據(jù)外媒報道，目前世界上最大的運輸機“平流層發(fā)射”正式在美國亮相，為首次測試做準備。該架飛機由微軟聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人保羅?艾倫設立的平流層發(fā)射系統(tǒng)（Stratolaunch Systems）公司建造，具有雙機身，翼展超過117米，凈重約為227噸，擁有6臺波音747所用的引擎。在機翼下方、雙機身的中間，可以攜帶重達110噸的火箭，從地面飛到平流層3.5萬英尺的高空，接著讓火箭點火、發(fā)射、脫離大氣層，繼而送衛(wèi)星進入近地軌道。

Stratolaunch飛機構想圖。 圖片來源：Stratolaunch

下面一起來了解一下這架世界上最大的運輸機：

GIGANTIC
身形巨大

The Stratolaunch aircraft is enormous, with a wingspan totaling 385 feet (117 meters), longer than the wingspan of any other aircraft and greater than the length of an American football field.
平流層發(fā)射飛機身形巨大，翼展總長為117米，超過所有飛機的翼展，比一個美式足球場還要長。

Among commonly seen aircraft, the double-decker Airbus A380's wings span 262 feet (nearly 80 meters).
在常見的飛機中，雙層客機空客A380的翼展近80米。

WEIGHT AND POWER
重量和動力

The Stratolaunch aircraft weighs 500,000 pounds (226,799 kilograms) empty, can carry 250,000 pounds (113,399 kilograms) of fuel, and with payload can take off at a maximum weight of 1.3 million pounds (589,676 kilograms).
平流層發(fā)射飛機凈重約227噸，可搭載約113噸燃料，最大有效載荷近590噸。

It is powered by six engines of the same type used by Boeing 747s.
它由6臺波音747所用的同款發(fā)動機提供動力。

AIR LAUNCH
空中發(fā)射

On launch missions, Stratolaunch will carry as many as three rockets attached to the center of the wing between the two fuselages. The rockets will be released, ignite their engines and carry small satellites weighing up to 1,000 pounds (453.6 kilograms) to low Earth orbit.
在執(zhí)行發(fā)射任務時，平流層發(fā)射飛機可在雙機身中間、機翼中心位置搭載多達3枚火箭。飛機可以讓火箭點火、發(fā)射，將其攜帶的重達454公斤的小型衛(wèi)星送入近地軌道。

According to Stratolaunch, the advantages of its system include being able to use numerous airports and avoid the limitations of fixed launch sites which can be impacted by weather, air traffic and ship traffic on ocean ranges.
據(jù)平流層發(fā)射系統(tǒng)公司介紹，這套系統(tǒng)的優(yōu)勢在于能適應眾多機場，固定發(fā)射場所可能會受到天氣、空中交通狀況以及海上船運狀況的影響，而平流層發(fā)射系統(tǒng)能避免這些限制。

HISTORY
歷史回顧

Airborne launches date back decades, most famously to the X-15 program of the 1950s and '60s, when manned rocket planes were carried aloft under the wing of a B-52 bomber and released on hypersonic research flights.
機載發(fā)射可以追溯至幾十年前，最著名的是上世紀50、60年代的X-15計劃，當時一架B-52轟炸機的機翼下搭載了載人火箭飛機，并在超音速飛行的測試研究飛行器上發(fā)射。

In the 1990s, Orbital Sciences Corp. (now Orbital ATK) began releasing rockets from the belly of a converted L-1011 airliner to put small satellites into low Earth orbit.
上世紀90年代，軌道科學公司（現(xiàn)為軌道ATK公司）從一架改裝的L-1011客機的機身下發(fā)射火箭，將小型衛(wèi)星送入近地軌道。

More recently, Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder, funded development of the Burt Rutan-designed SpaceShipOne, the first privately developed manned spacecraft.
再之后，微軟公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人保羅?艾倫投資研發(fā)了伯特?魯坦設計的“太空飛船一號”。這是第一架私人研發(fā)的載人航天器。

Suspended between the twin-fuselages of a special jet, SpaceShipOne was carried to high altitude and released. It reached space on three suborbital flights in 2004.
“太空飛船一號”由一架特制的雙機身噴氣飛機懸掛在機身中間，將其載入高空并發(fā)射。2004年，“太空飛船一號”經(jīng)過3次亞軌道飛行進入太空。

The same launch concept is being used for SpaceShipTwo, the passenger-carrying craft being developed for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism enterprise.
“太空飛船二號”應用了相同的概念，這架載人飛行器是為理查德?布蘭森爵士的維珍銀河太空旅游公司研發(fā)的。

WHAT'S NEXT
下一步會怎樣

Initial testing will focus on filling the six fuel tanks to ensure they are properly sealed and that related mechanisms are operating properly.
首輪測試將對機上的6個油箱進行加油測試，檢查其密封是否完好，以及相關機械的運行是否正常。

The aircraft will then be taken back inside the hangar for weight and balance testing. Ground testing will lead to flight operations and the first launch demonstration, which is expected in 2019.
隨后，飛機將被拖回機庫進行重量和平衡性測試，并有望在2019年進行陸地測試，進行飛行操作和首次發(fā)射展示。

英文來源：美聯(lián)社
翻譯&編輯：董靜
審校：yaning