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An American company has presented a new space vehicle built to explore the moon.
一家美国公司展示了一个为探索月球而制造的新型航天器。
California-based Venturi Astrolab uncovered its working model of the vehicle last week.
总部位于加利福尼亚州的文丘里太空实验室上周公布了该航天器的工作模型。
The explorer, or rover, is called FLEX.
该探测器，即漫游车，被称为FLEX。
Astrolab officials say the four-wheeled rover was designed to be sent to the moon by the American space agency NASA.
太空实验室的官员说，这辆四轮漫游车是由美国国家航空航天局设计的，将被送往月球。
FLEX was developed to transport astronauts and cargo and support a series of lunar activities and experiments.
开发FLEX是为了运送宇航员和货物，并支持一系列月球活动和实验。
If NASA chooses to use the vehicle, it will become part of the Artemis program.
如果美国国家航空航天局选择使用这个航天器，它将会成为阿尔忒弥斯计划的一部分。
That program aims to return humans to the moon as early as 2025.
该计划的目标是最早在2025年让人类重返月球。
It also calls for establishing a long-term base on the moon that could one day launch astronauts to Mars.
它还要求在月球上建立一个长期基地，有朝一日可以将宇航员送上火星。
FLEX could become the first astronaut-transporting vehicle to visit the moon since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
FLEX可能会成为自1972年美国国家航空航天局阿波罗17号任务以来第一个访问月球的宇航员运输工具。
Apollo 17 was the last of six American manned missions to the moon.
阿波罗17号是美国六次载人登月任务中的最后一次。
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recently test drove the vehicle.
退休的加拿大宇航员克里斯·哈德菲尔德最近试驾了这个航天器。
He said in a video released by Astrolab that rovers used during the Apollo missions were built purely for exploration purposes.
他在太空实验室发布的一段视频中说，阿波罗任务中使用的漫游车纯粹是为了探索目的而制作的。
But, Hadfield added, FLEX was designed to support astronauts landing on the moon for long-term stays.
但是，哈德菲尔德还说，FLEX是为支持宇航员在月球上长期停留而设计的。
"Once you get there, you've got to be able to move things around," he said.
他说：“一旦你到了那里，你必须能够移动东西”。
"You also need to transition the equipment that keeps you alive and that enables the activities."
“你还需要转换设备，让你保持活力，并使这些活动成为可能。”
Hadfield added: "When we settle somewhere, we don't just need to get people from one place to another, but we need to move hardware, cargo, life support equipment and more."
哈德菲尔德还说：“当我们在某个地方定居时，我们不仅需要把人从一个地方运送到另一个地方，我们还需要运输硬件、货物、生命维持设备等。”
Apollo 17's rover set a moon speed record of 17.7 kilometers per hour.
阿波罗17号月球车创下了每小时17.7公里的月球速度纪录。
Astrolab chief Jaret Matthews says FLEX can move just as fast.
太空实验室首席执行官杰勒特·马修斯表示，FLEX的移动速度也一样快。
He told Reuters such a speed is "kind of a practical limit for the moon," where gravity is one-sixth that of Earth.
他告诉路透社，这样的速度“对月球来说实际上是一种限制”，因为月球的重力只有地球的六分之一。
Matthews is a former rover engineer for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
马修斯曾是美国国家航空航天局喷气推进实验室的漫游车工程师。
Vehicles designed for the Apollo missions operated with astronauts sitting and driving the vehicles like a car.
为阿波罗任务设计的航天器在运行时由宇航员像驾驶汽车一样坐着驾驶。
With FLEX, astronauts stand in the back and control the vehicle with a joystick device.
有了FLEX，宇航员站在航天器的后面，用操纵杆装置控制航天器。
The vehicle weighs about 500 kilograms, but can carry loads up to 1,500, Astrolab officials say.
天空实验室的官员表示，这辆漫游车重约500公斤，但可以携带1500件物品。
With its sun-powered batteries fully charged, FLEX is designed to operate continuously for up to eight hours.
在太阳能电池充满电的情况下，FLEX可以持续运行长达8小时。
Matthews said the vehicle's energy storing system can survive the extreme cold of a lunar night and the rover can operate in total darkness.
马修斯说，该月球车的能量储存系统可以承受月球夜晚的极端寒冷，该漫游车可以在完全黑暗的环境中运行。
Video of the test drive showed FLEX driving over sand and rocks in the California desert near Death Valley National Park.
试驾视频显示，在加州死亡谷国家公园附近的沙漠，FLEX翻越了沙子和岩石。
After the test, Hadfield said "it was huge fun" driving the vehicle.
测试结束后，哈德菲尔德说，“驾驶这辆车“非常有趣”。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
