STARSET_MirrorNASA’s Artemis Era Could Officially Begin in Just 6 Weeks
Speaking to reporters earlier today, NASA officials outlined three potential dates for the inaugural launch of the space agency’s Space Launch System (SLS), the earliest of which could happen on August 29.
今天早些时候，美国宇航局官员向记者介绍了航天局太空发射系统（SLS）首次发射的三个可能日期，最早可能在8月29日。
After years of delays, cost overruns, and technical hurdles, the Artemis 1 mission appears to be finally at hand. Yes, the first mission of the Artemis era involves the maiden voyage of NASA’s gigantic SLS rocket, but there’s more to the mission than just that. The rocket will send an uncrewed Orion capsule on a 272,000-mile (437,000-kilometer) journey to the Moon and back, but without landing. And on its return, Orion must withstand re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere, deploy its parachutes, and perform a successful splashdown in the ocean.
经过多年的延迟、成本超支和技术障碍，阿耳特弥斯1号任务似乎终于到手了。是的，阿耳特弥斯时代的第一次任务涉及美国宇航局巨大的SLS火箭的处女航，但任务不仅仅限于此。火箭将发射一个未覆盖的猎户座太空舱，进行27.2万英里（43.7万公里）的往返月球之旅，但不会着陆。在返回时，猎户座必须经受住重返地球大气层的考验，展开降落伞，并在海洋中成功溅落。
Earlier today, on what is the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, NASA officials provided new details about the timing of this much-anticipated launch. Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said “we have placeholders on the range for August 29, September 2 and September 5.” Weather permitting, of course. Free said the dates are “not an agency commitment” and that a flight readiness review, to be conducted one week prior, will be needed for such a commitment. “But these are the dates that the team is working to,” he added.
今天早些时候，在阿波罗11号登月53周年之际，美国宇航局官员提供了有关这次备受期待的发射时间的新细节。美国宇航局探索系统开发任务理事会副署长吉姆·弗里说：“我们在8月29日、9月2日和9月5日的范围内有占位符。”当然，如果天气允许的话。弗里说，这些日期“不是机构的承诺”，需要提前一周进行飞行准备审查，才能做出这样的承诺。“但这些是团队正在努力的日期。”他补充道。
Indeed, ground teams have been hard at work over the last several weeks in preparation for the inaugural launch. The $23 billion megarocket was carted back to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) following the fourth attempt at a full wet dress rehearsal, in which the rocket was loaded with propellant and ground teams rehearsed the countdown. The wet dress wasn’t perfect, but ground teams were sufficiently satisfied with the results, sending SLS back to the VAB for final fixes and close-outs.
事实上，地面小组在过去几周一直在努力工作，为首次发射做准备。这枚价值230亿美元的巨型火箭在第四次全湿彩排后被运回美国宇航局的车辆装配大楼（VAB），在彩排中，火箭装载了推进剂，地面小组排练了倒计时。湿衣服并不完美，但地面团队对结果非常满意，将SLS送回VAB进行最终修复和收场。
Cliff Langham, NASA’s senior vehicle operations manager, told reporters that a pesky hydrogen leak was remedied and is now awaiting further tests. A loose connection on the umbilical plate was tightened up and is also ready for testing, he added. Should all go as planned, and should the flight readiness review go well, SLS could exit the VAB on August 18 and begin its short journey to Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center.
美国宇航局高级车辆运行经理克利夫·兰厄姆告诉记者，令人讨厌的氢泄漏已得到修复，目前正在等待进一步的测试。他补充说，脐带电缆板上的松动连接已拧紧，也已准备好进行测试。如果一切按计划进行，如果飞行准备审查顺利，SLS可以在8月18日退出VAB，开始其前往肯尼迪航天中心39B发射台的短途旅程。
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