As the countdown ticked down to zero at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 29, 10 engines at the bottom of a Long March 5B heavy-lift carrier rocket roared to life, generating a thrust power of 1,068 metric tons to lift the 18-story-tall vehicle through thick rain clouds covering the coastal city of Wenchang.
4月29日，隨著發(fā)射倒計(jì)時(shí)數(shù)字的閃動(dòng)到0，長(zhǎng)征五號(hào)B遙二火箭，在海南文昌航天發(fā)射場(chǎng)點(diǎn)火升空。在10臺(tái)發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)產(chǎn)生的1068公噸推力下，這一18層樓高的龐然大物穿過(guò)文昌上空厚厚的云層，直沖云霄。

The rocket managed to send the core capsule of China’s space station, named Tianhe, into its planned orbit. In 1992, China’s government proposed a “three-step” strategy for aerospace engineering by first building a manned spacecraft, followed by building mini space stations (Tiangong-1 and -2) and then China’s own space station. This launch has brought China closer to its final goal.
運(yùn)載火箭成功將空間站天和核心艙送入預(yù)設(shè)軌道。1992年，我國(guó)提出了航空航天工程的“三步走”戰(zhàn)略。第一步：建成載人飛船；第二步：建造空間實(shí)驗(yàn)室（天宮一號(hào)和天宮二號(hào)）；第三步：建造中國(guó)自己的空間站。此次發(fā)射讓中國(guó)離最終目標(biāo)又近了一步。

As the future management and control center of China’s space station, the total length of the core module is 16.6 meters, around the height of a 5-story building. With a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters, it is more spacious than a train or subway carriage.
作為中國(guó)空間站的未來(lái)管理和控制中心，天和核心艙全長(zhǎng)16.6米，有大約5層樓高。其中最大直徑有4.2米，比一列火車和地鐵的車廂還寬敞。

The Tianhe core capsule’s launch kicks off a series of launch missions that aims to complete the construction of China’s space station. After completion by the end of 2022, China’s space station will be a T shape, with the core module at the center and a lab capsule on each side. It will be able to support three astronauts to work and live in for a long time or six astronauts at most for a short time.
天和核心艙發(fā)射，為圍繞中國(guó)空間站建設(shè)的后續(xù)發(fā)射任務(wù)奠定了基礎(chǔ)。我國(guó)將于2022年完成空間站在軌建造，空間站以天和核心艙、問(wèn)天實(shí)驗(yàn)艙、夢(mèng)天實(shí)驗(yàn)艙三艙為基本構(gòu)型，核心艙與兩段實(shí)驗(yàn)艙以T字形布局組成，可供3名宇航員長(zhǎng)時(shí)間或最多6名宇航員短時(shí)間的工作和生活。

To ensure a quality life for astronauts, it’s divided into six zones, including zones for work, sleep, sanitation, dining, healthcare and exercise. For example, astronauts may choose treadmills or spin bikes to maintain their physical health. Moreover, the station will feature “smart home” technology to remotely control household appliances in the cabin through tablets, such as the refrigerator, water dispenser and microwave.
為了保證宇航員的生活質(zhì)量，天和核心艙的密封艙內(nèi)配置了工作區(qū)、睡眠區(qū)、衛(wèi)生區(qū)、就餐區(qū)、醫(yī)監(jiān)醫(yī)保區(qū)和鍛煉區(qū)六個(gè)區(qū)域，如宇航員們可以選擇使用跑步機(jī)或者動(dòng)感單車鍛煉，保持身體健康。此外，空間站的“智能家居”技術(shù)可以實(shí)現(xiàn)通過(guò)控制面板在艙內(nèi)遙控家用電器，如冰箱，飲水機(jī)和微波爐。

China aims to build the space station into a state-level space lab that supports extended stays of astronauts and large-scale scientific, technological and application experiments. The station is also expected to contribute to the peaceful development and utilization (使用) of space resources through international cooperation, as well as to enrich technologies and experiences for China’s future explorations into deeper space.
中國(guó)致力于將空間站打造成國(guó)家空間實(shí)驗(yàn)室，以延長(zhǎng)宇航員在太空的時(shí)間，支持開(kāi)展大規(guī)模空間科學(xué)技術(shù)應(yīng)用試驗(yàn)?？臻g站有望通過(guò)國(guó)際合作，和平開(kāi)發(fā)太空利用空間資源，與此同時(shí)，也為中國(guó)未來(lái)的深空探索提供了豐富技術(shù)和經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》，詳情請(qǐng)見(jiàn)《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報(bào)高中版》高二832期