星本身不是一个星座。
7 woes 887656d87afcd3df018215107a0daaab     
困境( woe的名词复数 ); 悲伤; 我好苦哇; 某人就要倒霉
参考例句:
  • Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
  • She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。
8 assessment vO7yu     
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
参考例句:
  • This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
  • What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何?
9 credible JOAzG     
adj.可信任的,可靠的
参考例句:
  • The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
  • Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法?
10 capabilities f7b11037f2050959293aafb493b7653c     
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力
参考例句:
  • He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大,自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
  • Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为,标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
11 cancellation BxNzQO     
n.删除,取消
参考例句:
  • Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大,可能须要取消渡轮服务。
  • Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。
12 modification tEZxm     
n.修改,改进,缓和,减轻
参考例句:
  • The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的,它需要修改。
  • The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。
13 sector yjczYn     
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形
参考例句:
  • The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
  • The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
14 demonstration 9waxo     
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
参考例句:
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
15 commentators 14bfe5fe312768eb5df7698676f7837c     
n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 );时事评论员;注释者;实况广播员
参考例句:
  • Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语,真叫人腻烦。
  • Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话,令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 administrator SJeyZ     
n.经营管理者,行政官员
参考例句:
  • The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
  • He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。
TAG标签: moon Nasa mission budget
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