美明年開啟太空游 SpaceX擬送兩名乘客繞月旅行

US private rocket company SpaceX has announced that two private citizens have paid to be sent around the Moon.

美國私人火箭公司太空探索技術(shù)公司宣布已有兩位公民支付了繞月環(huán)游的費(fèi)用。

The mission is planned for late 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, adding that the tourists "have already paid a significant deposit".

太空探索技術(shù)公司首席執(zhí)行官伊隆•馬斯克稱，此次太空任務(wù)預(yù)計于2018年底進(jìn)行，兩名游客已經(jīng)“支付了巨額保證金”。

"This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years," he said.

他說：“這為人類在45年后首次重返外層空間提供了機(jī)會。”

The two unnamed people will fly aboard a spaceship which is set for its first unmanned test flight later this year.

兩位不具名游客搭乘的宇宙飛船預(yù)計于今年晚些時候進(jìn)行首次無人駕駛試飛。

Mr Musk said the co-operation of America's Nasa space agency had made the plan possible.

馬斯克說，美國宇航局的配合使得這一計劃成為可能。

He said the two passengers "will travel faster and further into the solar system than any before them".

他表示，這兩位乘客“將以比前人更快的速度到達(dá)太陽系更遠(yuǎn)的地方。”

Mr Musk declined to reveal their identities, only saying that they knew each other and that "it's nobody from Hollywood".

馬斯克拒絕透露他們的身份，只是說他們彼此認(rèn)識，且“他們并非好萊塢名人”。

"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration.

“和之前的阿波羅號宇航員一樣，這兩個人將在全人類探索精神的引領(lǐng)下，帶著我們的希望和夢想遨游太空。”

"We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year."

“我們將進(jìn)行健康和體能測試，并在今年晚些時候進(jìn)行初級培訓(xùn)。”

Musk also said the first passengers "are entering this with their eyes open, knowing that there is some risk here".

馬斯克還稱，第一批乘客“來這里時心里有所準(zhǔn)備，他們知道這是有風(fēng)險的”。

"They're certainly not naive, and we'll do everything we can to minimise that risk, but it's not zero."

“他們當(dāng)然沒那么天真，而我們會竭盡所能降低風(fēng)險，但風(fēng)險并不是零。”

The space tourists would make a loop around the Moon, skimming the lunar surface and then going well beyond, Mr Musk said.

馬斯克說，兩位太空游客會繞月球環(huán)游一圈，掠過月球表面后去到更遠(yuǎn)的地方。

The mission will not involve a lunar landing.

此次太空任務(wù)沒有登月部分。

The US has not sent astronauts to the Moon since the early 1970s.

自上世紀(jì)70年代初以來，美國就沒有向月球運(yùn)送過宇航員。