VOA慢速：SpaceX巨型火箭试飞，发射几分钟后爆炸
Huge SpaceX Rocket Launches in Test Flight, then Explodes Minutes Later
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
A SpaceX rocket successfully launched with the company’s Starship spacecraft Thursday, but the two-part system exploded minutes later and crashed into the sea.
It was the first test flight for SpaceX’s latest Super Heavy rocket, which carries a large space capsule on top, called Starship. The capsule is designed to one day carry astronauts and supplies to the moon and possibly Mars.
No astronauts were on board for the test flight.
The liftoff happened Thursday morning at a SpaceX launch center in the southern Texas town of Boca Chica.
SpaceX officials have described the two-part rocket ship ― which stands 120 meters high ― as the largest and most powerful space vehicle ever built. The vehicle is by far more powerful than any rockets built by the American space agency NASA.
The flight plan had called for the Super Heavy to separate from Starship minutes after the launch. But instead, the rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight. The combined vehicle then fell into the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft reached an altitude of nearly 32 kilometers before exploding.
The Super Heavy rocket is designed to be reusable. But for the test flight, no landings of the rocket or spacecraft were planned.
Images appeared to show that several of the 33 main engines were not firing as the rocket climbed from the launch site. There was no immediate comment from SpaceX on any engine failures.
SpaceX had hoped that, after separating, the spacecraft would continue flying and attempt to circle the world before crashing into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.
Even though the vehicle exploded soon after launching, SpaceX officials on the ground celebrated the fact that the rocket was able to get off the ground. The company declared the event a successful test flight.
John Insprucker is one of the leaders of SpaceX’s engineering team. He said during a live webcast of the launch that the test flight would provide a wealth of important data as the company prepares for additional flight tests.
Elon Musk, the founder and chief executive of SpaceX, said on Twitter the next Starship test launch would be “in a few months.” He tweeted: “Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship! Learned a lot for next test launch.”
Musk, who bought Twitter last year for $44 billion, also heads electric carmaker Tesla.
In the weeks leading up to the flight, Musk predicted a 50-50 chance that the spacecraft would reach orbit. But he had also said he was “guaranteeing excitement” for the launch.
SpaceX’s Insprucker told webcast watchers after the launch, “You never know exactly what’s going to happen.” He then added, “But as we promised, excitement is guaranteed and Starship gave us a rather spectacular end.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
VOCABULARY
1. space capsule: 太空舱，太空船；航天舱
2. liftoff n. （飞机、火箭等）起飞，启动，发射
3. altitude n. the height above sea level 海拔；海拔高度
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. What happened to the SpaceX rocket during its first test flight?
A) It successfully launched and carried a capsule into space.
B) It exploded minutes after launching and crashed into the sea.
C) It carried astronauts and supplies to the moon.
D) It was unable to take off due to technical issues.
2. Which of the following statements is true about the SpaceX test flight?
A) The Super Heavy rocket was designed to carry passengers.
B) The rocket ship was smaller than any rockets built by NASA.
C) The spacecraft exploded minutes after separating from the Super Heavy.
D) The test flight was considered a success despite the explosion.
3. What is the main topic of the passage?
A) The successful launch of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft.
B) The failure of SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket.
C) Elon Musk’s Twitter account.
D) The future of space travel.
KEY
1. What happened to the SpaceX rocket during its first test flight?
A) It successfully launched and carried a capsule into space.
B) It exploded minutes after launching and crashed into the sea.
C) It carried astronauts and supplies to the moon.
D) It was unable to take off due to technical issues.
【答案】B
【解析】这道题的答案可以从文章第一句中得到，其中提到了 SpaceX 的火箭成功升空，但这个由两部分组成的系统在几分钟后爆炸并坠入海中。因此，正确答案为B。选项 A、C、D 都不正确，因为文章提到火箭坠毁在海中，没有成功携带舱口进入太空，也没有运送宇航员和物资去月球。
2. Which of the following statements is true about the SpaceX test flight?
A) The Super Heavy rocket was designed to carry passengers.
B) The rocket ship was smaller than any rockets built by NASA.
C) The spacecraft exploded minutes after separating from the Super Heavy.
D) The test flight was considered a success despite the explosion.
【答案】D
【解析】文章指出，SpaceX火箭在发射几分钟后爆炸，但公司仍然宣布测试飞行成功，因为火箭能够起飞。因此，选项D是正确答案。选项A不正确，因为文中提到火箭顶端的Starship太空舱是用来载人或载货进入月球乃至火星的。选项B也不正确，文中说SpaceX火箭比NASA制造的任何火箭都更强大（powerful）。C也是错误的，因为文中说the Super Heavy和the Starship并未成功分离，而是一起掉入了大西洋。
3. What is the main topic of the passage?
A) The successful launch of SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft.
B) The failure of SpaceX’s Super Heavy rocket.
C) Elon Musk’s Twitter account.
D) The future of space travel.
【答案】B
【解析】本篇文章主要讲述的是SpaceX测试发射失败的情况。其中提到了Super Heavy火箭爆炸坠入大西洋墨西哥湾的事情，以及此次测试发射的一些细节和感想。因此，答案为B，即SpaceX的超重型火箭发射失败。而选项A则与文章中提到的测试发射失败不符，选项C则只是提到了文章中的一个细节，选项D则超出了文章的讨论范围。
（封面图片来源于摄图网，版权归摄图网所有）