A:What is the most unexpected thing you experienced in space?
你在太空中最出乎意料的经历是什么?
B:I wasn't quite prepared for the view of the Earth as we left. It was just awe-inspiring. It emerged from just a slightly curved horizon to a whole Earth , where you could look across oceans and continents in a single glance. I wasn't quite prepared for that. It's inevitably etched in my memory.
我们离开地球时对宇宙中所看到的地球的模样没有心理准备。那景观真是令人肃然起敬。它从一条微微弯曲的地平线上浮现,直至能看见整个的地球。此时你一眼就能看遍所有的陆地。我没想到会是这样的景象。它在我的记忆中留下了不可磨灭的印象。
A:When viewing the Earth from space,do you feel detached from humanity or more a part of the totality of humankind?
从太空中看地球时,你是觉得与人类恍如隔世呢,还是觉得自己与人类的整体更加密不可分呢?
B:Detached. You're literally detached from one planet, captured by another. Your only link to reality is the Earth out there;fortunate-1y,it stays in view the whole time.
那种感觉真是恍如隔世。你感觉就是离开了一个星球而被另一个星球俘获了。你现实的惟一联系就是宇宙中的地球。万幸的是,它一直在我们的视野范围内。
A:There're a lot of suspicions that the International Space Station is never going to become reality. Is it going to be some future project that never happens?
很多人怀疑国际太空站项目永远不会成为现实。会不会是这样呢?
B:I believe it's certainly for real. It without question has suffered a lot of delays. But there's hardware sitting on the pad right now and it's due to go off in December. It is a reality. It has just taken longer to get literally off the ground.
我相信这个项目不是儿戏。当然,这不是个简单的项目。但是,有些硬件设施已经在发射台上准备就绪了,预定在12月就能发射升空。它会成为现实,只不过事情的发展经历的时间比人们的预想要长罢了。
A:There were a lot of talks during the Bush administration about a not too distant future Mars mission. It seemed to fizzle out. Do you think that this Shuttle mission will reignite the public's passion for space and get us to Mars sooner?
布什总统当政期间,很多传言说在不久的将来我们要飞向火星。这好像己经不了了之了。你认为飞船项目会不会重燃人们对太空的热情,让我们能早一天飞向火星?
B:I hope this flight is not just a one-time affair, that it does re-ignite people's interest to push on. But only time will tell.
我希望这次飞行不会是昙花一现的事,我希望它的确能重新激发人们对太空的向往,鼓励我们继续努力。但是,这只有时间才能验证。
A:You had gone to the moon twice, orbited space around the Earth lots of times,and of course you have had the most amazing views that a human being can have. How long do we ordinary beings have to wait to feel the weightlessness? I just can't wait.
你曾两次登上月球,多次环绕地球飞行,你所见过的必定是人类所能看到的最为奇妙、惊人的景观。那么我们普通老百姓还得等多长时间才能感觉到太空中失重的滋味?我都等不及了。
B:If I were the man making the decisions, you could get in line tomorrow. I strongly support ordinary people going into space. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be in the near future.
如果我是说了算的人,明天你就排上号了。我非常支持人们走进太空。不过,恐怕近期内这还难以做到。