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Even Space X CEO Elon Musk was not sure the Falcon Heavy's first flight would go as smoothly as it did.
就连Space X首席执行官埃隆·马斯克都不确定，“重型猎鹰”火箭的首飞可以如此顺畅。
I did not really think this would work.
我不认为它会成功。
Cause I, when I see the rocket liftoff, I see like a thousand things that, that could not work, and it's amazing when they do.
当我看到火箭升空时，我想到了一千种它不会成功的理由，但真的实现时，这太惊奇了。
The Falcon Heavy's 27 rocket engines can carry as much as 64 tons of payload
其27个火箭引擎的载荷可以达到64吨，
way beyond the low Earth orbit where the International Space Station and most satellites circle our planet.
远远超过了近地轨道的运载能力，近地轨道有国际空间站和多数环绕地球的卫星。
Its next launch is scheduled for June and it is not yet known what its payload will be,
下次起飞预计将在6月份，目前还不知道它的载荷，
except for one piece of cutting-edge technology, the new Deep Space Atomic Clock, built by NASA.
出了一项尖端技术，美国航天局的深空原子钟。
It is now undergoing tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in California.
目前它正在航天局加州喷气推进实验室接受测试。
John Lowe is a scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which also builds atomic clocks.
约翰·洛威是一名国家标准与技术研究院科学家，他也从事原子钟建造项目。
Time is distance and so if you have an atomic clock in space,
时间就是距离，如果能在太空拥有原子钟，
it is an aid to your navigational process. And so, the better the clock the better you can use it for your navigation.
那么这将帮助我们航行，所以原子钟越好，那么它对我们航行的作用就越大。
According to NASA, the Deep Space Atomic Clock is expected to lose
根据航天局所说，预计深空原子钟的损失
not more than seven millionths of a second during a decade.
顶多为一秒钟的百万分之七，而且还是十年间。
Smaller than a microwave oven, it is specially built for harsh space environment.
它比微波炉要小，专门为严峻太空环境而做。
Earth-bound atomic clocks precisely measure how long it takes for a radio signal to travel between the Earth and a spacecraft.
地球原子钟可以准确测量无线电信号在地球和航天器之间的传递时间。
This allows ground controllers to tell astronauts where they are and where to go next.
地面控制人员可以告诉航天员所在地和未来去向。
An atomic clock positioned closer to their spaceship
如果原子钟的距离靠近宇宙飞船，
will help astronauts navigate without having to wait for signals from the Earth.
那么它将帮助宇航员导航，而无需等待地面信号。
I think pretty much every deep space mission will probably have an atomic clock on it from here on out.
我认为从现在起，我们所有的深空计划或许都需要原子钟。
NASA engineers say in the future, they will build even smaller space atomic clocks
航天局工程师称在未来，他们将生产更小型原子钟，
that could also help improve the satellite-based global positioning system.
这或许将改善GPS卫星定位系统。
George Putic, VOA news.
乔治·普提克，VOA新闻。
