VOA慢速英语2019 以色列登月太空飞船成功发射

Israeli Spacecraft Makes History with Successful Moon Launch

An Israeli spacecraft is on its way to the moon.

一艘以色列太空飞船正在飞向月球。

The unmanned moon landing vehicle was launched Thursday night from Cape 1 Canaveral Air Force Station in the United States.

这架无人登月车于周四晚上从美国卡纳维拉尔角空军基地发射升空。

The private U.S. company SpaceX manufactured the Falcon 2 9 rocket that sent the Israeli spacecraft into the night sky. In addition to the robotic lander, the Falcon 9 also carried two satellites into space: one for Indonesia and the other for the U.S. Air Force.

美国私营公司SpaceX制造的猎鹰9号火箭将这艘以色列航天器送入了夜空。除了这个机械着陆器，猎鹰9号火箭还搭载了两颗卫星进入太空：一颗属于印尼，另一颗属于美国空军。

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the launch from the control center of Israel Aerospace 3 Industries, or IAI. He called it “a very proud moment” for his country.

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡在以色列航天工业公司（简称IAI）的控制中心观看了这次发射。他称这是该国的“荣耀时刻。”

Israel is seeking to become only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon after Russia, the U.S. and China. The four-legged lunar lander is expected to arrive there in seven weeks. If all goes well, the landing will happen around April 11.

以色列正在寻求成为继俄罗斯、美国和中国之后第四个成功登陆月球的国家。这架四足的月球着陆器预计在7周内抵达那里，如果进展顺利，它将会在4月11日左右登陆月球。

The spacecraft is called Beresheet, which is the Hebrew word for Genesis, or “In the Beginning.” The lander is equipped with instruments to measure the moon’s magnetic field and take pictures on the lunar surface.

这艘太空飞船被称为Beresheet号，在希伯来语中的意思是创世纪或是初始。着陆器配备了仪器来测量月球的磁场，并在月球表面拍照。

In addition to being a first for Israel, Beresheet would also mark the first moon landing by a non-government agency. Officials have said the $100 million project was mostly paid for by private donors 4.

除了是以色列的首次，创世纪号也将标志着非政府机构首次登陆月球。官员们表示，这项耗资1亿美元的项目主要由私人捐助者资助。

Israeli nonprofit space organization SpaceIL worked together with state-owned IAI to build the 580-kilogram spacecraft.

以色列非营利性组织SpaceIL与国有的以色列航天工业公司合作打造了这艘重达580公斤的太空飞船。

An official from IAI said Beresheet is the lowest-cost spacecraft to ever attempt a moon mission. “The superpowers who managed to land a spacecraft on the Moon have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding," the official said.

以色列航天工业公司的一名官员表示，创世纪号是有史以来尝试登月任务中成本最低的太空飞船。这位官员表示：“完成在月球上登陆太空飞船的超级大国耗费了数亿美元的政府资金。”

China made history in January by becoming the first nation to land a spacecraft on the dark side of the moon – the side facing away from Earth.

中国在1月份历史性地成为首个在月球黑暗面，也就是远地球端登陆太空飞船的国家。

India hopes to become the fifth country to land on the moon later this year. It plans to send a spacecraft that will have an exploring vehicle designed to collect moon information.

印度希望今年晚些时候成为第5个登陆月球的国家。该国计划发射一艘太空飞船，该飞船将会携带一架旨在收集月球信息的探索车。

In other space-related news, a Japanese spacecraft touched down Friday on an asteroid 5 more than 300 million kilometers away from Earth.

在其它太空相关新闻中，一艘日本太空飞船周五在一颗距离地球3亿多公里的小行星上着陆。

Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency said its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid Ryugu. Officials said the device extended a long arm toward the asteroid and fired a small object into its surface. The firing action was designed to produce dust that will be collected and brought back to Earth for examination.

日本宇宙航空研究开发机构称其隼鸟2号太空飞船成功降落在龙宫小行星上。有关官员表示，该装置向这颗小行星伸出长臂并向其表面发射了一个小物体。这种射击动作旨在激起灰尘，这些灰尘将会被收集起来带回地球研究。

It was the second Japanese landing on an asteroid after another spacecraft, also called Hayabusa, touched down on a near-Earth asteroid in 2005. That spacecraft was the first to bring asteroid dust back to Earth.

这是日本继隼鸟号太空飞船之后第二次在小行星上着陆。隼鸟号太空飞船于2005年在一颗近地小行星上着陆，该太空飞船首次将小行星尘埃带回地球。

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

proud – adj. much pleased; feeling very good about someone or something

mission – n. an important task, usually involving travel somewhere