VOA慢速英语 登陆月球:双子星计划

　　(MUSIC)

　　VOICE TWO:

　　Now, it was time for Gemini Six to make its mark in history. Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford were the astronauts. Schirra had been the pilot on an almost perfect Mercury flight three years before. Stafford was from the second group of American astronauts.

　　They were to make the first effort at a space chase. The two men would chase another object orbiting Earth, a satellite. They would try to move their spacecraft as close as possible to the satellite. This move had to be successful before any moon landing could be attempted.

　　But things did not go as planned. The satellite that Schirra and Stafford were supposed to chase apparently exploded after it was launched. NASA postponed the flight of Gemini Six.

　　VOICE ONE:

　　Space agency officials had to find the reason for the failure of the target satellite. That would take valuable time. So, they decided to launch the next flight, Gemini Seven, instead of waiting.

　　The astronauts for that flight were Frank Borman and James Lovell. They planned to set another record -- fourteen days in space. It would be the longest, most difficult flight yet.

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