[ti:Helicopter Catches Rocket Falling from Space] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]An American company has used a helicopter [00:04.68]to catch a rocket booster in midair [00:09.12]as it parachuted back to Earth from space. [00:14.76]The California-based company Rocket Lab [00:18.64]carried out the operation. [00:21.24]It was designed to demonstrate a method [00:25.52]to make rockets reusable. [00:28.56]It took place Monday above the South Pacific off New Zealand. [00:35.52]The helicopter was able to successfully [00:39.16]grab onto a line attached to the falling rocket. [00:43.92]However, the pilot noticed load differences [00:48.88]that were not experienced in past tests. [00:53.68]The pilot decided to drop the booster in the sea as a safety measure. [01:01.76]Rocket Lab uses a launch vehicle system called Electron [01:07.84]to send satellites into orbit for private companies. [01:13.32]The launches are carried out from the Mahia Peninsula, [01:18.44]off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. [01:23.56]Before the capture demonstration, an Electron rocket [01:29.64]successfully launched and sent 34 satellites into orbit. [01:36.44]After the deployment, the rocket's main booster began falling to Earth. [01:43.12]The booster's speed was slowed [01:46.88]to about 10 meters per second by a parachute. [01:51.88]The capture method was attempted [01:55.24]at about 2,000 meters as the booster fell. [02:00.68]The crew used a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter [02:05.92]with a long line and hook attached [02:09.64]to grab onto the booster's parachute line. [02:14.08]The successful capture brought cheers from ground controllers [02:19.88]during a live internet broadcast of the event. [02:24.32]But about 20 seconds later, sounds of disappointment [02:30.00]could be heard from controllers when the pilot let the rocket go. [02:35.76]Rocket Lab said in a statement the decision to drop the booster [02:42.48]was linked to "different load characteristics" [02:46.64]that the helicopter team detected. [02:50.08]Those differences had not been experienced [02:54.56]in past tests of the helicopter capture method, the company said. [03:01.24]Even with the unexpected result, [03:05.04]Rocket Lab creator and chief executive Peter Beck [03:10.40]called the demonstration a big success. [03:14.68]"They got a great catch. [03:17.56]They just didn't like the way the load was feeling," [03:21.44]he told reporters after the attempt. [03:24.88]Beck noted that nearly everything else in the demonstration [03:30.88]went exactly as planned. [03:33.92]He said the unexpected load issue [03:37.80]was a small problem that project team members [03:42.12]will immediately start studying and working to fix. [03:47.00]Beck said he hoped the company could still save some [03:52.64]or all of the rocket booster, [03:55.56]which was recovered from a boat after falling into the sea. [04:00.88]Rocket Lab says making its rockets reusable [04:05.80]will permit the company to increase the number [04:09.32]of launches it makes and reduce costs. [04:14.24]American company SpaceX designed [04:18.48]the first reusable orbital rocket, the Falcon 9. [04:23.96]The rocket uses a different recovery method [04:28.48]to make its boosters reusable. [04:31.76]The SpaceX boosters use engine power [04:35.76]to guide themselves onto floating platforms in the sea. [04:41.56]I'm Bryan Lynn. [04:44.32]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM