全球最大飛機首次試飛成功 未來將從半空發射衛星

Powerful Plane

強大的飛機

An airplane with a wingspan greater than the length of a football field just flew for the first time — putting us one step closer to more affordable spaceflight.

一架翼展長度超過一個足球場的飛機剛剛首次試飛成功，這讓我們離更經濟實惠的飛行器又近了一步。

The largest airplane in the world, the Stratolaunch, took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., on Saturday for its first test flight. According to a news release, it reached a maximum speed of 304 kilometers per hour (189 miles per hour) over the course of the 2.5-hour-long flight, soaring as high as 17,000 feet before landing safely.

世界上最大的飛機——平流層發射機，於週六從加利福尼亞州莫哈韋的莫哈維機場起飛，進行首次試飛。 根據新聞報道，在2.5小時的航程裏，它最大速度達到了304公里每小時(189英里每小時)，然後從17000英尺的高空安全着陸。

"The flight itself was smooth, which is exactly what you want a first flight to be," test pilot Evan Thomas told The Verge, later adding, "It flew very much like we had simulated and like we predicted."

"飛行很順利，這正是大家期待的試飛效果。”試飛員埃文·托馬斯(Evan Thomas)告訴《邊緣》雜誌 ，後來又補充說,"它的試飛與我們模擬和預測相符。”

Air Launch

空中發射

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen started Stratolaunch Systems in 2011 with the goal of building an airplane massive enough to carry rockets and other spacecraft to low-earth orbit.

微軟聯合創始人保羅·艾倫於2011年開始創建平流層發射系統，目標是建造一架足夠大的飛機，將火箭和其他飛船送入近地軌道。

This way of reaching space, known as air launch to orbit, has numerous benefits over traditional spacecraft launches. Because the plane takes off from a runway, it "can circumvent bad weather, air traffic, and other variables that cause delays with traditional ground launches," according to Stratolaunch's website.

這種進入太空的方式被稱爲“空中發射入軌”，與傳統的航天器發射相比有許多好處。據“平流層發射”（Stratolaunch）的網站稱，飛機從跑道起飛，因此“可以避開惡劣天氣、空中交通和其他會導致傳統地面發射延遲的不確定因素”。

And because the Stratolaunch is reusable — it lands after each launch — the company doesn't need to charge as much for its launch services, further democratizing access to space.

此外，由於平流層發射是可重複使用的(每次發射後會着陸)，該公司無需爲其發射服務收取同等的費用，進一步普及了對太空的訪問進程。