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April 20
A moon rover helped astronauts carry samples and equipment
1972: Apollo 16 safely on Moon after engine crisis
England have
The Apollo 16 mission has landed on the Moon after a seven-hour crisis that
nearly aborted the mission altogether.
Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke became the fifth team to step down
onto the Moon at 0324 BST (0224 GMT). They landed in the Descartes crater region
of the lunar highlands.
A delighted Charles Duke exclaimed, "Contact!" as the lunar module, Orion,
touched down.
His first comment on looking around him was, "We"re not going to have to
walk far to pick up rocks."
Drama
It was the end of a seven-hour drama which began at 2036 BST (1936 GMT) the
previous evening, when an engine on the command module, Casper, malfunctioned
after it had separated from the lunar module.
If the engine had been fired at this point, the craft could have veered out
of control or far off course, with disastrous consequences.
The command module has to place itself in a precise orbit above the Moon to
be in the right place to pick up the lunar module for the journey home.
As the engine could not be fired, Orion could not be cleared for the
landing, and there were serious doubts at mission control that it would be
possible to make a landing at all.
Although the astronauts were not believed to be in personal danger, there
were fears of another expensive failure like Apollo 13 two years ago, when an
explosion on board crippled the spacecraft, aborting the mission and putting its
crew at serious risk.
Deadline
The two Apollo 16 astronauts on the lunar module were told to halt their
landing attempt and keep Orion close to Casper in a "station keeping position"
in which it would be possible quickly to link the two craft if necessary.
Mission control issued an 0814 BST (0714 GMT) deadline to fix the problem
or abandon the mission and return to Earth.
Then shortly before 0300 BST (0200 GMT) the command module pilot, Thomas
Mattingly, managed to fire the engine while on the dark side of the Moon, out of
radio contact.
The command module smoothly moved to the right point orbiting between 60
and 70 miles (95 to 110 km) above the lunar surface.
That cleared the way for the lunar module to begin making its descent.
The delay meant Young and Duke have had to cancel one of their three
excursions on the moon buggy they have brought with them, but they should still
be able to complete most of the mission as planned.
A Swat team moves in to the school
1999: Students "kill dozens" at Denver school
Artificially 1969:
The A shooting spree by two American high school students is feared to have
left up to 25 people dead and injured at least 15 others.
The students, wearing balaclavas and trench coats, rampaged through
Columbine High School in Denver, Colorado, firing automatic weapons and throwing
homemade bombs.
The bodies of the two suspects, who had apparently shot themselves, were
later found in the library.
Explosive devices are said to have been found on or near the suspects"
bodies.
They have been named as Eric Harris, 18, and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold.
"Trench coat mafia"
The pair are said to have belonged to a group known as the "trench coat
mafia" who boasted about owning guns and were alienated from the other
children.
One girl told police she was in the library when one of the boys burst in
and began firing shots.
"He said he would kill everyone who had been mean to him and his friends
over the last year," she said.
Other witnesses said the gunmen were targeting students from ethnic
minorities and popular athletes.
As FBI agents and specialist firearms teams made their way through the
carnage, a bomb set on a time device exploded.
At least 12 other bombs were found throughout the school, said police.
Three people believed to be friends of the suspects were arrested and were
led away in handcuffs.
But a police spokeswoman said they were not thought to be directly involved
in the shootings.
Columbine High School - which has 1,800 pupils - is situated in the
middle-class suburb of Littleton.
US President Bill Clinton has sent his condolences to the town.
"The prayers of the American people are with you," he said.
Vocabulary:
command module :(登月太空船的)驾驶舱，指挥舱
rampage: to move about wildly or violently (暴跳，乱闹) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:21:01