一、听力练习
1.
1. What is the main goal of the Polaris Dawn mission?
A. To conduct scientific research in low Earth orbit.
B. To launch non-astronauts into high orbit and include private spacewalks.
C. To test new rocket technology for NASA.
D. To establish a permanent space station.
2.
A. NASA.
B. SpaceX.
C. Jared Isaacman.
D. Scott Poteet.
3.
A. It will be the highest since the International Space Station was built.
B. It will be the highest since NASA's Apollo program ended in the early 1970s.
C. It will not exceed the height of the Space Shuttle missions.
D. It will be the first crewed mission to reach the moon.
二、听力文本
A private space mission will seek to launch non-astronauts to a high orbit and include the first private spacewalks in history. The American space company SpaceX's flight is cleared to launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center beginning September 7. The American space agency NASA operates the center. The exact launch date will depend on weather conditions. American businessman Jared Isaacman organized and paid for the mission, called Polaris Dawn. He and three people will crew the mission. Isaacman is the head of payment processing company Shift4Payments. He has an estimated personal worth of $2 billion. But he has not said publicly how much he paid SpaceX for the Polaris Dawn mission. The crewmembers will travel in SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company expects the spacecraft to reach an altitude of about 1,400 kilometers. That would be the highest any crewed mission has reached since NASA's Apollo program ended in the early 1970s. Isaacman is the mission commander for Polaris Dawn. Also taking part in the flight will be Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and two SpaceX employees, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Gillis is a mission specialist at SpaceX, while Menon is a lead space operations engineer. The crew is expected to spend five days in orbit. Polaris Dawn will reach its highest altitude on its first day. The Crew Dragon will briefly enter the Van Allen radiation belt, an area filled with high-energy charged particles that can present health risks to humans over extended periods. This will provide a chance to test the effectiveness of SpaceX's newly designed spacesuits. SpaceX says the clothing is equipped with data instruments, cameras and improved mobility systems. SpaceX says tests of the spacesuit will help the company design and develop future space missions to the moon and Mars.
Question 1: What is the main goal of the Polaris Dawn mission?
Question 2: Who organized and financed the Polaris Dawn mission?
Question 3: How high is the Polaris Dawn mission expected to reach compared to previous crewed missions?
三、重点词汇
1. astronaut: An astronaut is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft.宇航员
四、背景知识
美国东部时间9月10日5时23分，美国太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）的猎鹰9号运载火箭（Falcon 9）搭载四名私人宇航员在美国佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心（Kennedy Space Center）39A发射台成功发射了“北极星黎明”（Polaris Dawn）任务。该任务不仅是首次商业太空行走的尝试，而且预计将达到50多年来载人任务的最高轨道高度。图片 原定于8月26日的发射任务因地面设备的氦气泄漏问题以及不利的天气条件而数次延后，最终确定在9月10日进行。发射升空约12分钟后，龙飞船与火箭上面级成功分离，飞船随后进入了一个初始椭圆形轨道，其远地点达到1200公里，近地点为190公里。在数圈轨道飞行之后，飞船将进一步提升其远地点至大约1400公里，这一高度将超过自1972年阿波罗计划终止以来所有载人航天飞行所到达的高度。本次任务有三个主要目标：首先，机组人员将进行历史性的首次商业太空行走，旨在测试美国太空探索技术公司最新设计的舱外活动（EVA）航天服。其次，任务中还将进行星链卫星间激光通信技术的测试。最后，在任务期间机组人员还将开展约40项与人类健康相关的科学实验。（背景知识来自于https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1810110266865219262&wfr=spider&for=pc）
五、参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: C
Question 3: B
六、网络翻译
一项私人太空任务将寻求将非宇航员送入高轨道，并包括历史上首次私人太空行走。美国太空公司 SpaceX 的飞行已获准于 9 月 7 日开始从佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射。该中心由美国国家航空航天局（NASA）运营。确切的发射日期将取决于天气状况。美国商人贾里德·艾萨克曼组织并为这项名为“极光黎明”（Polaris Dawn）的任务支付费用。他和其他三人将组成任务组。艾萨克曼是支付处理公司 Shift4Payments 的负责人，个人资产估计为 20 亿美元。但他并未公开透露为“极光黎明”任务支付了多少费用。任务组成员将乘坐 SpaceX 的 Crew Dragon 航天器，通过 SpaceX 的 Falcon 9 火箭发射。公司预计航天器将达到约 1400 公里的高度。这将是自 1970 年代初 NASA 的阿波罗计划结束以来，任何载人任务达到的最高高度。艾萨克曼是“极光黎明”的任务指挥官。参与飞行的还有退役美国空军上校斯科特·波蒂特，以及两名 SpaceX 员工，莎拉·吉利斯和安娜·梅农。吉利斯是 SpaceX 的任务专家，而梅农是首席太空操作工程师。预计任务组将在轨道上停留五天。“极光黎明”将在第一天达到最高高度。Crew Dragon 将短暂进入范艾伦辐射带，这里充满了高能带电粒子，长时间暴露可能对人类造成健康风险。这将为测试 SpaceX 新设计的宇航服的有效性提供机会。SpaceX 表示，该服装配备了数据仪器、摄像头和改进的移动系统。SpaceX 表示，宇航服的测试将帮助公司设计和开发未来前往月球和火星的太空任务。
七、版权说明
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