Life of an astronaut - Jerry Carr

一名宇航员的职业生涯 - 杰瑞·卡尔

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Yinglei Li 校对人员: Geoff Chen

Normally astronaut training takes about one full year,

一般宇航员训练要历时一整年

and it includes such subjects as

训练内容包括

astronomy,

天文学

astrophysics,

flight physiology,

天体物理学

航空医学

orbital trajectories,

运动轨道

or orbital management.

或轨道管理

Another part of the astronaut basic training is survival training.

生存训练也包括在宇航员基础训练中

In the days of Gemini,

在双子星计划中

you never knew for sure where a spacecraft might land

如果发生紧急情况或飞船脱离轨道

if there was an emergency, deorbit.

就不知道会在什么地方着陆

So, we had to take desert training,

所以，我们要接受沙漠训练

water training,

缺水训练

and jungle survival training.

以及丛林求生训练

So, we had to learn how to cook and eat snake

我们还要学着就地取材

and all other, such other good things as that,

给自己弄到些吃的

and how to make water in a desert.

还要在沙漠里造水

After that year and a half of astronaut basic training,

完成一年半的宇航员基础训练之后

our names were all put on a list

我们的名字会被列入一张表格

and that list was quite a bit longer at that time

那时表格里的人还挺多

then there were seats available.

随后航天计划里需要人手

And so, we were all given other duties

我们就被分配到各种任务

to keep us occupied

工作很忙

and to help continue our training.

而且这也是训练的一部分

Five of us were assigned to the lunar module,

我和另外四个同伴加入了登月舱小组

and our job was to be with these lunar modules

我们的工作是在建造登月舱时

as they were being built.

密切关注它的进程

So, we spent a lot of time there.

所以我们基本都待在那儿

I must admit that probably I had more time

不得不说

sleeping on the floor of Lunar Module #6

我在6号登月舱里睡觉的时间

than the crew who flew it on the moon.

可能比乘着它登月的航天员们还长

Well, my next job was to be on the support crew of Apollo 8,

接下去我受命支持阿波罗8号小组的工作

and Apollo 8 was the spacecraft that flew to the moon

阿波罗8号飞船飞向月球

and came back but did not land.

并且成功返地，但并未在月球登陆

When they went behind the moon,

当飞船抵达月球背面时

they were supposed to do a thrusting maneuver

要进行多次制动

to slow them down

从而降低飞船速度

so they would be captured into lunar orbit.

这样飞船才能被月球轨道捕获

So we just had to sit and cool our heels

我们要做的就是坐在控制室里

when they went behind the moon,

耐心等待他们飞到月球背面

and we knew if they came out a little early on the other side,

如果他们从月球另一面出来的时间略早

that they had not burned enough,

就意味着飞船没有制动到位

not slowed down enough,

速度仍然过快

and were going to skip out into space,

飞船没有进入月球轨道

they wouldn't be captured in orbit.

将变成浩瀚宇宙中的漂浮物

If they came out a little bit late,

如果出来时间略晚

it meant they had over-done it,

意味着制动过头

and they weren't going to be in orbit,

飞船同样不会进入轨道

but were going to begin a spiral down to the lunar surface.

而是以螺旋形轨迹 环绕月球直至撞击月表

And, of course, without a lunar module,

当然，要是没有登月舱

that kind of ruins your whole day.

这种情况无疑是巨大的灾难

You can imagine how relieved we were

当飞船在应该出现在 月球另一面的时候

at the instant that they were supposed

出现了

to appear on the other side of the moon

你能想象

that they appeared!

我们该松了多大一口气啊！

My next assignment was again a support crew assignment on Apollo 12,

我再接下去的任务是 支持阿波罗12号小组的工作

and Apollo 12 was struck by lightning

阿波罗12号飞船在脱离底盘时

on its way off the pad.

遭到了雷击

A nearby thunderstorm,

事发时附近有场雷雨

there was a lightning bolt that went over

正好有道闪电

and hit the very tip of the spacecraft.

直击飞船顶部

The charge went down through the spacecraft,

电流穿过飞船

through the booster,

通过助推器

down the exhaust gases,

再从废气

and grounded out on the launching pad.

传导至发射底盘

It killed the electrical power system

雷击造成电力系统短路

and the computers all died.

电脑全部死机

You can imagine what it must have been like

不难想象当时飞船内的场景

for them inside because suddenly the lights all went out

所有灯突然都暗了

and then they came back on

然后蓄电池开始供电

when the batteries picked up the load.

灯又亮了起来

And, every single warning light and caution light

飞船内的每一盏警示灯

in the spacecraft was on and flashing,

都在闪烁

and all the necessary bells, whistles, and buzzards

铃声、汽笛声、音响声

and things that are in there,

一切正在进行的声响

all were going off at the same time.

一瞬间全部安静下来

The crew was totally confused

全组人员都愣住了

as to what was going on.

不知道发生了什么

When we were settled in orbit,

当飞船进入轨道后

we tested all the various systems

我们排查了所有系统

and everything looked good.

没有看出任何问题

So, that, now I figured this is it,

事后我才知道是飞船被雷击了

and sure enough, I did get an assignment,

之后我终于接到一项任务

a flight assignment.

是个飞行任务

I was assigned to the back-up crew of Apollo 16,

我成了阿波罗16号的候补船员

which meant that I was to be on the param crew of Apollo 19.

也就是说我将成为 阿波罗19号的首批船员

And, several weeks into the training,

经过几周训练

NASA made the surprise announcment

美国国家宇航局 (NASA) 发布了一条惊人的消息

that they were going to cancel Apollos 18, 19, and 20.

阿波罗18，19，20号计划都将取消

We were in the middle of the Vietnam War,

因为美国正在打越南战争

the budget was in bad shape,

造成经费不足

so you can imagine there were three

结果你是知道的

very, very sad hangdog guys moping around the office

我们三个候补人员痛失造访月球的机会

because we lost our flight to the moon.

整日在办公室里唉声叹气

But, several weeks later, I got a call from Tom Stafford,

但过了几周，当时的 高级宇航员汤姆•斯塔福德

the Senior Astronaut at that time,

给我来了电话

and he wanted me in his office,

叫我去他办公室

and I went in,

and he told me that he was sorry

我就去了

对于我无法去月球的消息

that I had missed my opportunity for the moon,

他表示十分遗憾

but he said, "I've got another assignment for you."

但他说：“我有其他事要你做”

He said, "I want you to be the commander

"我任命你为"，他说

of the third and final Skylab mission."

"第三次也是最后一次 太空实验室任务的总指挥官"

And, he said, "Do you think you could do the job?"

然后他问: "你能胜任吗？"

And I said, "Of course, yes!"

"绝对没问题！"我回答

And, I'll have to admit,

我得透露一下

a certain lump in my chest and in my stomach,

当时我感到一阵头昏眼花

because I was a rookie,

我可还是个新人啊

and they normally don't assign a rookie to be a commander,

他们从不轻易任命新人做总指挥官

usually you have to have at least one flight under your belt,

你至少要有一次飞行经历才够格

but they assigned me to that,

但他们指派我了

which was really kind of a shock

在那之前最后一个新人指挥官是 双子星8号计划的尼尔•阿姆斯特朗

because the last rookie commander was Neil Armstrong on Gemini 8.

我真的受宠若惊