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Rich Chinese Tourists Looking to Space
添加时间:2014-01-13 15:09:44 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • If everything goes well, the first private astronauts from China may journey to space before the end of the year.

    The Netherlands-based space tourism firm Space Expedition Corporation, or SXC, has signed an agreement with Dexo Travel, a domestic travel agency, to take rich Chinese to space.

    Zhang Yong, chief executive officer of Dexo Travel, told China Daily that more than 100 people have expressed an intention to book space trip tickets since registrations2 began on the Chinese mainland on Dec 27.

    Registration1 is for the Lynx Mark I spacecraft, which is expected to launch at the end of 2014, and the Lynx Mark II spacecraft, expected to begin flights in 2015.

    Zhang revealed that two businessmen have already bought tickets for trips in 2015.

    "The money is not a problem for the rich," said Zhang.

    Alex Tang, chief executive officer of SXC Asia, said, "We have great confidence in the Asian market because of China's huge enthusiasm for space."

    He said China's big achievements in space exploration in recent years have led to an increasing interest in outer space in the country.

    Zhang said, "Going into space is no longer just for billionaires."

    Of the more than 500 people who have gone into space, only a few have been private astronauts.

    According to the company, a tourist will pay a minimum of $95,000 to board the Lynx Mark I spacecraft, which is produced by the US private aerospace3 company XCOR Aerospace.

    The spaceship can only carry one astronaut and one tourist, who sits in the co-pilot seat.

    The tourists will reach outer space about five minutes after takeoff.

    The craft will stay in space for five to six minutes while the tourist can enjoy a view of space and one-third of Earth.

    "The whole trip will last for one hour and there will be six minutes for the tourist to experience the condition of weightlessness," he said.

    The Lynx Mark I spacecraft, which is designed to take participants to a height of 60 km, is expected to start flights by the end of this year.

    The Lynx Mark II spacecraft is expected to begin flights in 2015 and will take participants into space to a height of 103 km, said Zhang.

    Guo Hui, chairman of Chengdu Universal International Travel Service, is one of Zhang's marketing4 partners for the project.

    He said five entrepreneurs in Chengdu, Sichuan province, have booked space trips.

    However, it seems they are not going to space merely because of their interests in outer space, according to Guo.

    "They decided5 to fly to space for the honor of their companies," he said. "There are many ways to enhance their companies' reputation, but there is only one chance to be China's first company owner who went to space."

    According to Tang, SXC allows astronauts to show their company logo on their spacesuit.

    However, at least one space fan said the trip wouldn't interest him because of its short length.

    "If I go to space, I hope to stay at least one day there, experiencing dining, sleeping and going to the bathroom in the condition of weightlessness," said Yun Yi, 30, an IT engineer who has enormous interest in extraterrestrial life and science fiction.

    "For real space enthusiasts6 like me, we want deep space rather than a slice of it. A height of 103 km is not enough for experiencing real space."

    In the face of such comments, Tang said the company is providing outer space experience at an affordable7 price.

    "The five to six minutes of space experience makes space more accessible to the public as there's much less safety risk, health concerns and physical training," he said.

    A tourist who tries to fly more than 200 km has to pay at least 20 to 50 times the current price. Meanwhile, the stiffer requirements may eliminate at least 80 to 90 percent of potential clients, Zhang said.

     8级    英语新闻 


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    1 registration [ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃn] ASKzO   第8级
    n.登记,注册,挂号
    参考例句:
    • Marriage without registration is not recognized by law. 法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
    • What's your registration number? 你挂的是几号?
    2 registrations [ˌredʒɪˈstreɪʃənz] d53ddf87a983739d49e0da0c1fa64925   第8级
    n.登记( registration的名词复数 );登记项目;登记(或注册、挂号)人数;(管风琴)音栓配合(法)
    参考例句:
    • In addition to the check-in procedures, the room clerks are customarily responsible for recording advance registrations. 除了办理住宿手续外,客房登记员按惯例还负责预约登记。 来自辞典例句
    • Be the Elekta expert for products registrations in China. 成为在中国注册产品的医科达公司专家。 来自互联网
    3 aerospace [ˈeərəʊspeɪs] CK2yf   第7级
    adj.航空的,宇宙航行的
    参考例句:
    • The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession. 全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
    • Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army. 爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。
    4 marketing [ˈmɑ:kɪtɪŋ] Boez7e   第8级
    n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
    参考例句:
    • They are developing marketing network. 他们正在发展销售网络。
    • He often goes marketing. 他经常去市场做生意。
    5 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    6 enthusiasts [ɪn'θju:zɪæsts] 7d5827a9c13ecd79a8fd94ebb2537412   第9级
    n.热心人,热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册
    7 affordable [ə'fɔ:dəbl] kz6zfq   第8级
    adj.支付得起的,不太昂贵的
    参考例句:
    • The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable. 四居室房屋的房租付得起。
    • There are few affordable apartments in big cities. 在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

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