波音及SpaceX将送美国宇航员赴国际空间站

2014-09-25 14:11:43来源：可可英语

　　The bids from the two companies covered the same tasks. Boeing’s proposal was moreexpensive, in part because the Atlas 5 is more expensive than the Falcon 9. “We basicallyawarded based on the proposal that we were given,” Ms. Lueders said.

　　两家公司为同样的任务进行了竞标。波音公司的方案价格比较高，部分原因是阿特拉斯5型比猎鹰9号更昂贵。“我们基本上是依据方案来选取公司的，”吕德斯说。

　　A third company, Sierra Nevada Space Systems, of Louisville, Colo., had proposed a design thatresembled a mini-space shuttle that would land on aircraft runways. A statement from thecompany said it would review its options.

　　内华达山脉太空系统(Sierra Nevada Space Systems)是参与竞标的第三家公司，位于科罗拉多州路易斯维尔，它的设计方案是使用一架小型航天飞机，它能够在飞机跑道上降落。该公司发表声明，称将检视其手中的各个选项。

　　Much of the money allotted to SpaceX and Boeing in the next three years will go to meetingNASA’s certification requirements for performance and safety. As part of that process, eachcompany will conduct a test flight to the space station with a crew that is to include at leastone NASA astronaut.

　　未来三年内，在NASA拨付给SpaceX和波音公司资金中，将有很大一部分被用来满足NASA对性能和安全认证的要求。作为该过程的一部分，两家公司将进行一次前往空间站的试飞，机组人员中将包含至少一名NASA宇航员。

　　Once the companies are certified, NASA has promised each at least two missions. The fullcontract amounts will be paid if NASA orders six missions from each company.

　　NASA已经承诺，只要两家公司通过认证，每家公司至少能获得两次飞行任务。如果NASA给两家公司各分配了六次飞行任务，它将按合同金额的全款支付费用。

　　Mr. Mulholland said NASA had yet to discuss its plans in detail, but space agency officials in thepast have said they expected two flights a year to the space station. If flights begin in 2017 andeach company flies one a year, the contracts could run through 2023.

　　穆赫兰说，NASA还没有就计划进行详细讨论，但其官员之前曾表示，他们预计每年会飞往空间站两次。如果从2017年开始，每家公司每年各承担一次飞行任务，该合同将一直持续到2023年。

　　With each flight taking four astronauts, the space station crew will be able to grow to seven,from six. NASA officials said that additional crew member would allow it to double the amountof science conducted.

　　由于每次飞行可以运送四名宇航员，空间站中的人员就能从六名增加到七名。NASA官员说，新增一名成员之后，空间站的科学研究量可以翻倍。

　　The Boeing and SpaceX capsules will also serve as lifeboats for the space station crew in caseof an emergency. The commercial crew program came out of the cancellation of an earlierprogram started under the Bush administration to send astronauts back to the moon.

　　如果出现紧急情况，波音和SpaceX公司的太空舱也可以作为救生艇，供空间站人员使用。这个商业乘务计划，是在之前一个派遣宇航员重返月球的计划被取消后形成的，那个计划始于布什执政期间。

　　That effort relied on two rockets designed and operated by NASA. The Obama administrationconcluded that approach was too expensive and canceled the rockets.

　　该计划需要NASA设计和运行两枚火箭，奥巴马政府认为它的成本过于高昂，于是取消了火箭项目。

　　Instead, the Obama administration built upon another Bush-era NASA initiative. NASA hadhired two companies, SpaceX and the Orbital Sciences Corporation of Vienna, Va., to fly cargoto the space station. Beginning in 2010, NASA began a similar competition to choosecompanies to carry astronauts, not just cargo.

　　不过，奥巴马政府推进了布什时代NASA的另一个项目。NASA雇用了两家公司，SpaceX公司和弗吉尼亚州维也纳的轨道科学公司(Orbital Sciences Corporation)，把货物运送到空间站。从2010年开始，NASA采用类似做法，让公司竞标运送宇航员，而不仅仅是货物，到空间站。

　　The hope is that the commercial approach will spur a space travel industry far larger thanjust NASA.

　　人们希望，这种商业模式不仅能促进NASA的发展，还将大大刺激空间旅游业的规模扩张。

　　Boeing, for example, hopes that the fifth seat in its CST-100 capsule could carry a payingtourist to the space station. “We’ll be working with NASA to try and bring that to reality,” Mr.Mulholland said.

　　例如，波音公司希望利用CST-100太空舱的第五个座位，把付费游客运送到空间站。“我们将与NASA合作，努力让这个构想变为现实，”穆赫兰说。

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