【英語島讀書會】人類登月計畫再次啟動

2019年7月作為慶祝人類登月50周年之際，美國NASA太空總署公布了重返月球計畫Artemis，此消息一出便轟動全球媒體。這次全新登月計畫將不再止步於登上月亮，而是瞄準更遠的火星之旅...

人類50年來第一次重返月球

NASA announced a major step forward in its plan to send astronauts to the south pole of the Moon, where no human has ever been before, by 2024. It will be the first time female astronauts has ever landed on the Moon and further missions aim to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by 2028. The upcoming lunar exploration program is named Artemis, the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo.

NASA太空總署宣布新登月計畫開出第一槍，將在2024年之前送太空人到月球南極，一個從未受到人類實地探索的地方。這將會是史上第一次女性太空人能登上月球，此外，這一系列任務的另一個目標是在2028年之前，在月球建立一個人類能穩定駐紮基地。這項即將實施的月球探索計畫名為阿提米斯，名字取自希臘的月亮女神，這名女神同時也是太陽神阿波羅的妹妹。

史上第一座月亮太空站「Gateway」

NASA's moon-orbiting space station, known as the Deep Space Gateway or the Gateway, will be utilized for the mission. Lunar landers, both crewed and uncrewed, will be able to depart from the Gateway and regroup there after wrapping up their surface ventures, NASA officials said. Therefore, the deep-space outpost is crucial to the exploration program, which plans to serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, short-term habitation module, and holding area for rovers and robots.

由NASA所主導的太空站將會在月球軌道上繞行，並名為「深太空通道」或「通道」，預期會實際在計畫中投入使用。NASA太空總署表示，不管是太空人的集體行動或分散小隊的探索任務，太空人都能從「通道」出發，並在任務完成後重新回到太空站集合。因此，深入太空的前哨基地對於探索計畫非常重要，未來太空站也能作為太陽能動力的通訊樞紐、科學實驗室、短期居住太空艙、和遙控機器及機器人的指揮中心。

在月亮上也能使用的「太空 GPS」

NASA plans to use a lunar Global Positioning System (GPS) to help astronauts find their way. The new system would build a lunar receiver to pick up signals from GPS satellites in orbit around Earth. This lunar GPS would help support surface missions, pilot spacecraft, and build the space station.