Science · 太空 / 科学
NASA 罗曼太空望远镜升空，开启宇宙深空巡天
NASA's Roman Telescope lifts off, starting a mission to explore the universe's biggest mysteries
一、原文精读
鼠标悬停在带 蓝色虚线下划线 的生词上，即可查看词性和释义。
1NASA's newest telescope is officially on its way to deep space after more than a decade of development and high anticipation. Onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:26 A.M. EDT on August 30.
2The telescope is set to transform our understanding of the cosmos—from the furthest reaches and most mysterious forces to the planets and stars that make up our own galaxy and even objects in our solar system.
3NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said at a postlaunch press conference that all systems appear nominal after launch. In the next weeks, the telescope's instruments will be calibrated and turned on as it travels to its point in space.
4The Roman Telescope will conduct its science observations from a perch at the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, a location some million miles "behind" our planet where the sun's and Earth's gravitational pulls balance each other out.
5"Roman is poised to conduct extraordinary surveys that will impact every area of astronomy," said Julie McEnery, Roman's senior project scientist, at a press conference ahead of the launch on Saturday.
6"We'll perform a revolutionary census of planets around other stars and may confirm that our standard model of the universe is incorrect and put us on the path to figuring out what is right," she added.
7With an initial science mission lasting five years, Roman will join NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope in revealing the universe in ways we have never seen before. Among the secrets Roman will probe is the nature of dark energy and dark matter.
8Roman is also outfitted with a special instrument called a coronagraph, which will enable the telescope to observe exoplanets with unprecedented sensitivity. "We think that we will be capable of detecting exoplanets that are about 100 million times fainter than their stars," says Vanessa Bailey, Roman coronagraph instrument scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
9At the postlaunch press conference, Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said Roman could increase the number of known exoplanets from some 6,000 to 100,000.
原文出处：Scientific American，Claire Cameron，2026-08-30（发射后持续更新中）。
二、重点词汇
| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 词块 / 搭配 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| anticipation | /ænˌtɪsɪˈpeɪʃn/ | n. | 期待；预期 | high anticipation 高度期待 |
| lift off | /ˌlɪft ˈɒf/ | v. | 升空；发射 | lifted off from Launch Complex 39A |
| transform | /trænsˈfɔːm/ | v. | 改变；变革 | transform our understanding |
| cosmos | /ˈkɒzmɒs/ | n. | 宇宙 | the furthest reaches of the cosmos |
| nominal | /ˈnɒmɪnl/ | adj. | 正常的；名义上的 | all systems appear nominal |
| calibrate | /ˈkælɪbreɪt/ | v. | 校准 | instruments will be calibrated |
| perch | /pɜːtʃ/ | n. | 高处的位置；栖息处 | from a perch at the Lagrange point |
| Lagrange point | /ləˈɡrɒnʒ pɔɪnt/ | n. | 拉格朗日点 | the second sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2) |
| gravitational | /ˌɡrævɪˈteɪʃənl/ | adj. | 引力的 | gravitational pulls balance each other out |
| poised | /pɔɪzd/ | adj. | 蓄势待发的；准备就绪的 | is poised to conduct |
| survey | /ˈsɜːveɪ/ | n. | 巡天；观测普查 | extraordinary surveys |
| census | /ˈsensəs/ | n. | 普查；统计 | a revolutionary census of planets |
| probe | /prəʊb/ | v. | 探测；探究 | probe the nature of dark energy |
| coronagraph | /kəˈrəʊnəɡrɑːf/ | n. | 日冕仪 | a special instrument called a coronagraph |
| exoplanet | /ˈeksəʊplænɪt/ | n. | 系外行星 | observe exoplanets |
| unprecedented | /ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ | adj. | 前所未有的 | with unprecedented sensitivity |
三、长难句分析（三步拆解法）
Onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:26 A.M. EDT on August 30.
主干：the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off
状语①（方式）：Onboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket —— 介词短语，表搭载方式
状语②（地点）：from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida —— 层层修饰
状语③（时间）：at 7:26 A.M. EDT on August 30
译文：搭载着 SpaceX 猎鹰重型火箭，南希·格雷丝·罗曼太空望远镜于 8 月 30 日美东时间上午 7 时 26 分，从佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心 39A 发射台升空。
The Roman Telescope will conduct its science observations from a perch at the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, a location some million miles "behind" our planet where the sun's and Earth's gravitational pulls balance each other out.
主干：The Roman Telescope will conduct its science observations
状语：from a perch at the second sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2
同位语：a location some million miles "behind" our planet —— 补充说明 L2 的位置
定语从句：where the sun's and Earth's gravitational pulls balance each other out —— 修饰 location
译文：罗曼望远镜将在第二日地拉格朗日点（L2）开展科学观测——那是地球"背后"约一百万英里处的一个位置，太阳与地球的引力在此相互抵消。
"We'll perform a revolutionary census of planets around other stars and may confirm that our standard model of the universe is incorrect and put us on the path to figuring out what is right," she added.
主干：We'll perform a revolutionary census … and may confirm …（并列谓语）
宾语从句：that our standard model of the universe is incorrect and put us on the path …（confirm 的宾语，内含并列结构）
修饰：of planets around other stars —— 介词短语修饰 census
动名词短语：to figuring out what is right —— what is right 为 figuring out 的宾语从句
译文："我们将对围绕其他恒星的行星开展一次革命性的普查，并且可能证实我们的宇宙标准模型有误，从而把我们引上探寻真相的道路。"她补充道。
Roman is also outfitted with a special instrument called a coronagraph, which will enable the telescope to observe exoplanets with unprecedented sensitivity.
主干：Roman is also outfitted with a special instrument
修饰：called a coronagraph —— 过去分词短语修饰 instrument
定语从句：which will enable the telescope to observe exoplanets … —— 修饰 coronagraph
状语：with unprecedented sensitivity —— 介词短语表程度/方式
译文：罗曼还配备了一种名为日冕仪的特殊仪器，它将使望远镜能够以前所未有的灵敏度观测系外行星。
At the postlaunch press conference, Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said Roman could increase the number of known exoplanets from some 6,000 to 100,000.
主干：Nicky Fox said …
同位语：associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate —— 说明 Nicky Fox 的身份
状语：At the postlaunch press conference
宾语从句：Roman could increase the number of known exoplanets from some 6,000 to 100,000（省略 that）
译文：在发射后的新闻发布会上，NASA 科学任务理事会副局长尼基·福克斯表示，罗曼有望将已知系外行星的数量从约 6000 颗提升到 10 万颗。
四、全文大意
NASA 新一代太空望远镜"南希·格雷丝·罗曼"于 8 月 30 日由 SpaceX 猎鹰重型火箭从肯尼迪航天中心发射升空，前往距地球约一百万英里的第二拉格朗日点（L2）。这架历经十余年研制的望远镜将开展为期五年的科学任务，与哈勃、韦布望远镜并肩，重点探测暗能量与暗物质的本质，并对太阳系外行星进行"革命性普查"。其巡天图像规模惊人——单张图像相当于 50 多万台 4K 电视；搭载的日冕仪能以空前的灵敏度观测比恒星暗约一亿倍的系外行星。NASA 预计罗曼望远镜有望将已知系外行星数量从约 6000 颗提升至 10 万颗，首张图像预计明年初公布。
五、思考与仿写
思考题：报道提到罗曼望远镜可能"证实宇宙标准模型有误"。请结合第 6、7 段，谈谈为何"证伪现有理论"同样是科学仪器的一大价值，以及暗能量"是否恒定"这一问题为何如此关键。
仿写题：仿照第 8 段的 "… outfitted with a special instrument called a coronagraph, which will enable the telescope to observe … with unprecedented sensitivity."，用 "called … which will enable … to …" 结构描述一件工具或技术的功能。