强大的飞机
Powerful Plane
一架翼展长度超过一个足球场的飞机刚刚首次试飞成功，这让我们离更经济实惠的飞行器又近了一步。
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.
世界上最大的飞机——平流层发射机，于周六从加利福尼亚州莫哈韦的莫哈维机场起飞，进行首次试飞。 根据新闻报道，在2.5小时的航程里，它最大速度达到了304公里每小时(189英里每小时)，然后从17000英尺的高空安全着陆。
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.
"飞行很顺利，这正是大家期待的试飞效果。”试飞员埃文·托马斯(Evan Thomas)告诉《边缘》杂志 ，后来又补充说,"它的试飞与我们模拟和预测相符。”
"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."
空中发射
Air Launch
微软联合创始人保罗·艾伦于2011年开始创建平流层发射系统，目标是建造一架足够大的飞机，将火箭和其他飞船送入近地轨道。
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.
这种进入太空的方式被称为“空中发射入轨”，与传统的航天器发射相比有许多好处。据“平流层发射”（Stratolaunch）的网站称，飞机从跑道起飞，因此“可以避开恶劣天气、空中交通和其他会导致传统地面发射延迟的不确定因素”。
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.
此外，由于平流层发射是可重复使用的(每次发射后会着陆)，该公司无需为其发射服务收取同等的费用，进一步普及了对太空的访问进程。
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.