* 用英语自身来理解和学习英语是最好的方式，《英读廊》是《满庭说英语》中的拓展阅读系列，这一系列的文章力求帮助大家在英语阅读能力上有所提升，并树立英语思维；* 推荐的阅读的方法是：先原文，适当看解析阅读，还有疑惑再看双语对照。* 解析中英语单词的音标使用Dictcom和IPA双音标标注，如果需要了解Dictcom音标，请参看我们的《dictionary.com所用的音标体系》一文。* 本篇文章难度系数7.3，由《小仙英语伴读》人工智能难度分析系统提供评分。

#英语思维#

#英语#

Why does it take such a massive amount of thrust to break free of Earth's gravity and enter orbit?【译】为什么（卫星）需要如此巨大的推力才能脱离地球引力进入轨道？【单词】massive ['mas-iv]['m?s?v] adj. 巨大的；大量的；大规模的；大范围的；严重的【单词】thrust [thruhst][θr?st]n. 推力【单词】break [breyk][bre?k] v. 打碎；解决；中断；锐减【单词】gravity ['grav-i-tee]['ɡr?v?ti] n. 重力【单词】enter ['en-ter]['ent?] v. 进入【单词】orbit ['awr-bit]['??b?t] n. 轨迹，轨道【专有名词】Earth [urth][??θ] n. 地球

I'm having trouble conceptually because it seems like it would actually become easier to escape gravity the further up into the atmosphere a rocket goes, since the effects of gravity and drag diminish with altitude.【译】我遇到了概念性的麻烦，看起来火箭越往上飞，逃离重力就越容易，因为重力和阻力的影响随着高度的增加而减小。【单词】trouble ['truhb-uhl]['tr?bl] n. 困难；烦恼；麻烦【单词】conceptually [kuhn-'sep-choo-uhl][k?n'sept?u?li] adv. 概念地【单词】escape [ih-'skeyp][?'ske?p] v. 逃跑；逃脱【单词】atmosphere ['at-muhs-feer]['?tm?sf??] n. 大气；空气【单词】rocket ['rok-it]['r?k?t] n. 火箭【单词】drag [drag][dr?ɡ] n. 拖；拉；累赘；阻力【单词】diminish [dih-'min-ish][d?'m?n??] vi. 变少；逐渐变细；减少【单词】altitude ['al-ti-tood, -tyood]['?lt?tju?d] n. 高度；海拔

Getting to orbit does NOT involve breaking free of gravity.【译】进入轨道并不意味着脱离重力。【解析】NOT在这里全大写，表示强调的意思

【单词】involve [in-'volv][?n'v?lv] vt. 包含；牵涉

There is basically the same amount of gravity in low earth orbit as there is at ground level.【译】近地轨道上的重力与地面上的重力基本相同。【单词】basically ['bey-sik-lee]['be?s?kli] adv. 基本上；主要地【单词】ground [ground][ɡra?nd] n. 地面；地方；水平

You get into orbit by going fast enough horizontally to where the trajectory that gravity pulls you down equals the curvature of the Earth, which means that for every foot gravity pulls you downward you've traveled far enough that the ground is now a foot further down than it was before.【译】你进入轨道的方法是，以足够快的水平速度，到达重力把你往下拉的轨迹等于地球的曲率，也就是说，每当重力把你往下拉一英尺时，由于你已经走得足够远了，因而现在地面比以前下降了一英尺（相对原来的水平位置来说）。【单词】horizontally [hawr-uh-'zon-tl, hor-][?h?r?'z?nt?li] adv. 水平地【单词】trajectory [truh-'jek-tuh-ree][tr?'d?ekt?ri] n. 轨道；弹道；轨迹【单词】pulls 原型：pull [pool][p?l] v. 拉；拖；吸引【单词】equals 原型：equal ['ee-kwuhl]['i?kw?l] vt. 比得上；等于【单词】curvature ['kur-vuh-cher]['k??v?t??] n. 弯曲；（几何）曲率【单词】foot [foo?t][f?t] n. 英尺【单词】downward ['doun-werd]['da?nw?d] adv. 向下【单词】traveled 原型 travel ['trav-uhl]['tr?vl] v. 移动，旅行

You never get any closer to the earth, and so you just keep going around and around.【译】你不会离地球更近，所以你就一直绕来绕去。

The hard part of getting into orbit isn't the altitude, it's reaching the horizontal speed necessary to orbit.【译】进入轨道最困难的部分不是高度，而是达到进入轨道所需的水平速度。【短语】part of … （某事物的）一部分；例句：He received part of his education in England. 他有一部分教育是在英国接受的。【单词】reaching 原型：reach [reech][ri?t?] v. 到达；伸出；达成【单词】horizontal [hawr-uh-'zon-tl, hor-][?h?r?'z?ntl] adj. 水平的；横的【单词】speed [speed][spi?d] n. 速度；迅速

It's VERY fast, and so it takes a lot of thrust to get there.【译】这需要很快，所以需要很大的推力才能达到这个速度。

"Up" is easy.【译】“向上”很容易。

That's not what lets you enter orbit, though.【译】但这并不是让你进入轨道的原因。

You have to go sideways.【译】你得向侧面移动。【单词】sideways ['sahyd-weyz]['sa?dwe?z] adv. 向旁边；斜着地；向侧面地

An object in orbit is locked by gravity to the thing its orbiting, it's just going fast enough sideways such that its continued "falling" continually misses the orbited object.【译】一个在轨道上的物体被重力锁定在它的轨道上，它的侧向运动速度足够快，以至于它持续“下坠”然而并不会向它围绕的物体靠近。【单词】object ['ob-jikt, -jekt]['?bd??kt] n. 物体；目标；对象【单词】locked 原型：lock [lok][l?k] v. 固定；锁(住)；抓牢【单词】orbiting 原型：orbit ['awr-bit]['??b?t] vt. 绕轨道而行；进入轨道 vi. 盘旋【单词】continually [kuhn-'tin-yoo-uh-lee][k?n't?nju?li] adv. 不断地；频繁地

Things orbit the earth because of gravity.【译】由于引力，物体绕地球运行。

If you "broke free of gravity" you would just leave the earth, going further and further from it.【译】如果你“挣脱了重力”，你就会离开地球，离地球越来越远。

You are right though, as you go up, there is less drag and less gravity.【译】但你是对的，当你往上爬时，阻力和重力都变小了。

But to get into orbit, very little of the energy is spent going up and fighting drag.【译】但要进入轨道，仅需要很少的能量花在上升和抵抗阻力上。【单词】spent 原型：spend [spend][spend] v. 花费；浪费【单词】fighting 原型：fight [fahyt][fa?t] vt. 对抗

Most of the energy is spent accelerating sideways.【译】大部分能量都花在侧向加速上。【短语】most of … 大部分，大多数的；绝大多数；例句：I think most of these obstacles can be surmounted. 我认为这些障碍大多数都是可以克服的。【单词】accelerating 原型：accelerate [ak-'sel-uh-reyt][?k'sel?re?t] v. 加速；提前

With an orbit, gravity is still pulling you down, but because you go so fast sideways, you "miss the Earth," so you just swing around it.【译】在轨道上，重力仍然会把你拉下来，但是因为你的侧向速度太快，你“避开了地球”，所以你只是绕着地球转。【单词】swing [swing][sw??] v. 摇摆；旋转