美国宇航局期待太阳能为新一代航天器提供动力

The American space agency NASA recently launched its DART spacecraft to test a method to defend Earth against threatening asteroids.
美国宇航局最近发射了它的双小行星重定向测试航天器，以测试一种防止小行星威胁地球的办法。

NASA says the DART mission is also testing several new technologies. One of them is a propulsion system that gets power from the sun. The technology is called solar electric propulsion.
美国宇航局表示，双小行星重定向测试任务还在测试多项新技术。其中之一是通过太阳获取动力的推进系统。该技术被称为太阳能电力推进。

Since the system uses solar power instead of fuel-based engines, it does not need large, heavy fuel tanks. If the technology is successful, it could help power a new generation of spacecraft.
由于该系统使用太阳能而不是基于燃料的发动机，因此它不需要又大又重的油箱。如果这项技术获得成功，它将有助于为新一代航天器提供动力。

NASA officials have said solar electric propulsion can be important to the agency's plans for future exploration. This could include planned missions to take astronauts to the moon and Mars.
美国宇航局官员表示，太阳能电力推进对于该机构未来的探索计划很重要。这可能包括将宇航员送上月球或火星的计划任务。

The solar-powered system included on the DART mission is known as NEXT-C. It was developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio and built by rocket maker Aerojet Rocketdyne.
双小行星重定向测试任务中包含的太阳能系统被称之为NEXT-C。它是由美国宇航局位于俄亥俄州的格伦研究中心开发的，并由火箭制造商洛克达因公司建造。

The technology is based on systems used on NASA spacecraft in the past that carried out asteroid exploration missions. Scientists working on NEXT-C development said the new system is expected to be "about three times as powerful" as ones used in the past.
这项技术是基于美国宇航局过去执行小行星探测任务的航天器上使用的系统。致力于NEXT-C开发的科学家们表示，新系统有望比过去使用的系统强大三倍。

Most propulsion systems use fuels to produce chemical reactions to provide thrust, moving the spacecraft. NEXT-C is a propulsion system that uses electricity to convert xenon gas into xenon ions. As the ions are released, they provide the force to move the spacecraft. Large solar collectors produce electricity from sunlight.
大多数推进系统使用燃料产生化学反应来提供推力，从而推动航天器。NEXT-C是一项利用电力将氙气转化为氙离子的推进系统。当氙离子被释放时，它们提供动力推动航天器。大型太阳能集热器通过太阳光中发电。

NEXT-C is not the main propulsion system for DART. It was included in the mission to test its effectiveness. However, the technology will be the main propulsion system for the upcoming NASA mission called Psyche.
NEXT-C并非双小行星重定向测试任务的主推进系统。它被包含在这项任务中以测试其有效性。然而，该技术将成为美国宇航局即将到来的灵神星任务的主推进系统。

The Psyche spacecraft will travel to a metal asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. NASA says it expects to launch Psyche in August. The spacecraft is to travel about 2.4 billion kilometers over three-and-a-half years to reach the asteroid.
灵神星号飞船将前往火星和金星之间围绕太阳运行的一颗金属小行星。美国宇航局表示，它预计将在明年8月发射灵神星号飞船。该飞船将在3年半的时间里飞行约24亿公里抵达这颗小行星。

Once in orbit, the mission team will examine data gathered by Psyche's science instruments. Scientists believe the asteroid may be part of the metallic core of an early planet. They say the asteroid could have separated during violent crashes that happened during our solar system's early formation.
一旦进入轨道，任务团队将会检查灵神星号飞船上的科学仪器收集到的数据。科学家们认为这颗小行星可能是早期行星的一部分金属核心。他们表示，这颗小行星可能是在太阳系早期形成期间发生的剧烈碰撞中散开的。

NASA says once Psyche separates from its launch vehicle, it will depend on solar electric propulsion to reach its target. The spacecraft is also expected to get a gravitational push when it passes by Mars.
美国宇航局表示，一旦灵神星号飞船与其运载火箭分离，它将依靠太阳能电力推进抵达目标。预计该飞船在经过火星时也会受到引力推动。

The space agency says Psyche will be the first spacecraft to use the solar propulsion thrusters beyond the orbit of our moon. NASA describes the thrust as "gentle," but strong enough to propel the spacecraft on its long trip.
美国宇航局表示，灵神星号将成为首个在月球轨道以外使用太阳能推进器的飞船。美国宇航局称这种推力很柔和，但是足以推动航天器长途跋涉。

NASA said testing has shown that the system is highly effective. Scientists estimate that Psyche's thrusters "could operate for years without running out of fuel."
美国宇航局表示，测试表明该系统非常有效。科学家们估计，灵神星号飞船的推进器可以运行多年而不会耗尽燃料。

Lindy Elkins-Tanton, of Arizona State University, is a NASA investigator and leads the Psyche mission. "Even in the beginning, when we were first designing the mission in 2012, we were talking about solar electric propulsion as part of the plan," she said in a statement. "Without it, we wouldn't have the Psyche mission."
亚利桑那州立大学的 林迪·埃尔金斯-坦顿是美国宇航局的一名调查员，并领导了灵神星任务。她在一份声明中表示：“即使在一开始，在我们2012年首次设计该任务时，我们就在讨论将太阳能电力推进作为计划的一部分。没有它，就没有灵神星任务。”

Paulo Lozano directs the space propulsion laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He told MIT Technology Review that he thinks Psyche can help create a path to new solar-powered space exploration. The technology could permit longer and less costly missions. "It actually opens up the possibility to explore and to commercialize space in a way that we haven't seen before," Lozano said.
保罗·洛萨诺领导了麻省理工学院的空间推进实验室。他对《麻省理工学院技术评论》表示，他认为灵神星任务可以帮助开辟一条新的太阳能太空探索之路。这项技术可以执行时间更长、成本更低的任务。洛萨诺表示：“它实际上开辟了以我们以前从未见过的方式探索和商业化太空的可能性。”

I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。