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Terence the teddy takes off from Los Angeles on Wednesday
(Agencies) | |
A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for
charity.
Terence, a seasoned
traveller who has been to Iraq, will be the guest of honour on aviation legend Burt Rutan's
SpaceShipOne when it flies above Earth.
The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his
return the cuddly toy will be auctioned off
in aid of the North Air Ambulance Appeal.
SpaceShipOne is the world's first private spacecraft, and is competing
for a prestigious space travel prize.
Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS),
Graham Pickering, said "flying officer" Terence had been handed over to
the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him
ever since.
He said: "Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off.
"We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft, trying parachuting and
even looking drunk and disorderly.
"When the RAF finally discharge him he will be a very rare bear indeed
- we just hope he does not burn up on re-entry to Earth."
GNAAS, which needs charitable donations of more than ￡2m a year, has
three air ambulances.
Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society, said
Terence's safety was not guaranteed.
He said: "This is a new and experimental craft and this will only be
the second time it has flown. During its first voyage it developed
technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved."
Since May, Terence has spent time with members of 100 Squadron based at
RAF Leeming in Basra, Iraq, and at airshows with performing fighter
planes.
SpaceShipOne will fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth's surface, just
breaking through the planet's atmosphere.
If it repeats the feat inside two weeks, it will claim the $10m Ansari
X-Prize set up to galvanize
the private spaceflight business.
(Agencies) |
来自英格兰坎布里亚郡的一只泰迪熊即将飞入太空，为慈善事业筹集资金。
由著名飞行器设计师伯特·鲁坦设计的“太空飞船一号”是航天飞行史上的奇迹。“太空飞船一号”在地球上空飞行时，泰迪熊特伦斯将有幸成为飞行嘉宾。特伦斯是一位经验丰富的旅行者，他曾经去过伊拉克。
这次太空飞行9月29日从加利福尼亚开始。返航后，这只可爱的泰迪熊将被拍卖掉，用于帮助北部空中救护服务中心购买空中救护机。
“太空飞船一号”是世界上第一艘私人开发的太空飞船，它将角逐一项著名的太空飞行奖。
北部空中救护服务中心（GNAAS）的执行总监格雷厄姆·皮克林说：“六个月前，‘飞行官’
特伦斯被转交给英国皇家空军，从那时起，工作人员们就一直收到从他那儿寄来的明信片。”
他说：“用特伦斯玩具熊筹款的想法真的启动了。”
“我们收到了它在U2太空船中拍的照片。它正在试着跳伞，即使看上去有点醉醺醺的，有些慌乱的样子。”
“当他最后从英国皇家空军退役时，它将成为一只珍贵的玩具熊。我们只希望它在返回地球时不要烧起来。”
北部空中救护服务中心每年需要200万英镑的慈善捐款，该中心拥有三架空中救护机。
皇家天文学会的发言人彼得·邦德说特伦斯安全没有得到保证。
他说：“这是一个全新的用于实验的太空飞船，这才是它第二次飞行。在它的第一次飞行中曾出现技术问题，但愿现在问题已经解决了。”
从五月份开始，泰迪熊特伦斯和驻扎在伊拉克巴士拉英国皇家空军Leeming基地的100空军中队的队员在一起，并且参加了战斗机的空中表演。
“太空飞船一号”将会在距离地球表面100千米（62英里）的上空飞行，这个高度刚刚超出地球的大气层。
如果在两周内再创佳绩的话，“太空飞船一号”将会赢得1000万美元的安萨里X奖。这个奖项是为鼓励私人航空事业而设立的。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2004-09-30 09:58