繞月前哨的計劃已經(jīng)成形

繞月前哨的計劃已經(jīng)成形

The mission to return to the moon and create an orbital gateway for deep space exploration just took a big step forward. NASA and the ESA have announced the orbit of the upcoming Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a small space station capable of hosting crews for up to 30 days.

重返月球并為深空探索創(chuàng)造軌道通道的任務(wù)剛剛邁出了一大步。美國宇航局和歐洲航天局宣布了即將到來的月球軌道平臺-網(wǎng)關(guān)的軌道，這是一個小型空間站，可以容納宇航員長達(dá)30天。

In addition to the ESA, the U.S. space agency is also working with the space agencies Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada).

除歐空局外，美國航天局還與俄羅斯的Roscosmos、日本的JAXA和加拿大的CSA等航天機(jī)構(gòu)合作。

"In human spaceflight we don't fly one single, monolithic spacecraft," Florian Renk, mission analyst in ESOC’s Flight Dynamics Division, explained in an ESA news release.

歐洲航天局飛行動力學(xué)部門的任務(wù)分析師弗洛里安·雷克在歐洲航天局的一份新聞稿中解釋說:“在人類航天飛行中，我們不會駕駛一艘單一的、整體的航天器。”

"Instead we fly bits and pieces, putting parts together in space and soon on the surface of the Moon. Some parts we leave behind, some we bring back — the structures are forever evolving."

“取而代之的是，我們將碎片碎片地飛起來，把它們組裝到太空中，很快就能在月球表面上實現(xiàn)。有些部分我們留下了，有些我們帶回了——結(jié)構(gòu)永遠(yuǎn)在進(jìn)化。”

An illustration of NASA's forthcoming Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway. (Photo: NASA)

And the real beauty of the concept is that the project comes together in stages, allowing for smaller missions to set the stage for bigger ones.

這個概念的真正美妙之處在于，該項目分階段進(jìn)行，允許較小的任務(wù)為較大的任務(wù)奠定基礎(chǔ)。

In early 2019, NASA awarded the first contract for the creation of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway's (LOP-G) 40kW power and propulsion elements and development of the station's habitation. Next in line are the logistics and airlock modules. Should all proceed according to plan, the power and propulsion piece will be placed into cislunar space sometime in 2022. Within three years, the complete platform should be ready to begin hosting four-person crews.

在2019年初，美國國家航空航天局授予了第一份合同，為月球軌道平臺- gateway公司(LOP-G)的40kW動力和推進(jìn)元件以及空間站住所的開發(fā)提供服務(wù)。接下來是后勤和氣閘模塊。如果一切按計劃進(jìn)行，動力和推進(jìn)裝置將在2022年某個時候被送入地月空間。在三年內(nèi)，整個平臺應(yīng)該可以容納四名宇航員。

"It’s got fiscal realism, and it’s also adaptable," NASA associate administrator William Gerstenmaier told Bloomberg. "It can adapt to commercial partners. It’s not a rigid program of one mission following another."

NASA副局長威廉·格斯滕梅爾告訴彭博社:“這是一種財政現(xiàn)實主義，同時也具有適應(yīng)性。它可以適應(yīng)商業(yè)伙伴。這不是一個死板的計劃，是一個任務(wù)接一個任務(wù)。”

An illustration of Phase 1 of NASA's mission to develop an orbiting lunar outpost. The first major component of the new station is expected to launch in 2022. (Photo: NASA)

Once complete, the Gateway is expected to provide invaluable insight on the lunar surface, support possible manned trips to the moon, and serve as a gateway for deep space crewed missions to planets like Mars. The halo orbit will create a natural pickup and drop-off window every seven days, when the Gateway is closest to the moon. That same orbit will also create a similar opportunity for deep-space missions.

一旦完成，這條通道有望提供對月球表面無價的洞察，支持可能的載人月球之旅，并作為深空載人任務(wù)的通道，前往火星等行星。光暈軌道每隔7天就會產(chǎn)生一個自然的拾取和落下窗口，此時的入口距離月球最近。同樣的軌道也將為深空任務(wù)創(chuàng)造類似的機(jī)會。

"If we're ever to go to Mars, we have to learn how to operate far from the Earth," Dr. Richard Binzel, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told NBC News. "We need that operational experience. And I think that is the motivation for the Deep Space Gateway — to gain operational experience away from the comfort zone of low-Earth orbit."

“如果我們要去火星，我們必須學(xué)會如何在遠(yuǎn)離地球的地方工作，”麻省理工學(xué)院的行星科學(xué)家理查德·賓澤爾博士告訴NBC新聞。“我們需要這種運(yùn)營經(jīng)驗。我認(rèn)為，這就是“深空門戶”項目的動力所在，它是為了從近地軌道的舒適地帶獲得操作經(jīng)驗。”