国际英语新闻:Final Landing for Shuttle Endeavour 国际英语, 新闻, English

陈秀玲

国际英语新闻:Final Landing for Shuttle Endeavour
Source:    2011-06-04   English BBS   Favorite   The space shuttle航天飞机 Endeavour has returned to Earth for the final time, after completing a 16-day mission to the International Space Station.
NASA welcomed home the Endeavour shuttle before dawn凌晨，黎明前 Wednesday, after the ship glided滑翔，滑行 in from a safe re-entry重新返回 and touched down降落，着陆 one last time.
"And so," said a U.S. space agency commentator评论员，实况播音员，解说员, "after a journey of six-and-a-half million miles [10.5 million kilometers], Endeavour landing in darkness, but illuminated照明，启发 by the ingenuity心灵手巧，独创性 and dedication奉献 of every astronaut, scientist, engineer, flight controller, mechanic技工，机修工 and dreamer that helped it fly."

Endeavour spent a total of 299 days in space before completing its 25th mission with a night landing on the brightly lit runway at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Astronaut Mark Kelly commanded the mission, which included installing a sophisticated particle颗粒，质点 detector on the International Space Station.
"On behalf of my entire crew, I want to thank every person that has worked hard to get this mission going and every person that has worked on Endeavour," said Kelly. "It is sad to see her land for the last time, but she really has a great legacy遗产，遗赠."
Endeavour is the newest shuttle in NASA's fleet, and it was built to replace the shuttle Challenger, which exploded shortly after liftoff发射，起飞时刻，搬走 in 1986.
Schoolchildren nationwide competed for the honor of naming this shuttle. President George Herbert Walker Bush selected the winner - Endeavour, after an 18th Century research sailing vessel帆船 that explored uncharted未知的 land and waters in the South Pacific.
Endeavour first launched in 1992, and its legacy includes a historic rescue of a stranded陷于困境的 satellite.               Upon retirement, the shuttle will be displayed at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
NASA's next and final shuttle flight is set for July 8, when the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off for the last time. NASA is retiring its shuttle fleet舰队，港湾，小河 in order to focus on developing the next generation of spaceflight航天 vehicles.