Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen indicated he is prepared to commit $200 million or more of his wealth to build the world's largest airplane as a mobile platform for launching satellites at low cost, which he believes could transform the space industry.
微软公司(Microsoft Corp.)联合创始人艾伦(Paul Allen)表示，准备自掏腰包，斥资至少2亿美元建造世界上最大飞行器，并把它打造成低价发射卫星的移动平台，他认为此举可引发航天发射业巨变。
Announced Tuesday, the novel, high-risk project conceived by renowned aerospace designer Burt Rutan seeks to combine engines, landing gears and other parts removed from old Boeing 747 jets with a newly created composite craft from Mr. Rutan and a powerful rocket to be built by a company run by Internet billionaire and commercial-space pioneerElon Musk.
本周二，该项目的情况对外公布。知名航空航天设计师鲁坦(Burt Rutan)认为，这是一个创新的、高风险的项目。该项目试图把从老旧的波音(Boeing)747喷气式飞机上拆下来的引擎、起落架和其它零部件与鲁坦新发明的组合飞行器以及互联网业亿万富翁、商业太空业务先驱马斯克(Elon Musk)旗下某公司准备建造的威力强大的火箭组合到一起。
Dubbed Stratolaunch and funded by one of Mr. Allen's closely held entities, the venture seeks to meld decades-old airplane technology with cutting-edge booster-rocket designs in an unprecedented way to assemble a hybrid that would offer the first totallyprivately funded space transportation system.
这家名为 "Stratolaunch" 的公司受到了艾伦旗下一家少数人持股公司的资助。Stratolaunch力求将已有数十年历史的飞机技术与火箭助推器的前沿设计以一种前所未有的方式结合在一起，建成一个合成飞行器，向公众推出全世界首个完全由私人赞助的太空交通运输系统。
The ultimate goal
京公网安备 11011202003401号
