太空游時代來臨？維珍銀河本周或向太空發射旅行火箭
Virgin Galactic could send its tourist rocket to space THIS WEEK: Record-breaking test flight will see pilots experience weightlessness
維珍銀河公司本周可能向太空發射旅行火箭：破紀錄的試飛將使飛行員體驗失重狀態
素材來源：《每日郵報》 翻譯：世界播
Virgin Galactic could send one of its rockets into space for the first time this week.
維珍銀河公司本周可能首次向太空發射一枚火箭。
Richard Branson"s space firm says its next test flight, currently scheduled for Thursday, will "burn the rocket motor for durations which will see our pilots and spaceship reach a space altitude for the first time."
這家由理查德?布蘭森領導的太空公司表示，該公司定於周四進行的下一次試飛將「持續燃燒火箭發動機，使我們的飛行員和宇宙飛船首次達到太空高度」。
Branson has previously said his space tourism firm will carry passengers beyond orbit "not too long after" that - with him on the first flight.
布蘭森此前曾表示，他的太空旅行公司將在「不久後」運載乘客超越軌道，與他一起進行首次飛行。
Richard Branson理查德?布蘭森
"Our SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, is entering the next stage of testing," Galactic said.
該公司稱，「我們的太空船二號VSS Unity，正在進入下一個測試階段。」
"During this phase of the flight program we will be expanding the envelope for altitude, air speed, loads, and thermal heating.
「在飛行計劃的這一階段，我們將擴大飛行高度、飛行速度、載荷和熱輻射的範圍。」
"We also plan to burn the rocket motor for durations which will see our pilots and spaceship reach a space altitude for the first time.
「我們還計劃將火箭發動機燃燒一段時間，見證我們的飛行員和宇宙飛船首次達到太空高度。」
"Although this could happen as soon as the next flight, the nature of flight test means that it may take us a little longer to get to that milestone."
「儘管這可能在下一次飛行時就能做到，但飛行測試的性質意味著，我們可能還需要更長時間才能達到這一里程碑。」
Virgin has not specified what it means by "space altitude," but company officials have previously said they were using the altitude of 50 miles, or approximately 80 kilometers, used by NASA and the U.S. Air Force for awarding astronaut wings.
維珍航空並沒有具體說明「太空高度」是什麼意思，但該公司管理人士此前曾說，他們採用的高度為50英里（約80公里）——NASA和美國空軍用於授予宇航員翅膀的高度。
"For Virgin Galactic, the major milestone that we perceive is the altitude at which NASA and Air Force folks get their astronaut wings, which is 50 miles," George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic, said last month.
上個月，維珍銀河首席執行長喬治?懷特賽斯說，「對於維珍銀河來說，我們認為最重要的里程碑是NASA和空軍人員獲得宇航員翅膀的高度，也就是50英里。」
"For us and our customers, I think we"ll be focused on 50 miles, at least at the start."
「對於我們和我們的客戶來說，我認為我們將專註於50英里，至少在一開始是這樣。」
Branson is in a race with SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to be the first to send paying tourists into space.
布蘭森正在與SpaceX創始人埃隆?馬斯克和亞馬遜首席執行官傑夫?貝佐斯競爭，希望成為第一個將付費遊客送上太空的公司。
Virgin Galactic, which is charging ￡190,000 ($250,000) for a spot on one of its commercial flights, has previously said it would send passengers to space in 2019.
維珍銀河公司對其商業航班上每一位乘客收取19萬英鎊（25萬美元）的費用，此前該公司曾表示將於2019年將乘客送上太空。
The multi-millionaire admitted earlier this year that the number of spurious claims he has made about Virgin Galactic flight dates was "embarrassing".
這位億萬富翁今年早些時候承認，他關於維珍銀河航班日期的錯誤聲明「令人尷尬」。
"Incremental flight test programs are by definition open-ended and, to a great extent, each test depends on the data from the test that precedes it," Galactic said regarding this weeks test.
該公司在談到本周的測試時說，「增量飛行測試項目的定義是開放式的，在很大程度上，每次測試都取決於之前測試的數據。」
"There is no guarantee that everything will work perfectly first time and, like all programs seeking to take bold steps, we will inevitably have times when things don"t go as planned."
「沒有人能保證第一次就能把每件事都完美完成，就像所有採取大膽嘗試措施的項目一樣，我們難免會遇到事情沒有按計划進行的時候。」
The window for the fourth powered test flight opens on December 13, 2018.
第四次動力試飛的窗口將於2018年12月13日開啟。
"If all goes to plan our pilots will experience an extended period of micro-gravity as SpaceShipTwo coasts to apogee, although they will remain securely strapped in throughout.
「如果一切按計划進行，當太空船二號移動到最高點時，我們的飛行員將經歷一段較長時間的微重力，不過他們仍會被牢牢地綁在艙內。」
"They should also have some pretty spectacular views which we look forward to sharing as soon as possible post flight."
「他們應該還能看到一些非常壯觀的景色，我們希望在飛行結束後儘快與大家分享。」
The fledgling space firm also plans to carry four research payloads that are part of the NASA Flight Opportunities Program.
這家羽翼未豐的航天公司還計劃搭載4個研究載荷，作為NASA 「飛行機會項目」的一部分。
"Whether we complete all our objectives during the next flight or need to wait a little longer, we remain committed to completing the final stages of this extraordinary flight test program as quickly, but more importantly as safely, as possible."
「無論我們是在下一趟飛行中完成所有目標，還是需要再等一段時間，我們都將繼續致力於盡快完成這一非凡飛行測試項目的最後階段，但更重要的是儘可能安全。」
Virgin Galactic, founded by Branson in 2004, is working to carry tourists on a brief journey to space, dozens of miles above the Earth"s surface.
維珍銀河公司由布蘭森於2004年創立，目前正致力於將遊客送上距離地球表面數英里的太空。
Tourists will spend several minutes floating in zero gravity, aboard a spaceship that approaches or passes through the Karman line, the boundary of Earth"s atmosphere and space, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) high.
遊客將乘坐一艘接近或超越卡門線的宇宙飛船，在失重狀態下漂浮幾分鐘。卡門線是地球大氣層和太空的邊界，高約62英里（100公里）。
For comparison, astronauts at the orbiting International Space Station fly some 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
相比之下，國際空間站的宇航員在地球上空的飛行高度大約250英里（400公里）。
The company first promised to fly tourists into space by the start of 2009, but multiple delays and a fatal test flight crash in 2014 have pushed its first spaceflight back numerous times.
該公司最初承諾在2009年初之前將遊客送上太空，但多次延誤和2014年一次致命的試飛事故，已多次推遲了其首次太空飛行。
Virgin Galactic completed its first supersonic flight since the infamous crash, which killed one test pilot and severely injured another, earlier this year, bringing it closer to its goal of offering commercial spaceflight to the 600 patrons who have paid $250,000 for a ride.
今年早些時候，維珍銀河完成了自那次不光彩的墜機事故以來的首次超音速飛行，讓它距離為600名付費25萬美元的乘客提供商業航天的目標更近了一步。那次事故導致一名試飛員喪生，另一名試飛員嚴重受傷。
Branson said "ultimately" he would like to see the price fall to around ￡30,000 ($40,000) or ￡38,000 ($50,000) over the next ten years.
布蘭森說「實際上」他希望在接下來的十年，飛行價格會下降到大概3萬英鎊（4萬美元）或3.8萬英鎊（5萬美元）。
Plans call for six passengers and two pilots to ride the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, which resembles a private jet.
計劃需要六名乘客和兩名飛行員乘坐太空船二號VSS Unity——一架類似私人飛機的飛船。
The VSS Unity will be attached to a carrier spacecraft - the WhiteKnightTwo - from which it will detach at around 49,000 feet (15,000 meters.)
VSS Unity將與一艘運載飛船——「白衣騎士二號」相連，它將在大約4.9萬英尺（1.5萬米）的高度與之分離。
Once released, the spaceship will fire up its rocket, and head for the sky.
一旦發射，太空飛船將點燃火箭，飛向天空。
Passengers will float in zero-gravity for several minutes, before coming back to Earth.
乘客將在失重狀態下漂浮幾分鐘，之後返回地球。
The total trip time would last between 90 minutes and two hours.
整個行程將持續90分鐘到兩個小時。
TAG:世界播 |