2021英语备课资料：热点时事--天问一号成功着陆火星

 

天问一号成功着陆火星

 

2021年5月15日，天问一号探测器成功着陆于火星乌托邦平原南部预选着陆区，标志着中国首次火星探测任务着陆火星取得成功。天问一号探测器由环绕器、着陆器和巡视器组成，总重量达到5吨左右。在飞行近10个月后，祝融号火星车完成了天问一号“绕、着、巡”的第二步。至此，中国成为了世界上成功着陆火星的第二个国家。

The lander carrying China’s first Mars rover has successfully touched down on the red planet early Saturday morning Beijing Time. It is the first time China has landed a probe on a planet other than Earth.

Tianwen-1, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan on July 23, 2020. It was the first step in China’s planetary exploration of the solar system, with the aim of completing orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission.

The name Tianwen, meaning Questions to Heaven, comes from a poem written by the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC). China’s first Mars rover is named Zhurong after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology, which echoes with the Chinese name of the red planet: Huoxing (the planet of fire).

The spacecraft entered the Mars orbit in February after a journey of nearly seven months through space, and spent more than two months surveying potential landing sites. In the early hours of Saturday, the spacecraft began to descend from its parking orbit, and the entry capsule enclosing the lander and rover separated from the orbiter at about 4 a.m.

After flying for approximately three hours, the entry capsule hurtled toward the red planet and entered the Mars atmosphere at an altitude of 125 km, initiating the riskiest phase of the whole mission.

First, the specially designed aerodynamic shape of the entry capsule decelerated with the friction of the Martian atmosphere. When the velocity of the spacecraft was lowered from 4.8 km per second to about 460 meters per second, a huge parachute covering an area of about 200 square meters was unfurled to continue reducing the velocity to less than 100 meters per second. The parachute and the outer shield of the spacecraft were then jettisoned, exposing the lander and rover, and the retrorocket on the lander was fired to further slow the speed of the craft to almost zero.

At about 100 meters above the Martian surface, the craft hovered to identify obstacles and measured the slopes of the surface. Avoiding the obstacles, it selected a relatively flat area and descended slowly, touching down safely with its four buffer legs.

“The craft’s plummet through the Martian atmosphere, lasting about nine minutes, was extremely complicated with no ground control, and had to be performed by the spacecraft autonomously,” said Geng Yan, an official at the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA. “Each step had only one chance, and the actions were closely linked. If there had been any flaw, the landing would have failed,” said Geng.

 

1. Mars rover 火星车

2. touch down 着陆

The lander carrying China’s first Mars rover has successfully touched down on the red planet early Saturday morning Beijing Time.

北京时间周六凌晨，搭载着中国首个火星车的着陆器成功着陆火星。

3. probe（不载人）航天探测器

It is the first time China has landed a probe on a planet other than Earth.

这是中国第一次在地球以外的行星上着陆探测器。

4. orbit 沿轨道运行；围绕……运动

It was the first step in China’s planetary exploration of the solar system, with the aim of completing orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission.

这是中国对太阳系进行行星探索的第一步，这一任务集环绕、着陆、巡视火星三方面为一体。

5. ancient Chinese mythology 中国古代神话

6. echo with  与……相呼应

China’s first Mars rover is named Zhurong after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology, which echoes with the Chinese name of the red planet: Huoxing (the planet of fire).

中国首个火星车被命名为祝融，这一名字来源于中国古代神话中的火神，它与这颗红色行星的中文名字“火星”相呼应。

7. parking orbit 宇宙飞船暂泊轨道

8. entry capsule 返回舱

In the early hours of Saturday, the spacecraft began to descend from its parking orbit, and the entry capsule enclosing the lander and rover separated from the orbiter at about 4 a.m.

周六凌晨，天问一号探测器开始从其驻留轨道下降，包含着陆器和巡视器的返回舱于凌晨4点左右与环绕器分离。

9. hurtle toward 朝……猛冲

After flying for approximately three hours, the entry capsule hurtled toward the red planet and entered the Mars atmosphere at an altitude of 125 km, initiating the riskiest phase of the whole mission.

飞行了大约三个小时后，返回舱冲向火星，并在125公里的高度进入火星大气层，开始了整个任务中最危险的阶段。

10. velocity（沿某一方向运动的）速度

11. relatively flat area 相对平坦的区域

12. jettison 丢弃

The parachute and the outer shield of the spacecraft were then jettisoned, exposing the lander and rover, and the retrorocket on the lander was fired to further slow the speed of the craft to almost zero.

火星车的降落伞和背罩之后脱落，着陆器和巡视器展开，反推火箭打开，将火星车速度降到零。

13. buffer leg 缓冲腿

Avoiding the obstacles, it selected a relatively flat area and descended slowly, touching down safely with its four buffer legs.

着陆器选择了一块相对平坦的区域缓慢下降，以避开障碍，并依靠其四条缓冲腿安全着陆。

14. CNSA(China National Space Administration) 中国国家航天局

“The craft’s plummet through the Martian atmosphere, lasting about nine minutes, was extremely complicated with no ground control, and had to be performed by the spacecraft autonomously,” said Geng Yan, an official at the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA.

中国国家航天局中心的耿燕说：“在没有地面控制的情况下，火星车用九分钟左右的时间在穿过火星大气层的同时速降是极其复杂的，它需要独立执行该任务。”