2010/09/13

This Day in History September 12… 歷史上的今天 9月12日

In 1992, the NASA space program in the US had many firsts. On this date, the Space Shuttle Endeavour was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was Endeavour's second mission as well as the shuttle program's 50th. However, what set this nine-day mission apart from others was the fact that it took the first African-American woman, the first Japanese astronaut aboard a US spaceship, and the first married couple together into space. Interestingly, Endeavour will also see some lasts because it will be the last shuttle to be launched into space on the final flight of the US Space Shuttle Program in 2011.
在1992年間,美 國航太總署的太空計劃發生了許多「第一次」。在當年的今天,「奮進號」太空梭於佛羅里達州的甘迺迪太空中心發射升空。這是奮進號的第二趟任務,也是整個太 空梭計劃的第50次。但是這趟歷時9天的太空任務之所以與眾不同,在於它一口氣將第一位非裔美籍女士、第一位搭乘美國太空船的日本太空人,以及第一對夫婦 (圖,資料照片)送入太空。有趣的是,奮進號也將見證某些的「最終回」,因為它將於2011年成為美國太空梭計劃中最後一架升空的太空梭。

單字片語

◎space shuttle
n. 太空梭
◎endeavour
n. 努力;嘗試
◎launch
vt. 發射(火箭、飛彈等);發起(運動)
例:The army launched a test missile at a dry lake bed yesterday.(軍方昨天在某個乾枯的湖床上進行飛彈試射。)
◎set A apart from B
使A有別於B
例:It is our ability to think that set humans apart from other animals.(人類的思考能力使我們有別於其它動物。)
◎astronaut
n. 太空人
◎aboard
prep. 在(車、船或飛機)上

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