首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The international space station is getting a new, inflatable room that resembles a giant spare tire, NASA announced on Wednesday
The international space station is getting a new, inflatable room that resembles a giant spare tire, NASA announced on Wednesday
admin
2015-09-26
70
问题
The international space station is getting a new, inflatable room that resembles a giant spare tire, NASA announced on Wednesday Slated to launch in mid-2015, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, will fly to space deflated before being puffed into a 13-by-10-foot cylinder. Rather than providing new living space for astronauts, the module will test whether inflatable habitats have a future as orbiting laboratories, lunar outposts or living quarters for deep-space missions. And it’s arriving at a bargain price for space hardware. NASA is paying Bigelow Aerospace of Nevada $17.8 million for the module.
"This is a great way for NASA to utilize private-sector investment, and for pennies on the dollar to expand our understanding of this technology," said Lori Garver, the agency’s deputy administrator. Station astronauts will periodically enter the BEAM to check whether its thick yet flexible walls, which include layers of Kevlar(凯芙拉,一种芳纶纤维), adequately block the twin hazards of space travel: radiation and micrometeoroids(微流星体)traveling faster than bullets. "The plan is to have the hatch closed most of the time, with the crew going in and out a few times a year to collect data," Garver said. The module will stay attached to the station for two years. "We have ambitions to go to the moon someday, have a base there," said Robert Bigelow, the real estate and hotel magnate who founded Bigelow Aerospace. Inflatables offer two advantages over traditional aluminum-can-like modules. They weigh less per cubic foot of living space, making them cheaper to launch, and they can balloon to diameters far too wide to fit on current rockets.
Bigelow licensed the concept from NASA in 1999 after the agency abandoned plans to use inflatable living quarters for a mission to Mars. NASA is Bigelow’s first customer. On Wednesday, Bigelow said he and his wife have invested $250 million into developing inflatable space habitats. They hope to attract wealthy tourists, pharmaceutical companies and governments that want affordable space programs to an orbital outpost that Bigelow says will be ready to fly in 2016.
Called Alpha, the private space station will offer living space for 12, twice the occupancy of the international space station. Renting one-sixth of Alpha for two months will cost $25 million, Bigelow said, transportation not included. It’s unclear if a market exists for a private space station, said Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. Still, Bigelow has already tasted success. In 2006 and 2007, the company launched two small inflatable satellites atop Russian ballistic missiles. Both operated as planned.
Wednesday’s announcement marks a deepening of NASA’s partnerships with commercial companies. The agency is also funding three companies developing craft to transport astronauts to and from orbit—vehicles also needed to bring customers to Bigelow’s outposts. One of those companies, Space Exploration Technologies, or Space X, will fly the BEAM module to the space station in the "trunk" of one of its uncrewed Dragon capsules. "It sounds like a good deal for both NASA and Bigelow," said Pace. "Nothing can replace flight-test experience. "
The project may also stymie criticism that the 16-nation international space station, which took 13 years to construct, has been underutilized by NASA, said former station commander—Michael Lopez-Alegria, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. "It’s a real step in the right direction."
All of the following statements are the advantages of inflatables EXCEPT that______.
选项
A、they are much lighter than traditional modules
B、they are less expensive to launch
C、they can expand to larger room
D、they can fit current rockets
答案
D
解析
细节题。根据题干关键词inflatables定位到第二段。该段最后一句指出,可充气模块能够膨胀许多倍,远远大于现在火箭的容量,而非能够适合现在的火箭,所以[D]符合题目要求,故为正确答案。该段最后两句指出,可充气模块与传统的铝罐式模块相比有两个优点,即比传统模块更轻,发射成本更低,并且能够膨胀许多倍,故排除[A]、[B]和[C]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/MqXK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
Wherecanpeopletakeadulteducationcourses?
______,Henryfeltagreatweighttakenoffhismind.
Onceuponatime,youbelievedinthetoothfairy.Youcountedonthestabilityofhousingpricesanddependedonbankerstobe,
Thenumberoftheescapedprisonersis______.
Inatelephonesurveyofmorethan2,000adults,21%saidtheybelievedthesunrevolvedaroundtheearth.An【C1】______7%did
Inatelephonesurveyofmorethan2,000adults,21%saidtheybelievedthesunrevolvedaroundtheearth.An【C1】______7%did
Afterthreehundredyearsofunion,Scotsaretobegiventhechancetovoteforindependence.Theofferofalegally-bindingre
Sugarlessyoghurtcouldhelpbeatbadbreath,toothdecayandgumdisease,sayscientists.Japaneseresearchersfoundeatingthe
ThecarindustrysufferedanothersetbackyesterdaywhenLucasElectricalCompanyannouncedthatmanyofits12,000workersat1
Youmightthinkthatborrowingamatchuponthestreetisasimplething.Butanymanwhohasevertrieditwillassureyouthat
随机试题
女性,30岁。反复发作性呼吸困难,胸闷2年。3天前受凉后咳嗽,咳少量脓痰,接着出现呼吸困难、胸闷,并逐渐加重。体检:无发绀,双肺广泛哮鸣音,肺底部少许湿哕音。该病例最可能的诊断是
某患者55岁,绝经6年,阴道不规则流血1个月收入院。体形肥胖,尿糖(+)。妇科检查:外阴、阴道萎缩不明显,宫体稍大、软,活动良,附件(-)。本病最主要的治疗手段为
商业银行如果将保留的准备金维持在法定的()存款准备金水平上,则会使存款派生能力达到最大限度。
(操作员:张主管;账套:203账套;操作日期:2014年1月31日)将“销售人员”工资表生成记账凭证。选择方式:销售人员,应发合计设置科目:贷方科目:2211—01工资;借方科目:6601—01工资
甲公司向乙公司订购设备一套。根据合同约定,2018年4月1日,甲公司签发一张以乙公司为收款人、金额为100万元的银行承兑汇票,承兑人为A银行,到期日为2018年7月1日。2018年4月4日,乙公司持有甲公司签发的银行承兑汇票不慎丢失,后被离职员工
杨贤江的_________是我国第一部马克思主义教育学著作。
决定国民收入量及其增长的因素主要有
Whenthepeacetalkfailed,therewasaveryrealfearthatwarmay______atanytime.
Ifthedoctor(come)______earlierlastnight,Ninawouldbealivetoday.
Keepinghealthyrequiresaconsciouseffort.Youmakechoicesaboutthefoodsyoueat,just【C1】______youmakechoicesaboutgett
最新回复
(
0
)