1 . The road to Mars is long and fraught with peril. One challenge is getting humans to the red planet; another is ensuring that once they’ve arrived, they’ll be able to manage life there.
To prepare astronauts for an extended stay on Mars, NASA’s latest simulated mission, CHAPEA — Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog — will isolate four people inside a mock-Mars base in Texas for 378 days — roughly the time a manned mission to Mars would spend on the surface.
Once inside they will adopt a pre-planned schedule taking part in simulated activities and science work, eating like astronauts, and dealing with maintenance and equipment failures, while undergoing strenuous psychological and physiological testing.
The first simulation will begin in June, and will be followed by two more, each with a different crew in identical conditions, with the last simulation starting in 2026.
“We’ve built a high-accuracy Mars surface mission scenario,” says Scott M. Smith, co-investigator for CHAPEA. The participants will experience a 22-minute delay in external communications, as astronauts would on Mars. Ambient noise will be played through speakers around the base, ensuring no outside sounds can be heard by participants.
Aiming for accuracy has resulted in a habitat that could be feasibly built on Mars, Smith adds. The base, called “Mars Dune Alpha”, is a custom design by Bjarke Ingels Group and 3D-printing company ICON, and resides inside a hangar at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Printed in a month from ICON’s concrete formula dubbed “Lavacrete”, on Mars, the idea is to build using Martian soil.
“NASA has evaluated a tremendous number of options for off-world habitat construction — repurposed rockets and landers, inflatables, assembled buildings, etc.,” explains ICON CEO Jason Ballard. “They’ve come to believe what we believe: that when you evaluate it from a financial, safety and flexibility standpoint, robotic construction using local materials is far and away the best option.”
1. What’s the purpose of NASA’s latest simulated mission?| A．To get astronauts to Mars. | B．To isolate four people inside a base in Mars. |
| C．To help astronauts to do experiments in Mars. | D．To prepare astronauts for managing life in Mars. |
| A．The last simulation will end in 2026. |
| B．Each stimulation has a different crew in the same conditions. |
| C．The participants can hear outside sounds. |
| D．The participants will do things different from those that astronauts do. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Pessimistic. | C．Optimistic. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Making comparison. | B．Giving examples. |
| C．Analyzing causes and effects. | D．Listing figures. |
2 . The Federal Communications Commission of the US recently issued the first-ever fine for space junk, against the Dish Network. The satellite television company failed to properly deal with one of its satellites, leaving it at a lower orbit than it promised when securing its license.
Some space junk was discarded during missions — maybe an astronaut dropped his lucky penny, or released an instrument’s camera cover after it was no longer needed. Other junk, however, is the result of collisions: Even that lucky penny, traveling at 15 times the speed of a bullet, can cause huge damage — ending a satellite’s mission or, worse, breaking that satellite into pieces.
That’s obviously bad news for satellites. The solution isn’t to demand the launch of fewer satellites; these bring real benefits to people on the Earth.
And while traffic management is certainly necessary, pieces of garbage are never going to be able to follow even the most sensible rules of the orbital road. That means two things need to happen: People need to stop littering, and they need to take out some trash.
The professionals, unsurprisingly, have more carefully considered names for these processes — mitigation (减轻) and remediation (补救). Any time a company wants to put a satellite in the sky, it should have a clear plan for the instrument’s end of life. For objects in very high geostationary orbit (地球同步轨道), this usually involves sending the item to the out-of-the-way “graveyard” orbit. For objects lower down, it tends instead to involve moving them lower still, so that they will bum up upon reentering the atmosphere.
Active removal of garbage that has failed to get out of the way is technically tricky, but at least for large objects, remediation is possible.
Encouragingly, some countries are beginning to try. No nation, however, can save space on its own. A global convention (协定) to set a 21st-century code of conduct for space is in order.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Collected up. | B．Thrown away. |
| C．Produced. | D．Ignored. |
| A．The satellites benefit our life a lot. |
| B．We need new satellites to replace old ones. |
| C．Countries are using satellites to occupy space. |
| D．We must make a deeper exploration into the universe. |
① Sending satellites to the “graveyard” orbit.
② Moving objects lower still.
③ Active removal of debris.
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①③ | D．①②③ |
| A．To provide solutions to space junk. |
| B．To explain the damage of space junk. |
| C．To call upon countries to fine companies making space junk. |
| D．To appeal to nations for the protection off space environment. |
3 . The International Space Station (ISS) is a science laboratory in space. It is made of many different pieces that have been added on slowly since 1998. The group of astronauts working there changes often, but people have been living in the ISS for almost 18 years.
On Wednesday, NASA discovered that there was a leak in the ISS. The station is full of air that the astronauts can breathe. But outside the ISS, in space, there is no air. That means the pressure inside the station is much higher. So, the ISS was like a bike tire with a tiny hole in it.
On Thursday, the astronauts went to work and soon found the leak. It was less than 2 millimeters wide. That’s about as wide as the lead (笔芯) on a pencil that hasn’t been sharpened. The hole is in a Russian part of the station, called the Soyuz. The Soyuz is the spacecraft that brought three of the astronauts to the ISS. Luckily, the Soyuz can still be used to return to Earth. When the astronauts first found the leak, German astronaut Alexander Gerst did something that seemed very natural — he covered the hole with his thumb. Because the hole was so tiny, the astronauts were never in any danger. But it was still important to stop the leak. While they waited for more advice from Earth, the astronauts covered the hole with special tape. After many people discussed the problem on the ground, the astronauts were told how to fix the hole. Sergey Prokopyev of Russia did the job, filling the hole with cloth soaked in special glue.
The repair seems to have worked. The astronauts were able to get the air pressure back to normal. On Friday, the astronauts returned to their regular work.
NASA says that the hole was probably made by a tiny bit of a meteorite (陨石) — a rock flying through space. Some people believe the hole could be from a screw (螺丝) that came loose. It is also possible that the station was hit by a small piece of “space debris (残骸)” — tiny pieces of trash from other spacecraft. As more and more rockets and satellites are sent into space, space debris is a more common problem.
1. What was the problem with the ISS?| A．The air started to go out from the ISS. |
| B．The ISS was hit by a piece of space debris. |
| C．The pressure outside the ISS was higher than that inside. |
| D．The astronauts inside the ISS had difficulty in breathing. |
| A．It was as sharp as a pencil lead. |
| B．It was caused by three of Russian astronauts. |
| C．It had posed a great danger to the astronauts. |
| D．It was so small that the thumb could cover it. |
| A．A thumb and special tape. | B．Special tape and cloth soaked in special glue. |
| C．A pencil lead and special tape. | D．A pencil and cloth soaked in special glue. |
| A．The Danger of the Leak in the International Space Station |
| B．The International Space Station Finds the Origin of the Leak |
| C．New Ways to Fix the Leak in the International Space Station |
| D．Astronauts Fix the Leak in the International Space Station |
4 . Starman, the dummy (仿真人) riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster (特斯拉敞篷车) through space, has made his closest approach ever to Mars. The electric roadster and its passenger were attached to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket during the SpaceX rocket’s first test launch on 6 February 2018.
Two years later, the Falcon Heavy rocket and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the Sun. Mr. McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, found that Starman passed 7.4 million kilometers from Mars at 06:25 GMT 7 October, 2020.
The closest recent approach between the Earth and Mars was 56 million kilometers in 2003, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on where they are in their orbits. No one can see the Falcon Heavy rocket at its current distance, but orbits over periods of a few years are fairly straightforward to predict, and Mr. McDowell used data about how the rocket was moving when it left the Earth’s gravity behind to locate its recent movements exactly.
Last time Starman circled the Sun, McDowell said, it crossed Mars’ orbit while the Red Planet was quite far away. But this time the crossing lined up with a fairly close approach, though still not close enough to feel a strong tug from Mars.
At this point in time, if you were able to go look at the Roadster, it would probably look pretty different. The strong solar radiation environment between the planets would probably have destroyed all the exposed organic materials.
Without the Earth’s atmospheric and magnetic (磁场的) protection, even the plastics and carbon-fibre materials would start to break up. Over the course of decades or centuries, the car will end up with its aluminium (铝) frame and hard glass parts—that’s assuming that none of them get destroyed in impacts with passing space rocks.
1. What can we know from the first two paragraphs?| A．Starman is now circling around the Earth in its orbit. |
| B．Starman has set out on its second trip around the Sun. |
| C．Starman has traveled 7.4 million kilometers after launch. |
| D．Starman still has a long way to go before getting to Mars. |
| A．By seeking professional help from SpaceX. | B．By predicting its future orbit around the Earth. |
| C．By keeping Starman under visual observation. | D．By analyzing data related to the rocket’s movements. |
| A．Pull. | B．Drive. | C．Resistance. | D．Pressure. |
| A．Starman’s circling around the Earth | B．The dialogue between the Earth and Mars |
| C．Starman’s further approach to the Mars | D．SpaceX’s vision in its next space mission |
American scientists are working to develop a telescope to deploy(部署) on the moon. The telescope is designed to search for ancient radiowaves
6 . On Dec 9, 2021, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu held their first open class aboard the Tianhe core module of the Chinese space station for pupils.
In the 50-minute online class, the three astronauts explained daily life in space, how to walk in a microgravity environment and showed the children how to recycle water, oxygen and carbon dioxide in their environment. Applause broke out among the 1,420-strong audience at the CSTM when one of the three astronauts poured out water, which formed into a perfect ball. Applause broke out again when they put an effervescent tablet (泡腾片) into the water, which sparked into bubbles (气泡). But the bubbles did not burst and instead stayed complete.
The open science lesson was broadcast live to the nation. On domestic video-sharing website Bilibili alone, the open course was watched at least 6 million times, with more views on other platforms and TV channels.
For Shi Hao, a space specialist at China Acrospace Science and Technology Corporation, the growing desire of school pupils to pursue knowledge about space reflects the growing potential of China in exploring the universe in the future.
“I still remember how impressed I was by the launch of Shenzhou VI in September 2005. From then on, I have carved out the dream of pursuing my career in astronautics from the bottom of my heart.” Shi said. “For many people like me, this is not only a job, but a lifelong addiction and commitment. It is of vital importance to let Chinese youths touch astronautics during their childhood so as to sustain the building of talents.”
He was echoed (回应) by Zhou, who places high hopes on the future of China’s space industry. “We have a population of 1.4 billion, of which more than 200 million are pupils at school. By inspiring their enthusiasm, China will get an abundant supply of talents for the national space research team.” “Chinese people will step further in the universe and the hope lies in our children,” he added.
1. What happened to the bubbles in the experiment?| A．They kept in an original state. |
| B．They broke all of a sudden. |
| C．They disappeared completely. |
| D．They floated in the space craft. |
| A．He was born with a talent in astronautics. |
| B．He is devoted to his career in astronautics. |
| C．He is an inspiration to many school pupils. |
| D．He was involved in the launch of Shenzhou VI. |
| A．It is tough to inspire pupils’ enthusiasm at school. |
| B．It is essential to expose children to space exploration. |
| C．It is unlikely to get abundant space research talents. |
| D．It is challenging to launch space courses among pupils. |
| A．To introduce a unique lesson about an experiment in space. |
| B．To compliment the great achievements of space made in China. |
| C．To strengthen the importance of space knowledge among pupils. |
| D．To encourage astronautics staffs to devote themselves to their career. |
7 . Nuclear bombs. That’s the go-to answer for incoming space objects like asteroids (小行星) and comets, as far as Hollywood is concerned. Movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon rely on nuclear weapons, delivered by stars like Bruce Willis, to save the world and deliver the drama.
But planetary defense experts say in reality, if astronomers spotted a dangerous incoming space rock, the safest and best answer might be something more subtle, like simply pushing it off course by crashing it with a small spacecraft.
That’s just what NASA did on Monday evening, when a spacecraft headed straight into an asteroid called Dimorphos, which is around 7 million miles away and poses no threat to Earth. It’s about 525 feet across and orbits another larger asteroid.
In images streamed as the impact neared, the egg-shaped asteroid grew in size from a little spot on screen to having its full rocky surface come quickly into focus before the signal went dead as the craft hit right on target.
Events happened exactly as engineers had planned, they said, with nothing going wrong. “As far as we can tell, our first planetary defense test was a success,” said Elena Adams, the mission systems engineer, who added that scientists looked on with “both terror and joy” as the spacecraft neared its final destination.
The impact was the peak of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a 7- year and more than $ 300 million effort which launched a space vehicle in November of 2021 to perform humanity’s first ever test of planetary defense technology. It will be about two months, scientists said, before they will be able to determine if the impact was enough to drive the asteroid slightly off course, probably shortening its original orbit.
NASA plans to launch an asteroid-hunting space telescope named NEO Surveyor in 2026. “We’ve tracked lots of space rocks, especially the larger ones that could cause extinction-level events. Thankfully, none currently threatens Earth. But many asteroids the size of Dimorphos haven’t yet been discovered, and those could potentially take out a city if they came crashing down.” explains Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer.
1. How did scientists know the craft hit the asteroid successfully?| A．The little spot on the screen suddenly disappeared. |
| B．The signal from the craft was lost as it hit the target. |
| C．They monitored the craft with satellites in space. |
| D．They recorded the whole process with a telescope. |
| A．To save the world and deliver a drama. | B．To search for evidence of alien life. |
| C．To test technology for defending Earth. | D．To end the asteroid’s threat to Earth. |
| A．It is expected to blow up after the impact. | B．It may orbit the same asteroid after the hit. |
| C．It is an egg-shaped asteroid around Earth. | D．It is a dangerous incoming space rock. |
| A．Larger asteroids will no longer threaten Earth. |
| B．NASA is responsible for the safety of Earth. |
| C．Asteroids are equally destructive whatever the size. |
| D．NEO Surveyor is aimed to track smaller asteroids. |
8 . After nearly 70 years of space exploration, Earth is now surrounded by space junk. Recently, an accident made the cleanup more difficult to start.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA) , scientists plan on testing their “junk truck”, ClearSpace-1, in 2025. It’s a spacecraft with four arms that can catch debris (碎片) and bring it back to Earth. They have chosen to bring back VESPA, a 113-kilogram, two-meter-wide rocket part. However, in August, it was hit by another piece of space junk, creating new pieces. The ESA is now revising its cleanup plan.
Most satellites today are sent into Earth’s low orbit, which reaches up to around 2, 000 kilometers above the Earth. There, spacecraft are most likely to crash with each other. There may be as many as 170 million pieces of space junk in orbit. Big or small, any of the pieces can cause harm to a spacecraft.
In terms of the cleanup, scientists have some other ideas. One popular plan is to equip a spacecraft with harpoons (叉) and magnets (磁铁) . The craft would shoot the harpoon to stick into the debris before “throwing” it back to Earth. Magnets could move the debris, changing its direction. The debris would burn after entering Earth’s atmosphere so there wouldn’t be much left when it reaches Earth. Scientists are also considering shooting lasers (激光) from spacecraft to heat up the debris’ surface, creating a small push that would change the debris’ orbit. This change would allow the debris to be caught by Earth’s gravity.
Space junk can be very dangerous, and space agencies around the world are testing and planning the cleanup. But why haven’t they done anything yet? One reason is the expense.
It would take between $4, 000 and $60, 000 per kilogram to catch one piece of debris larger than 10 cm. And around $300 million is needed to develop the laser technology.
1. What’s the mission of ClearSpace-1?| A．To mark Earth’s low orbit. | B．To monitor space debris. |
| C．To study the harm of space junk. | D．To bring VESPA back to Earth. |
| A．By burning it up in space. | B．By pushing it into deeper space. |
| C．By moving it towards a spacecraft. | D．By redirecting it into the atmosphere. |
| A．It’s complex. | B．It’s risky. | C．It’s costly. | D．It’s changeable. |
| A．Escaping from Crowded Space | B．Looking for Ways to Clean up Space |
| C．Dangerous Space Debris | D．Exceptional Space Exploration |
China’s Shenzhou 14 crew spent the Mid-Autumn Festival in space
China
The three astronauts recorded their first Mid-Autumn Festival at the space station with
“We are very grateful to the ground team for making our space life full of romance and surprises,” said Liu Yang, holding up a food bag
Kjell Lindgren wanted to be an astronaut for as long as he could remember. He spent much of his childhood abroad with his family on several U. S. Air Force
Lindgren’s hopes of becoming an astronaut, though, would come to
So Lindgren came to a medical school, eventually specializing in emergency medicine. As part of his training, he
Lindgren worked as a flight doctor at NASA, treating crews that were preparing for spaceflight. Then, in 2009, he was selected as a NASA astronaut. Since then, Lindgren
