_______________________________ Engineers hope the 30-meter diameter chutes will be used one day to bring a flying saucer-type lander safely down on the surface of Mars. Peter Bows reports from Los Angeles. "NASA scientists had hoped the test would pave the way for astronauts eventually to land on Mars. It was designed to investigate how a large landing vehicle would slow down as it falls through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. A helium filled balloon carried a saucer-shaped test vehicle to a height of about 37 kilometers and a built-in rocket fired it a further 50 kilometers before the parachute was meant to slow its descent, but it only partially opened, leaving the capsule to plummet into the Pacific Ocean." BBC News. _______________________________工程师们希望这个直径超过30米的降落伞有朝一日可以携带一个飞碟状登陆器成功登录火星表面.皮特`波斯从洛杉矶发回报道:"美国国家航空航天局的科学家们希望此项测试可以为今后宇航员登录火星奠定基础.这项测试被设计用来研究如何让一个大型的登陆器在超音速状态下穿过大气并缓慢着陆.这个充满氦气的热气球载着碟状测试设备上升到37,000米的位置后,再由內置的火箭助推器最终上升至80,000米的高空,此时降落伞应该打开并让设备缓慢下降,但在测试中只有部分的降落伞打开,致使舱体径直坠入了太平洋."
