From beach balls, pool toys, and jump houses, inflatable technology takes a big step forward for its next frontier: space station. A new kind of tech will be aboard Space X's eighth supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). A compressed living module will be delivered and attached to the station where, in the void of space, it will expand into a new habitat for astronauts.
Designed by Bigelow Aerospace, the inflatable space habitat is one area NASA is exploring for potential deep space habitats and other advanced space missions.
"The ‘Bigelow Expandable Activity Module', or the BEAM, is an expandable habitat that will be used to investigate technology and understand the potential benefits of such habitats for human missions to deep space,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post. The habitats could be a way to “dramatically increase” the space available for astronauts while also offering added protection from the dangers of space, like radiation and space debris, the NASA press release says.
But how is an inflatable space station supposed to be a viable means of housing for space travelers? BEAMs are far more than balloon-like rooms where astronauts can take asylum. Technically, the modules don't inflate — they expand, according to the company. And beyond just air, the habitats are reinforced with an internal metal structure. The outside is composed of multiple layers of material including things like rubber and kevlar to protect form any speeding debris.
Inside Space X's Dragon spacecraft on the way to the ISS, the BEAM will be approximately 8 feet in diameter. It will expand once deployed in space to offer 565 cubic feet of space for astronauts. “It'll be the first time human beings will actually step inside this expandable habitat in space,” former astronaut George Zamka, who has worked for Bigelow Aerospace, told USA Today. “There won't be this sense of it being like a balloon.”
But astronauts won't be getting inside the module for some time yet. The BEAM will be attached to the Tranquility Node and deployed. Inside the module are a series of tools that will help the crew of the ISS monitor different aspects of the expandable area to see how it acts in space. The crew will watch heat, radiation, orbital debris, and provide information about the viability of using similar modules in the future.
The testing is scheduled to go on for a two-year time period, after which the module will be released and burn up in the atmosphere. NASA's partnership with Bigelow fits Mr. Bolden's desire to help grow a robust private sector industry to commercialize aspects of space — a process he sees as vital if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations. “ The world of low Earth orbit belongs to industry,” Bolden said at a press conference in January 2015.
1.What is special about the new living module on Space X's eighth mission to ISS?
2.What is the purpose of designing the inflatable space habitat?
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?
4.Why does NASA intend to commercialize aspects of space?
问题1选项
A.It is expandable.
B.It looks like a toy.
C.It is going to deep space.
D.It will not return to Earth.
问题2选项
A.It is to find out its potential capacity.
B.It is to give a try on a new technology.
C.It is to save time and money in production.
D.It is to see if it can be applied in deep space.
问题3选项
A.The habitat will not be a balloon-like room.
B.The habitat will not feel like a balloon.
C.The habitat will be like a senseless balloon.
D.The habitat will be a different kind of balloon.
问题4选项
A.It can save NASA time and energy.
B.It is necessary for a robust industry.
C.It is crucial for further space explorations.
D.It meets both NASA's and Bigelow's needs.
第1题:
1.【选项释义】
1. What is special about the new living module on Space X’s eighth mission to ISS? 1. Space X公司第八次前往国际空间站的任务中，新的生活舱有什么特别之处？
A. It is expandable. A. 它是可扩展的。
B. It looks like a toy. B. 它看起来像一个玩具。
C. It is going to deep space. C. 它要去外太空。
D. It will not return to Earth. D. 它不会返回地球。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据原文第一段最后一句“一个压缩的生活舱将被运送并连接到空间站上，在太空中，它将扩展为宇航员的新栖息地（it will expand into a new habitat for astronauts）”，从中可知，新的生活舱的特点是它可以扩展，所以该题选择A项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选线“它看起来像一个玩具”和D选项“它不会返回地球”在文中没有提及，无中生有；
C选项“它要去外太空”并不是其特别之处，曲解原文。
第2题:
2.【选项释义】
2. What is the purpose of designing the inflatable space habitat? 2. 设计充气太空舱的目的是什么？
A. It is to find out its potential capacity. A. 要找出它潜在的容量。
B. It is to give a try on a new technology. B. 这是对一项新技术的尝试。
C. It is to save time and money in production. C. 这是为了在生产中节省时间和金钱。
D. It is to see if it can be applied in deep space. D. 这是为了看看它是否能应用于深空。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据关键词inflatable space habitat定位至第二段“由毕格罗航空航天公司设计的充气太空栖息地是美国宇航局正在探索的潜在深空栖息地和其他高级太空任务的一个领域（exploring for potential deep space habitats and other advanced space missions）”，可知，设计充气太空舱的目的是探索深空。因此，该题选择D项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“要找出它潜在的容量”、B选项“这是对一项新技术的尝试”和C选项“这是为了在生产中节省时间和金钱”没有提及，无中生有。
第3题:
3.【选项释义】
3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean? 3. 第5段划线的句子是什么意思？
A. The habitat will not be a balloon-like room. A. 这个栖息地不会是一个像气球一样的房间。
B. The habitat will not feel like a balloon. B. 这个栖息地不会感觉像一个气球。
C. The habitat will be like a senseless balloon. C. 这个栖息地就像一个毫无知觉的气球。
D. The habitat will be a different kind of balloon. D. 栖息地将是一个不同的气球。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位至第五段最后一句“不会有像气球一样的感觉”，结合第四段第二句“BEAM是远不止像气球一样的房间，宇航员可以在那里寻求庇护”和第三句“该公司表示，从技术上讲，这些模块不会膨胀，而是会扩展”，综合理解可知，“不会有像气球一样的感觉”这句话的意思是表示，这个栖息地虽然像气球一样会膨胀，但是宇航员在那里感觉不到它像气球一样。因此，该题选择B项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“这个栖息地不会是一个像气球一样的房间”与原文中的far more than balloon-like rooms（远不止像气球一样的房间）意思相反，反向干扰；
C选项“这个栖息地就像一个毫无知觉的气球”和D选项“栖息地将是一个不同的气球”理解错误，栖息地只是像一个气球，但本质并不是气球，该两项曲解原文。
第4题:
4.【选项释义】
4. Why does NASA intend to commercialize aspects of space? 4. 为什么NASA打算将太空的各个方面商业化？
A. It can save NASA time and energy. A. 它可以节省NASA的时间和精力。
B. It is necessary for a robust industry. B. 这对一个蓬勃发展的行业来说是必要的。
C. It is crucial for further space explorations. C. 这对进一步的太空探索至关重要。
D. It meets both NASA’s and Bigelow’s needs. D. 它满足了NASA和毕格罗的需求。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到最后一段第二句“NASA与毕格罗的合作符合博尔登的愿望，即帮助发展一个强大的私营行业，将太空的各个方面商业化，他认为，如果人类想要到达更远的宇宙目的地（if humans want to reach farther cosmic destinations），这一过程至关重要”，从中可知，商业化的原因是为了进一步探索宇宙，C项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“它可以节省NASA的时间和精力”没有提到，无中生有；
B选项“这对一个蓬勃发展的行业来说是必要的”理解错误，想要进一步探索宇宙是必要的，但是没有提到这个行业是蓬勃发展的，曲解原文；
D选项“它满足了NASA和毕格罗的需求”中的needs不符合原文中的desire，曲解原文。
