Life of an astronaut - Jerry Carr

太空人的生活 - 傑瑞·卡爾

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Geoff Chen

Normally astronaut training takes about one full year,

一般來說太空人訓練要花整整一年

and it includes such subjects as

訓練內容包含了

astronomy,

天文學

astrophysics,

flight physiology,

天體物理學

航空生理學

orbital trajectories,

航道軌跡

or orbital management.

或是軌道控制

Another part of the astronaut basic training is survival training.

太空人基礎訓練的另一部分 則是生存訓練

In the days of Gemini,

在雙子星計畫的那個年代

you never knew for sure where a spacecraft might land

在有緊急狀況、偏離軌道時

if there was an emergency, deorbit.

你永遠說不準太空船會降落在哪

So, we had to take desert training,

所以我們必須接受沙漠訓練

water training,

水中訓練

and jungle survival training.

還有叢林生存訓練

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

所以我們得學蛇要怎麼料理、怎麼吃

and all other, such other good things as that,

以及其他各式各樣的有用技巧

and how to make water in a desert.

還要學如何在沙漠變出水來

After that year and a half of astronaut basic training,

在一年半的太空人基本訓練後

our names were all put on a list

我們的名字會放在一張等待名單上

and that list was quite a bit longer at that time

那張名單在那個年代

then there were seats available.

名字數遠多過空座位數

And so, we were all given other duties

所以我們會被叫去做別的事

to keep us occupied

讓我們忙碌有事可做

and to help continue our training.

並使訓練能繼續下去

Five of us were assigned to the lunar module,

我們之中有五人 被指派到登月艙計畫

and our job was to be with these lunar modules

我們的工作就是 在製造登月艙的時候

as they were being built.

要參與其過程

So, we spent a lot of time there.

所以我們在那裡花了很長的時間

I must admit that probably I had more time

我得承認我在登月艙 #6

sleeping on the floor of Lunar Module #6

地板上睡覺的時間，可能比

than the crew who flew it on the moon.

駕駛它去月球的組員花的時間還長

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

嗯，我的下一份工作是 當阿波羅八號的支持團隊

and Apollo 8 was the spacecraft that flew to the moon

而阿波羅八號就是那艘飛向月球

and came back but did not land.

又回來，但沒有降落月球的太空船

When they went behind the moon,

他們繞到月球後面的時候

they were supposed to do a thrusting maneuver

他們應該要做噴射機動

to slow them down

以減慢速度

so they would be captured into lunar orbit.

他們才能被月球重力抓住 以進入月球軌道

So we just had to sit and cool our heels

所以在他們繞到月球背面時

when they went behind the moon,

我們就只能坐著癡癡的等待

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

我們知道如果他們提前 從另一面跑出來

that they had not burned enough,

表示燃燒時間太短

not slowed down enough,

速度減慢不夠

and were going to skip out into space,

就會被拋入太空

they wouldn't be captured in orbit.

他們就不能進入軌道

If they came out a little bit late,

如果他們太晚才出來

it meant they had over-done it,

表示他們燒過頭了

and they weren't going to be in orbit,

那他們也不能進入軌道

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

卻會盤旋向下墜毀在月球表面

And, of course, without a lunar module,

當然，沒有登月艙

that kind of ruins your whole day.

整個計劃就完蛋了

You can imagine how relieved we were

你能想像我們終於鬆了一口氣

at the instant that they were supposed

在他們應該

to appear on the other side of the moon

出現在月球另一面的

that they appeared!

那一瞬間看到他們！

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

我下一個任務又是當阿波羅 12 號 支持團隊的一分子

and Apollo 12 was struck by lightning

阿波羅 12 號在升空的期間

on its way off the pad.

被閃電擊中

A nearby thunderstorm,

那附近有一場雷雨

there was a lightning bolt that went over

經過的閃電恰恰擊中

and hit the very tip of the spacecraft.

太空船的機鼻

The charge went down through the spacecraft,

電荷穿過整艘太空船

through the booster,

穿過助推器

down the exhaust gases,

向下傳到排出的氣體

and grounded out on the launching pad.

然後從發射台接地出去

It killed the electrical power system

它破壞了電力系統

and the computers all died.

所有的電腦都當了

You can imagine what it must have been like

你能想像坐在裡面的人

for them inside because suddenly the lights all went out

情況會是甚麼樣子 因為突然電燈都熄了

and then they came back on

然後又亮了

when the batteries picked up the load.

因為電池突然大量負載

And, every single warning light and caution light

而且每一個警告燈及警示燈

in the spacecraft was on and flashing,

在太空船內都亮了而且在閃

and all the necessary bells, whistles, and buzzards

所有必要的警鈴、警笛、蜂鳴器

and things that are in there,

裡面所有的東西

all were going off at the same time.

通通在同一時間關掉

The crew was totally confused

機組員完全搞不清楚

as to what was going on.

到底發生了什麼事

When we were settled in orbit,

當我們進入軌道

we tested all the various systems

我們測試了所有的系統

and everything looked good.

每個看起來都很正常

So, that, now I figured this is it,

我原以為任務就這樣沒了

and sure enough, I did get an assignment,

但後來我真的得到了一個任務

a flight assignment.

一個飛行任務

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

我被指派去當 阿波羅 16 的替補成員

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

也就是說我會成為 阿波羅 19 號的主要組員

And, several weeks into the training,

但在幾個星期的訓練後

NASA made the surprise announcment

太空總署意外地宣布

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

他們要取消阿波羅 18、19 及 20

We were in the middle of the Vietnam War,

我們正在打越戰

the budget was in bad shape,

預算很不好

so you can imagine there were three

所以你能想像三個

very, very sad hangdog guys moping around the office

非常非常難過，垂頭喪氣的傢伙 在辦公室裡搖尾乞憐

because we lost our flight to the moon.

因為我們去不了月球

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

但幾個星期後 我接到湯姆·斯塔福德的電話

the Senior Astronaut at that time,

那時候他是高階宇航員

and he wanted me in his office,

他要我去他的辦公室

and I went in,

and he told me that he was sorry

而我也去了

然後他告訴我他很難過

that I had missed my opportunity for the moon,

我失去上月球的機會

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

但他說「我有另一個任務給你」

He said, "I want you to be the commander

他說「我要你成為指揮官」

of the third and final Skylab mission."

「指揮第三也是最後的 太空實驗室計畫」

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

然後他說 「你覺得你做得了這個工作嗎？」

And I said, "Of course, yes!"

而我說「當然可以」

And, I'll have to admit,

但我必須承認

a certain lump in my chest and in my stomach,

我心裡真的有點疙瘩

because I was a rookie,

因為我是新手

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

而他們按理不會 指派新手為指揮官

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

通常你得真的出過 一次飛行任務才成

but they assigned me to that,

但他們指派我去做那個

which was really kind of a shock

對我這真的有點驚訝

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

因為上回指派的新手指揮官是 雙子星 8 的尼爾·阿姆斯壯