For centuries, human beings have dreamed of travelling into space, orbiting our little blue planet. It seems that our dream will finally come true, as US startup Orion Span announced on April 5 that it planned to launch the first hotel in space in 2021. It will be ready to welcome guests the following year.
The space hotel, Aurora Station, will orbit 230 miles above Earth, circling it every 90 minutes. It can house two crew members and four guests. The crew members will likely be former NASA astronauts who worked on the International Space Station. However, there’s a catch: Each guest must pay at least $9.5 million for a 12-day stay at the hotel.
Guests can do many exciting things aboard Aurora Station. According to Orion Span, guests can enjoy the excitement of zero gravity as they fly throughout the space hotel. They can watch 16 sunrises and sunsets every day and view the northern and southern auroras(极光) through the windows. They can take part in research experiments like growing food, and even take it home as a souvenir.
But most importantly, the trip will offer a real sense of what it’s like to live in space. “The premise(前提) of Aurora Station is for guests to live, feel, and breathe what it’s like to be an astronaut,” Frank Bunger, CEO of Orion Span, told the Robb Report. “The food and drinks are freeze-dried products. It’s not going to be five-star dining...... Fire and gas don’t work the same way in space as they do on Earth.”
To better prepare guests for space travel, the company will require a health screening and provide a three-month training program that helps guests understand basic spaceflight, orbital mechanics and life in the pressurized environment of space.
“Future Aurora owners can live in, visit, or sublease(转租) their space apartment,” Bunger said in a news release. “This is an exciting breakthrough and Orion Span is proud to pave the way.”
【小题1】What can we learn about Aurora Station?| A．It will be open to guests in 2021. |
| B．It can serve four people at a time. |
| C．It will invite NASA to train the guests. |
| D．It doesn’t provide service free of charge. |
| A．They can enjoy five-star meals. |
| B．They can buy various souvenirs. |
| C．They can enjoy beautiful views. |
| D．They can fly outside the space hotel. |
| A．To provide real experiences of living in space. |
| B．To help people know the bravery of astronauts. |
| C．To tell the difference between Earth and space. |
| D．To prepare people for future space exploration. |
| A．A Satellite Orbiting the Earth. |
| B．A Space Hotel -- Aurora Station. |
| C．Aurora Station: A New Living Place for Man. |
| D．New Hotel That Brings People Great Benefits. |
