宇航员在国际空间站忙碌等待返航
📖 逐句对照翻译
Two American astronauts awaiting their return flight from the International Space Station (ISS) have stayed busy carrying out a series of scientific experiments.
两名等待从国际空间站返回的美国宇航员一直忙于进行一系列科学实验。
The U.S. space agency NASA has said the pair – Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – will remain at the ISS until late March or early April.
美国航天局NASA表示，布奇·威尔莫尔和苏尼·威廉姆斯两人将留在国际空间站直至3月底或4月初。
When they arrived at the orbiting laboratory in June 2024, the astronauts expected to stay in space for just one week.
当他们在2024年6月抵达轨道实验室时，宇航员们原本预计只在太空停留一周。
Their trip was a test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
他们的行程是波音公司“星际客机”飞船的一次试飞。
While Starliner safely transported the two to the ISS, the spacecraft had several problems that persuaded NASA to send it back to Earth for further testing without the astronauts onboard.
虽然“星际客机”安全地将两人送到了国际空间站，但该航天器出现了若干问题，促使NASA决定让其在不搭载宇航员的情况下返回地球进行进一步测试。
NASA’s current plan calls for Wilmore and Williams to fly back on a SpaceX spacecraft in late March at the earliest.
NASA目前的计划要求威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯最早于3月底搭乘SpaceX的飞船返回。
NASA has been using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to regularly carry astronauts and supplies to the ISS since 2020.
自2020年以来，NASA一直使用SpaceX的载人龙飞船定期向国际空间站运送宇航员和物资。
The astronauts have been using their extended mission to carry out experiments.
宇航员们一直在利用他们延长的任务期进行实验。
In addition, Williams stepped out of the space station earlier this month to complete a spacewalk.
此外，威廉姆斯本月早些时候还走出空间站，完成了太空行走。
Another NASA astronaut, Nick Hague, joined Williams on the spacewalk on January 16, the agency said in a statement.
美国宇航局在声明中表示，另一名宇航员尼克·黑格于1月16日与威廉姆斯一起进行了太空行走。
The two repaired a piece of equipment that helps guide the movements of the ISS.
两人修复了一件帮助引导国际空间站运动的设备。
The spacewalk also included work on an X-ray telescope, as well as maintenance activities for other ISS systems.
太空行走还包括X射线望远镜的工作，以及国际空间站其他系统的维护活动。
NASA noted it was the fourth spacewalk for Hague and the eighth for Williams.
NASA指出，这是黑格第四次太空行走，威廉姆斯的第八次。
The space agency said Williams was preparing for another spacewalk planned for January 30.
航天局表示，威廉姆斯正在为计划于1月30日进行的另一次太空行走做准备。
Wilmore is expected to join Williams on that spacewalk, which NASA estimates will last about six-and-a-half hours.
威尔莫尔预计将与威廉姆斯一起进行这次太空行走，NASA估计这次太空行走将持续约六个半小时。
The two will be aiming to remove a radio antenna structure.
两人将致力于拆除一个无线电天线结构。
They will also be “searching for microbes” around the ISS for use in experiments.
他们还将围绕国际空间站“寻找微生物”，以用于实验。
Here is a look at other experiments Wilmore and Williams have completed during their stay:
以下是威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯在停留期间完成的其他实验概览：
New methods to grow food
种植食物的新方法
NASA said Wilmore and Williams have tested different methods for growing crops in space.
美国国家航空航天局表示，威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯已经测试了在太空种植农作物的不同方法。
Such methods could support humans who have longer stays in space in the future.
这些方法可以为未来在太空停留更长时间的人类提供支持。
One experiment is called the Plant Water Management investigation.
其中一项实验被称为植物水分管理调查。
NASA said this experiment “uses the physical properties of fluids…to overcome the lack of gravity and provide hydration to plants.”
NASA表示，这项实验“利用流体的物理特性……克服重力缺失，为植物提供水分”。
The experiment aims to help NASA develop hydroponic systems to support future space missions.
该实验旨在帮助美国宇航局开发水培系统，以支持未来的太空任务。
Another experiment examines a new way to grow vegetables, plants and flowers inside the ISS to provide nutrition and beauty.
另一项实验则探索在国际空间站内种植蔬菜、植物和花卉的新方法，以提供营养和美化环境。
As part of this experiment, Wilmore installed a new light meter inside the ISS.
作为该实验的一部分，威尔莫尔在国际空间站内部安装了一个新的光度计。
The device is designed to measure available light and to help crew members improve growing operations.
该设备旨在测量可用光线，帮助机组人员改进种植作业。
Robot assistants
机器人助手
NASA also said that throughout the current mission, Williams had deployed and observed three free-flying robots called Astrobee.
NASA还表示，在当前任务期间，威廉姆斯部署并观察了三台名为Astrobee的自由飞行机器人。
This robotic experiment seeks to examine how such robots could assist astronauts with daily duties and maintenance work.
这项机器人实验旨在探究此类机器人如何协助宇航员完成日常任务和维护工作。
The agency said the square-shaped robots are designed to help scientists and engineers develop and test new robotic technologies for use in microgravity environments.
该机构表示，这些方形机器人旨在帮助科学家和工程师开发和测试用于微重力环境的新型机器人技术。
The assistants are also designed to help astronauts with daily tasks “and give ground controllers additional eyes and ears on the space station.”
这些助手还旨在帮助宇航员完成日常任务，“并为地面控制人员提供空间站上的额外视角和听觉信息”。
Williams tested the robots’ ability to map the inside of the space station and Astrobee’s flight abilities.
威廉姆斯测试了机器人绘制空间站内部地图的能力以及Astrobee的飞行能力。
Image captures from space
来自太空的图像捕捉
NASA astronauts visiting the ISS have a long history of capturing images of Earth from space.
访问国际空间站的NASA宇航员有着从太空捕捉地球图像的悠久历史。
And this is another activity Wilmore and Williams have carried out.
这是威尔莫尔和威廉姆斯开展的又一项活动。
The ISS gives astronauts a “window to the world” as they orbit 400 kilometers above their home planet.
国际空间站为宇航员提供了一个“通往世界的窗口”，让他们在距地球表面400公里的轨道上环绕地球飞行。
During their mission, NASA said the two astronauts had “captured hundreds of photographs of Earth, ranging from auroras, land, sea, orbital sunrises and sunsets, and more.”
美国国家航空航天局表示，在任务期间，这两名宇航员“拍摄了数百张地球照片，包括极光、陆地、海洋、轨道日出和日落等”。
Radio connections with Earth
与地球的无线电连接
Another space station tradition is for U.S. astronauts to connect with students and other interested individuals during their stay in space.
空间站的另一项传统是，美国宇航员在太空停留期间与学生们及其他感兴趣的人进行交流。
They have virtual visits with people back on Earth who can ask the astronauts how it feels to live in space and can learn about NASA’s experiments aboard the ISS.
他们与地球上的人进行虚拟访问，人们可以询问宇航员在太空生活的感受，并了解NASA在国际空间站上进行的实验。
In early August, Williams used ham radio technology to connect with students from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
八月初，威廉姆斯利用业余无线电技术与印度尼西亚班达亚齐的学生进行了交流。
NASA explained that students get the chance to communicate with the astronauts when the ISS passes overhead.
美国国家航空航天局解释说，当国际空间站飞过头顶时，学生们有机会与宇航员进行交流。
The students can ask about research on the ISS as well as the radio wave technology that makes the communication possible.
学生们可以询问有关国际空间站研究的问题，以及实现这种通信的无线电波技术。
I’m Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA and The Associated Press.
布莱恩·林恩根据美国国家航空航天局和美联社的报道，为VOA英语学习频道撰写了这篇报道。
