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Space Station Puts Out Welcome Mat for Private Spaceships（空间站将欢迎私人飞船）
Unmanned commercial spacecraft will soon begin making trips to the International Space Station（无人商用航空器将很快开始前往国际空间站）
By Mike Wall and | July 29, 2011 | Scientific American
ARRIVING SOON: An artist's illustration （图表，插图）of SpaceX's Dragon space capsule in Earth orbit. （在地球轨道上的太空舱）
just like heavenImage: SpaceX
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. （美国加利福尼亚州莫菲特场）— Despite the grounding （基础训练，基础教学）of NASA's storied space shuttle fleet, （航天飞机）American spaceships（飞船）are expected to make three trips （三个班次，三趟）to the International Space Station （国际空间站）in the coming months.
All of the visits, however, will be by private vehicles.（私家车，此处指私人飞船）The California-bad company SpaceX is t to launch （开始从事，发起，发动<尤指有组织的活动>）留学翻译 its Dragon capsule （太空舱，航天舱） toward the station on Nov. 30 on its cond and final orbital test flight, （最终轨道飞行试验）NASA officials announced （官员宣布）last week. And if all goes well, the firm could launch another Dragon（龙） capsule on its first operational cargo-carrying mission （第一个操作载货的使命）three or
four months later.
The Virginia-bad company Orbital Sciences, （弗吉尼亚州的轨道科学公司）for its part, is planning to nd its Cygnus（天鹅） capsule racing toward the station in February 2012.
So, even though the shuttle program （航天飞行计划）has been retired, （已退休的，已退职的）the future may not be so bleak for American spaceflight, （美国航天的未来可能不会如此暗淡）many in the private ctor stress.（私营部门的压力）
"I believe we're on the cusp of a golden age of industry-led innovation," （我相信，我们正在风口浪尖上的行业主导创新的黄金时代。）Garrett Reisman, head of SpaceX's commercial crew development program, （商业船员发展计划）said today (July 28) at the New Space 2011 conference, （会议，研讨会）which is being held here at NASA's Ames Rearch Center.（美国宇航局艾姆斯研究中心） [NASA's Space Shuttle Program
In Pictures: A Tribute]（美国国家航空航天局的太空图片航天计划：致敬。）
Not carrying astronauts yet（宇航员还没有携带）
The three upcoming flights （即将到来的三个航班）to the space station won't be carrying any astronauts. （1.宇航员，太空人；2.太空旅行者）They're being made undercurriculum NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) （美国宇航局的商业轨道运输服务）program, which aims to encourage the development of private cargo-carrying craft to fill the gap （填补了国内空白）left by the retirement （退休，退职）of the shuttle fleet.（航天飞机）
SpaceX holds a $1.6 billion NASA contract to （合同）make 12 supply flights to the orbiting lab.（轨道实验室） Last December, the company made its first orbital test flight （轨道飞行试验）with its Dragon capsule, which launched atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
The Nov. 30 mission （1.官方使命；2.使命，天职）will be the Dragon/Falcon system's cond demonstration flight （第二个示范飞行）under the COTS program. While the first Dragon test flight orbited Earth twice （绕地球两次试飞）and then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, （然后溅落在太平洋）SpaceX wants this cond one to dock with the space station.（第二个与空间站对接）
And, the capsule（太空舱，航天舱） will carry cargo （<船或飞机装载的>货物）on both legs of the journey, SpaceX officials said.（官员说）
"If we're up there, we might as well take some stuff up （填满，填塞）and bring some stuff （1.东西，物品；2.物质，原料）back down," Reisman
If all goes well with that flight, Reisman added, the next Dragon mission would likely not be a demo（演示） — it would be a fully operational re-supply mission, （将是一个全面运作的再补给任务）the first of the 12 under SpaceX's contract. （合同，合约，契约）hangenAn
d it could happen as soon as March 2012.
Orbital Sciences, too（轨道科学公司）翻译英文名
Orbital Sciences also has a cargo re-supply contract. （货物重新供应合同）NASA is paying Orbital $1.9 billion to make eight flights using the company's Cygnus capsule and Taurus 2 rocket, both of which are under development.
The firm hopes to nd the Taurus 2 on its first test flight this December, SpaceNews reported recently. A full demo run, （一个完整的演示运行）during which Cygnus docks （船坞，船埠，码头）with the space station, is planned for two months later.
Both SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are interested in carrying more than just cargo to the orbiting lab. （货物的轨道实验室）The companies are developing craft in hopes of one day transporting（运送，运输，搬运） NASA astronauts to the outpost. （前哨<基地>）For now, NASA spaceflyers will be hitching rides on（搭乘） Russian-built Soyuz vehicle
新东方优能教育>专四s.（俄罗斯制造的联盟车辆）
SpaceX plans to upgrade （升级，提高，改进）the Dragon by installing ats （安装座椅）and a launch-abort system. （发射终止系统）Orbital is developing an entirely （全部地，完整地，完全地）different vehicle, （不同的车辆）a space plane called Prometheus.（一个称为普罗米修斯的空天飞机）
But they're not the only ones. （但他们不是唯一的。）A private orbital space race is taking shape,（一个私人的轨道太空军备竞赛正在形成）心神不宁焦虑怎么办>such as aduitas a handful of other firms（作为少数其他企业） —including Sierra Nevada Corp., （内华达公司）Blue Origin, Excalibur Almaz and Boeing （神剑阿尔马兹和波音公司）— are working on their own crew-carrying vehicles. （船员携带车辆）[Vote Now! The Best Spaceships of All Time]
Both Boeing and Sierra Nevada have said they plan to be making manned （由人操纵的，由人驾驶的，载人的）flights by 2015. Sierra Nevada, in fact, hopes to be fully operational by then.（希望届时全面运作）
