NASA宇航员在巨型水箱中准备月球漫步
NASA astronaut candidates have to meet a long list of criteria before the space agency decides they’re fit to carry out important duties in space. When astronauts return to the moon in the near future, they’ll be met with challenges that few space travelers have ever endured ,and NASA wants to make sure they’re ready for life on another world.
美国宇航局的宇航员候选人必须满足一长串的标准，然后航天局才决定他们适合在太空执行重要任务。当宇航员在不久的将来重返月球时，他们将面临很少有太空旅行者经历过的挑战，美国宇航局希望确保他们为在另一个世界上生活做好准备。
In a new blog post, NASA highlights one of the tools at its disposal for preparing future moon explorers: the Neutral Buoyancy Lab located at the Johnson Space Center. In a massive water tank, astronauts experience simulated low gravity, and they wear much more than your average swimmer.
在一篇新的博客文章中，美国宇航局强调了它可以用来准备未来月球探测器的工具之一：位于约翰逊航天中心的中性浮力实验室。在一个巨大的水箱里，宇航员会体验到模拟的低重力，他们穿的比普通游泳者要多。
When it comes to simulating low gravity here on Earth, our options are very much limited. NASA’s massive water lab is about as good as it gets, and while it’s not exactly a one-to-one simulation of the moon’s low-gravity environment, it’s close enough that astronauts get a good idea of what challenges await them when they arrive on the lunar surface.
在地球上模拟低重力时，我们的选择非常有限。美国航天局的大型水实验室已经非常好了，虽然它并不是对月球低重力环境的一对一模拟，但已足够相近，宇航员们能够很好地了解到当他们到达月球表面时，等待他们的是什么样的挑战。
As you can see from the image, an entire team of divers aids in the simulated exercises, and the astronaut is equipped with boots and gloves that match closely with what they’ll be wearing during moonwalks.
从图片中可以看到，整个潜水员团队都在模拟演习中提供帮助，宇航员配备了靴子和手套，它们与他们在月球漫步时的穿着非常匹配。
NASA is expecting to have crewed missions ready for travel to the moon as soon as 2024. The mission’s launch date, which was mandated by the Trump administration, shortened the timeline for a return to the moon dramatically, and there are still plenty of experts who believe NASA will fall short of the goal and have to push things back a bit.
美国宇航局预计最快将在2024年完成载人登月任务。这次任务的发射日期是特朗普政府授权的，大大缩短了重返月球的时间，仍然有很多专家认为，美国宇航局将达不到目标，必须把事情推后一点。
In any case, the astronauts chosen for the missions will be ready for the moon whenever the rockets are ready to fly.
无论如何，被选中执行任务的宇航员将随时为登月做好准备。
