美国名人首位进入太空宇航员艾伦·谢泼德.docx

美国名人首位进入太空宇航员艾伦谢泼德AlanShepard,1923-1998:TheFirstAmericantoTravelintoSpaceplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-15:37repeatByAviArditti2008-8-23VOICEONE:mShirleyGriffith.VOICETWO:AlanShepardwaitingforlaunchintospaceonMay5,1961AndmSteveEmberwiththeVOASpecialEnglishprogramPeopleinAmerica.EachweekwetellaboutsomeoneimportantinthehistoryoftheUnitedStates.ThisweekwetellaboutastronautAlanShepard,whowasthefirstAmericantoflyinspace.MISSIONCONTROL:"Three,two,one,zero.liftoff!"SHEPARD:"Roger,liftoffandtheclockhasstarted."VOICEONE:Theclockhasstarted.Withthosewords,AlanShepardbecamethefirstAmericantotravelintospace.HewasinasmallspacecraftcalledFreedomSeven.Itwasontopofahugerockettravelingatmorethaneightthousandkilometersanhour.FifteenminutesIateoFreedomSevencamedownintheAtlanticOcean.AlanShepardwasanationalhero.HehadwonanimportantvictoryfortheUnitedStates.ThedatewasMayfifth,nineteensixty-one.TheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionwereinatensecompetitionforworldinfluence.Andthiscompetitionwasreachingevenintothecolddarknessofspace.VOICETWO:Innineteenfifty-seven,theSovietUnionlaunchedthefirstelectronicsatellite,SputnikOne.TheUnitedStatessuccessfullylauncheditsfirstspacecraftlessthanfourmonthslater.Nowthetwosideswereracingtoseewhocouldlaunchthefirsthumanspacetraveler.OnApriltwelfth,nineteensixty-one,SovietcosmonautYuriGagarinflewinspaceforonehundredeightminutes.HecircledtheEarthonce.TheSovietsagainwerewinningthe"spacerace,"butnotforlong.ThreeweekslatertheUnitedStatesalsoputamanintospace.Hewasathirty-seven-year-oldofficerintheNavy-AlanShepard.VOICEONE:AlanBartlettShepard,Junior,wasbornonNovembereighteenth,nineteentwenty-threeinEastDerryzNewHampshire.HegraduatedfromtheUnitedStatesNavalAcademyinnineteenforty-four.Hemarriedsoonafterhisgraduation.ThenheservedforashorttimeonadestroyerinthePacificduringWorldWarTwo.Innineteenforty-seven,AlanShepardbecameapilotintheNavy.Laterhebecameatestpilot.Thelifeofatestpilotcanbeverydangerous.IthelpedprepareAlanShepardforanevengreaterdangerinthefuture.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:ThesuccessesthattheSovietUnionhadwithitsSputnikprogramcausedtheUnitedStatestospeedupitsplansforaspaceprogram.TheAmericansdecidedtolaunchasatelliteassoonaspossible.Thefirstattemptfailed.Therocketexplodedduringlaunch.Supportwasgrowing,inCongressandamongscientists,foraUnitedStatescivilianspaceagency.Soon,CongresspassedabillcreatingNASA-theNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration.PresidentEisenhowersignedthebillintolaw.NASA'sjobwastobescientificspaceexploration.ItsmajorgoalwassendingthefirstAmericansintospace.Withinthreemonths,theprogramhadaname:ProjectMercury.MercurywasthespeedymessengeroftheGreekgods.Whileengineersbuiltthespacecraft,NASAlookedformentoflythem.NASAwantedmilitarytestpilotsbecausetheytestflynewplanes.Testpilotsaretrainedtothinkquicklyindangeroussituations.OnAprilseventh,nineteenfifty-nine,thespaceagencyannouncedthesevenMercuryastronauts.TheywouldbethefirstAmericanspacetravelers.AlanShepardwasone.TheotherswereScottCarpenter,GordonCooper,JohnGlenn,VirgilGrissomzWalterSchirraandDonaldSlayton.VOICEONE:Ninemonthsaftertheprojectstarted,NASAmadeitsfirsttestflightoftheMercuryspacecraftfromCapeCanaveral,Florida.Inthenexttwoyears,manyothertestsfollowed,allwithoutastronauts.ThefinaltestflightwasattheendofJanuary,nineteensixty-one.ItcarriedachimpanzeenamedHamonaseven-hundred-kilometerflightovertheAtlanticOcean.Severalproblemsdeveloped.ButHamsurvivedthelaunchandthelandingintheocean.LaterzAlanShepardoftenwasaskedhowhebecamethefirsthumanAmericantoflyinspace."Theyranoutofmonkeys,"hejoked.VOICETWO:ThereweresomeconcernsaboutthesafetyofthehugeRedstonerocketthatwastocarrythespacecraft.Thelaunchhadbeendelayedseveraltimeswhilemoretestsweredone.Bythetimetherocketwasreadyforlaunch,YuriGagarinhadalreadygoneintospacefortheSovietUnion.ThechoiceofAlanShepardtobethefirstAmericantoflyinspacewasannouncedjustafewdaysbeforethelaunch.FlightsplannedforMaysecondandMayfourthhadtobehaltedbecauseofbadweather.OnMayfifth,nineteensixty-one,aFriday,AlanShepardstruggledonceagainintohisMercurycapsule.ThevehiclewasnamedFreedomSeven.Therewasalmostnoroomtomove.Shepardwaitedinsideforfourhours.Weatherwaspartlythecauseofthedelay.Therewerecloudsthatwouldpreventfilmingthelaunch.Alsosomelast-minuterepairshadtobemadetohisradio.Shepardwastiredofwaiting.Sohetoldthegroundcrewtohurrytosolvetheproblemsandfiretherocket.Finally,theydid.VOICEONE:Therocketslowlybeganclimbing.MillionsofradiolistenersheardavoicefromtheCapeCanaveralcontrolroomsay:"Thisisit,AlanShepard,there'snoturningback.GoodluckfromallofushereattheCape."Therocketrosehigherandhigher.Forfiveminutes,AlanShepardfelttheweightlessnessofspace.Hefelthimselffloating.FreedomSevenflewonehundredeighty-fivekilometershigh.Thenitre-enteredtheatmosphereandthespacecraftslowed.Thefifteen-minuteflightendedwithasoftsplashintotheoceanaboutfivehundredkilometersfromCapeCanaveral.AlanShepardreported:"EverythingisA-Okay."Ahelicopterpulledhimfromthespacecraftandcarriedhimt