VOA慢速英語：以色列登月太空飛船成功發(fā)射

Israeli Spacecraft Makes History with Successful Moon Launch

以色列登月太空飛船成功發(fā)射

An Israeli spacecraft is on its way to the moon.

一艘以色列太空飛船正在飛向月球。

The unmanned moon landing vehicle was launched Thursday night from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the United States.

這架無人登月車于周四晚上從美國卡納維拉爾角空軍基地發(fā)射升空。

The private U.S. company SpaceX manufactured the Falcon 9 rocket that sent the Israeli spacecraft into the night sky. In addition to the robotic lander, the Falcon 9 also carried two satellites into space: one for Indonesia and the other for the U.S. Air Force.

美國私營公司SpaceX制造的獵鷹9號火箭將這艘以色列航天器送入了夜空。除了這個機械著陸器，獵鷹9號火箭還搭載了兩顆衛(wèi)星進入太空：一顆屬于印尼，另一顆屬于美國空軍。

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the launch from the control center of Israel Aerospace Industries, or IAI. He called it "a very proud moment" for his country.

以色列總理內(nèi)塔尼亞胡在以色列航天工業(yè)公司(簡稱IAI)的控制中心觀看了這次發(fā)射。他稱這是該國的“榮耀時刻。”

Israel is seeking to become only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon after Russia, the U.S. and China. The four-legged lunar lander is expected to arrive there in seven weeks. If all goes well, the landing will happen around April 11.

以色列正在尋求成為繼俄羅斯、美國和中國之后第四個成功登陸月球的國家。這架四足的月球著陸器預計在7周內(nèi)抵達那里，如果進展順利，它將會在4月11日左右登陸月球。

The spacecraft is called Beresheet, which is the Hebrew word for Genesis, or "In the Beginning." The lander is equipped with instruments to measure the moon's magnetic field and take pictures on the lunar surface.

這艘太空飛船被稱為Beresheet號，在希伯來語中的意思是創(chuàng)世紀或是初始。著陸器配備了儀器來測量月球的磁場，并在月球表面拍照。

In addition to being a first for Israel, Beresheet would also mark the first moon landing by a non-government agency. Officials have said the $100 million project was mostly paid for by private donors.

除了是以色列的首次，創(chuàng)世紀號也將標志著非政府機構首次登陸月球。官員們表示，這項耗資1億美元的項目主要由私人捐助者資助。

Israeli nonprofit space organization SpaceIL worked together with state-owned IAI to build the 580-kilogram spacecraft.

以色列非營利性組織SpaceIL與國有的以色列航天工業(yè)公司合作打造了這艘重達580公斤的太空飛船。

An official from IAI said Beresheet is the lowest-cost spacecraft to ever attempt a moon mission. "The superpowers who managed to land a spacecraft on the Moon have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding," the official said.

以色列航天工業(yè)公司的一名官員表示，創(chuàng)世紀號是有史以來嘗試登月任務中成本最低的太空飛船。這位官員表示：“完成在月球上登陸太空飛船的超級大國耗費了數(shù)億美元的政府資金。”

China made history in January by becoming the first nation to land a spacecraft on the dark side of the moon – the side facing away from Earth.

中國在1月份歷史性地成為首個在月球黑暗面，也就是遠地球端登陸太空飛船的國家。

India hopes to become the fifth country to land on the moon later this year. It plans to send a spacecraft that will have an exploring vehicle designed to collect moon information.

印度希望今年晚些時候成為第5個登陸月球的國家。該國計劃發(fā)射一艘太空飛船，該飛船將會攜帶一架旨在收集月球信息的探索車。

In other space-related news, a Japanese spacecraft touched down Friday on an asteroid more than 300 million kilometers away from Earth.

在其它太空相關新聞中，一艘日本太空飛船周五在一顆距離地球3億多公里的小行星上著陸。

Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency said its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid Ryugu. Officials said the device extended a long arm toward the asteroid and fired a small object into its surface. The firing action was designed to produce dust that will be collected and brought back to Earth for examination.

日本宇宙航空研究開發(fā)機構稱其隼鳥2號太空飛船成功降落在龍宮小行星上。有關官員表示，該裝置向這顆小行星伸出長臂并向其表面發(fā)射了一個小物體。這種射擊動作旨在激起灰塵，這些灰塵將會被收集起來帶回地球研究。

It was the second Japanese landing on an asteroid after another spacecraft, also called Hayabusa, touched down on a near-Earth asteroid in 2005. That spacecraft was the first to bring asteroid dust back to Earth.

這是日本繼隼鳥號太空飛船之后第二次在小行星上著陸。隼鳥號太空飛船于2005年在一顆近地小行星上著陸，該太空飛船首次將小行星塵埃帶回地球。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布萊恩·林恩報道。