绕月前哨的计划已经成形
The mission to return to the moon and create an orbital gateway for deep space exploration just took a big step forward. NASA and the ESA have announced the orbit of the upcoming Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a small space station capable of hosting crews for up to 30 days.
重返月球并为深空探索创造轨道通道的任务刚刚迈出了一大步。美国宇航局和欧洲航天局宣布了即将到来的月球轨道平台-网关的轨道，这是一个小型空间站，可以容纳宇航员长达30天。
In addition to the ESA, the U.S. space agency is also working with the space agencies Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan) and CSA (Canada).
除欧空局外，美国航天局还与俄罗斯的Roscosmos、日本的JAXA和加拿大的CSA等航天机构合作。
"In human spaceflight we don't fly one single, monolithic spacecraft," Florian Renk, mission analyst in ESOC’s Flight Dynamics Division, explained in an ESA news release.
欧洲航天局飞行动力学部门的任务分析师弗洛里安·雷克在欧洲航天局的一份新闻稿中解释说:“在人类航天飞行中，我们不会驾驶一艘单一的、整体的航天器。”
"Instead we fly bits and pieces, putting parts together in space and soon on the surface of the Moon. Some parts we leave behind, some we bring back — the structures are forever evolving."
“取而代之的是，我们将碎片碎片地飞起来，把它们组装到太空中，很快就能在月球表面上实现。有些部分我们留下了，有些我们带回了——结构永远在进化。”
An illustration of NASA's forthcoming Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway. (Photo: NASA)
And the real beauty of the concept is that the project comes together in stages, allowing for smaller missions to set the stage for bigger ones.
这个概念的真正美妙之处在于，该项目分阶段进行，允许较小的任务为较大的任务奠定基础。
In early 2019, NASA awarded the first contract for the creation of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway's (LOP-G) 40kW power and propulsion elements and development of the station's habitation. Next in line are the logistics and airlock modules. Should all proceed according to plan, the power and propulsion piece will be placed into cislunar space sometime in 2022. Within three years, the complete platform should be ready to begin hosting four-person crews.
在2019年初，美国国家航空航天局授予了第一份合同，为月球轨道平台- gateway公司(LOP-G)的40kW动力和推进元件以及空间站住所的开发提供服务。接下来是后勤和气闸模块。如果一切按计划进行，动力和推进装置将在2022年某个时候被送入地月空间。在三年内，整个平台应该可以容纳四名宇航员。
"It’s got fiscal realism, and it’s also adaptable," NASA associate administrator William Gerstenmaier told Bloomberg. "It can adapt to commercial partners. It’s not a rigid program of one mission following another."
NASA副局长威廉·格斯滕梅尔告诉彭博社:“这是一种财政现实主义，同时也具有适应性。它可以适应商业伙伴。这不是一个死板的计划，是一个任务接一个任务。”
An illustration of Phase 1 of NASA's mission to develop an orbiting lunar outpost. The first major component of the new station is expected to launch in 2022. (Photo: NASA)
Once complete, the Gateway is expected to provide invaluable insight on the lunar surface, support possible manned trips to the moon, and serve as a gateway for deep space crewed missions to planets like Mars. The halo orbit will create a natural pickup and drop-off window every seven days, when the Gateway is closest to the moon. That same orbit will also create a similar opportunity for deep-space missions.
一旦完成，这条通道有望提供对月球表面无价的洞察，支持可能的载人月球之旅，并作为深空载人任务的通道，前往火星等行星。光晕轨道每隔7天就会产生一个自然的拾取和落下窗口，此时的入口距离月球最近。同样的轨道也将为深空任务创造类似的机会。
"If we're ever to go to Mars, we have to learn how to operate far from the Earth," Dr. Richard Binzel, a planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told NBC News. "We need that operational experience. And I think that is the motivation for the Deep Space Gateway — to gain operational experience away from the comfort zone of low-Earth orbit."
“如果我们要去火星，我们必须学会如何在远离地球的地方工作，”麻省理工学院的行星科学家理查德·宾泽尔博士告诉NBC新闻。“我们需要这种运营经验。我认为，这就是“深空门户”项目的动力所在，它是为了从近地轨道的舒适地带获得操作经验。”
