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The American space agency NASA has postponed two moon missions that are facing development and safety issues.
美国宇航局NASA推迟了两个因开发和安全问题而受阻的月球任务。
NASA’s program to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972 is called Artemis. The agency split the program into three parts.
自1972年NASA阿波罗17号任务以来，NASA首次计划将宇航员送回月球的计划被称为阿尔忒弥斯计划。该机构将该计划分为三个部分。
In 2022, Artemis I sent NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a trip around the moon without a crew. The agency’s huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carried Orion into space. The spacecraft traveled more than 400,000 kilometers from Earth and completed a close fly-by of the moon. NASA officials declared Artemis I a big success.
在2022年，阿尔忒弥斯I号将NASA的猎户座宇宙飞船无人机绕月飞行。该机构庞大的太空发射系统（SLS）火箭将猎户座送入太空。宇宙飞船离开地球超过40万公里，并完成了对月球的近距离飞越。NASA官员宣布阿尔忒弥斯I号取得了巨大成功。
The second planned trip, Artemis II, was set for late 2024. The goal was to send Orion on the same path Artemis I took, but with four astronauts. NASA announced last week it had set a new September 2025 target for the launch of Artemis II.
计划中的第二次任务，阿尔忒弥斯II号，原计划于2024年底进行。目标是将猎户座带着四名宇航员沿着阿尔忒弥斯I号相同的路径送往月球。NASA上周宣布，已将阿尔忒弥斯II号的发射目标推迟到了2025年9月。
The third mission, Artemis III, will attempt to land astronauts on the surface of the moon. NASA says the crew is expected to include “the first woman and the first person of color.” Artemis III was planned for 2025 but has now been pushed back to September 2026.
第三次任务，阿尔忒弥斯III号，将尝试在月球表面着陆。NASA表示，机组人员预计将包括“第一位女性和第一位有色人种。”阿尔忒弥斯III号原计划于2025年进行，但现已推迟至2026年9月。
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the postponements were necessary in order to give the agency time to deal with several ongoing problems affecting the Artemis program. “Safety is our top priority," Nelson said. He added that the delays will “give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges.”
NASA署长比尔·纳尔逊表示，推迟是为了给该机构时间处理影响阿尔忒弥斯计划的一些持续问题。“安全是我们的首要任务，”纳尔逊说。他补充说，推迟将“为阿尔忒弥斯团队提供更多时间来应对挑战”。
NASA’s announcement about the delays came shortly after the successful launch of a private American company’s spacecraft that aimed to land on the lunar surface.
NASA关于推迟的声明是在一家美国私营公司的太空飞船成功发射后不久发布的，该飞船旨在着陆月球表面。
That spacecraft, called Peregrine, is a moon lander built by Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic Technology. It launched January 8 aboard a Vulcan Centaur rocket built by America’s United Launch Alliance (ULA).
该飞船被称为佩里格林，是由宾夕法尼亚州Astrobotic Technology公司制造的月球着陆器。它于1月8日搭载美国联合发射联盟（ULA）制造的Vulcan Centaur火箭发射。
Immediately after Peregrine’s launch, Astrobotic officials praised the mission as the first step to becoming the first private space vehicle to land on the moon. But shortly after the launch, a fuel leak was discovered.
佩里格林发射后不久，Astrobotic公司官员赞扬了该任务，称其为成为第一家在月球着陆的私人太空飞行器的第一步。但在发射后不久，发现了燃料泄漏问题。
Astrobotic has said the spacecraft would continue on its mission while leaking fuel but faces ongoing power and propulsion problems. The company aims to keep the lander going as long as possible and to collect data from its instruments. But officials from Astrobotic have said Peregrine is no longer expected to land on the moon.
Astrobotic表示，尽管存在燃料泄漏问题，但该太空飞船将继续执行任务，但面临持续的动力和推进问题。该公司的目标是尽可能延长着陆器的使用寿命，并从其仪器中收集数据。但Astrobotic的官员表示，预计佩里格林将不再着陆月球。
Peregrine is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It aims to hand over the nation’s major missions to private companies in an effort to operate at reduced costs.
佩里格林是NASA商业月球有效载荷服务（CLPS）计划的一部分。该计划旨在将国家的主要任务交给私营公司，以降低成本运营。
Peregrine and other planned missions in the CLPS program aim to land on the moon to support future Artemis activities. Another program member, Texas-based Intuitive Machines, plans to launch its Nova-C lander to the moon next month.
佩里格林和CLPS计划中的其他计划任务
旨在登陆月球，以支持未来的阿尔忒弥斯活动。该计划的另一成员，总部位于得克萨斯州的直觉机器公司，计划下个月将其Nova-C着陆器发射到月球。
Astrobotic has said it also plans to send another lander, called Griffin, to the moon’s south pole in late 2024. It will be carrying an exploring robot, or rover, called VIPER. VIPER is designed to search for water sources on the moon.
Astrobotic表示，该公司还计划于2024年底向月球南极派遣另一艘着陆器，名为格里芬。它将携带一台名为VIPER的探测机器人或漫游者。VIPER的设计目的是在月球上搜索水源。
NASA’s moon-landing effort has been delayed repeatedly over the past 10 years, adding billions of dollars to the cost, The Associated Press reports. Government estimates have predicted total program costs will reach $93 billion through 2025.
美联社报道称，NASA的登月计划在过去10年中多次推迟，使成本增加了数十亿美元。政府估计预测，到2025年，总项目成本将达到930亿美元。
Reuters news agency reported NASA discovered problems with the Orion spacecraft’s batteries during vibration tests. Engineers have said the batteries will likely need to be replaced.
路透社报道称，在振动测试中，NASA发现了猎户座宇宙飞船电池的问题。工程师表示，电池可能需要更换。
Catherine Koerner is a leader at NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in Washington. She said in a statement all technical issues will be fully investigated with safety as NASA’s top goal. “We are letting the hardware talk to us so that crew safety drives our decision-making.”
Catherine Koerner是NASA华盛顿探索系统发展任务总局的负责人。她在一份声明中表示，所有技术问题将在确保安全的前提下进行充分调查。“我们正在让硬件与我们对话，以确保机组人员的安全驱动我们的决策。”
Koerner added, “We will use the Artemis II flight test, and each flight that follows, to reduce risk for future moon missions.” Even with the delays and ongoing concerns, she said NASA is “closer than ever to establishing sustained exploration of Earth’s nearest neighbor under Artemis.”
Koerner补充说：“我们将利用阿尔忒弥斯II号的飞行测试以及随后的每次飞行，降低未来月球任务的风险。”即使面临推迟和持续的担忧，她表示NASA正“比以往任何时候都更接近在阿尔忒弥斯计划下建立对地球最近邻居的持续探索。”
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Words in This Story
mission – n. to do something considered very difficult or impossible
priority –n. the most important thing
challenge – n. something difficult that tests one’s ability or determination
propulsion – n. a force that pushes something forward
battery – n. a device that chemically stores electricity so it can be used as direct current in electrical circuits such as computers and motors
vibrate – v. to make something shake with small, quick movements
sustain – v. to cause or permit something to continue for a period of time
