In today’s astronomy lecture, I’m going to talk about the need for a system to manage the movement of satellites and other objects in orbit around the Earth. In other words, a Space Traffic Management system. We already have effective Air Traffic Control systems that are used internationally to ensure that planes navigate our skies safely. Well, Space Traffic Management is a similar concept, but focusing on the control of satellites.
The aim of such a system would be to prevent the danger of collisions in space between the objects in orbit around the Earth. In order to do this, we’d need to have a set of legal measures, and we’d also have to develop the technical systems 【Q31】to enable us to prevent such accidents.
But unfortunately, at present we don’t actually have a Space Traffic Management system that works. So why not? What are the problems in developing such a system?
Well, for one thing, satellites are relatively cheap these days,【Q32】 compared with how they were in the past, meaning that more people can afford to put them into space. So there’s a lot more of them out there, and people aren’t just launching single satellites but whole constellations, consisting of thousands of them 【Q33】designed to work together. So space is getting more crowded every day.
But in spite of this, one thing you may be surprised to learn is that you can launch a satellite into space and, once it’s out there, it doesn’t have to send back any information to Earth to allow its identification.【Q34】 So while we have international systems for ensuring we know where the planes in our skies are, and to prevent them from colliding with one another, when it comes to the safety of satellites, at present we don’t have anything like enough proper ways of tracking them.【Q35】
And it isn’t just entire satellites that we need to consider. A greater threat is the huge amount of space debris in orbit around the Earth – broken bits of satellite and junk from space stations and so on. And some of these are so small that they can be very hard to identify, but they can still be very dangerous.
In addition, some operators may be unwilling to share information about the satellites they’ve launched. For example, a satellite may be designed for military purposes,【Q36】 or it may have been launched for commercial reasons, and the operators don’t want competitors to have information about it.
And even if the operators are willing to provide it, the information isn’t easy to collect. Details are needed about the object itself, as well as about its location 【Q37】at a particular time – and remember that a satellite isn’t very big, and it’s likely to be moving at thousands of kilometres an hour. We don’t have any sensors that can constantly follow something moving so fast, so all that the scientists can do is to put forward a prediction concerning where the satellite is heading next.【Q38】
So those are some of the problems that we’re facing. Let’s consider now some of the solutions that have been suggested. One key issue is the way in which information is dealt with. We need more information, but it also needs to be accessible at a global level, so we need to establish shared standards that we can all agree on for the way in which this information is presented. We already do this in other areas of science, so although this is a challenge, it’s not an impossible task. Then, as all this information’s collected, it needs to be put together so it can be used, and that will involve creating a single database 【Q39】on which it can be entered.
As we continue to push forward new developments, congestion of the space environment is only going to increase. To cope with this, we need to develop a system like the one I’ve described to coordinate the work of the numerous spacecraft operators, but it’s also essential that this system is one that establishes trust 【Q40】in the people that use it, both nationally and at a global level.
One interesting development …
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
听前预测：提示词为 legal、and、ways，此处应填和 legal 并列的形容词。
题目解析：本题定位信息较弱，考生需要紧跟上层信息辅助定位。考生可听到小标题 A Space Traffic Management system 以及该题上层信息 Air Traffic Control 先后原词出现。接着原文提到该题的题干信息 aim，提示定位到该题，接着原文提到 “we’d need to have a set of legal measures”，其中提示词 legal 也原词出现，提示准备抓取答案，随后听到“and we’d also have to develop the technical systems”，判断 technical 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：提示词为 now、quite，此处应填形容词。
题目解析：本题也没有合适的名词来定位信息，因此也需要利用上层小标题定位。上 一题结束后，耐心听取题干已知信息，直到听到“What are the problems in developing such a system”，其中小标题信息 Problems 原词出现，提示定位到该题。接着原文提到“for one thing, satellites are relatively cheap these days”，判断 cheap 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，随后原文提到“meaning that more people can afford to put them into space”，该句内容与题干后半部分信息 therefore more widespread 进行替换，因此确认 cheap 为该题正确答案。
听前预测：定位词为 constellations；提示词为 made up of，此处应填名词。
题目解析：本题定位不难，constellations 原词出现，原文提到“people aren’t just launching single satellites but whole constellations, consisting of thousands of them”，其中 consisting of 与题干 made up of 信息一致，因此判断 thousands 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：提示词为 not、transmit information、with their，此处应填名词。
题目解析：上一题结束后，本题答案句由转折词 But 和强调句引出“But in spite of this, one thing you may be surprised to learn is that…it doesn’t have to send back any information to Earth to allow its identification”，其中 send back...information 对应题干信息 transmit information，因此判断 identification 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：提示词为 few systems、for、satellites，该题词性不能准确预判。
题目解析：本题定位信息较弱，需要结合上一题信息辅助定位。上一题结束后，考生往 后听取信息，可听到带否定信息的句子“at present we don’t have anything like enough proper ways of tracking them”，其中 don’t have 对应题干 few 这一否定提 示词，根据题干要求，判断 tracking 符合题干搭配，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：定位词为 Operators； 提示词为 unwilling、or、commercial， 此处应填和 commercial 并列的形容词。
题目解析：上一题结束后，紧跟题干已知信息，可以听到原文中 debris 和 identify 等上层信息先后出现，接着答案句通过递进关系引出“In addition, some operators may be unwilling to share information about the satellites they’ve launched”，其中题干信息 unwilling 原词出现，提示准备抓取答案。接着原文提到“For example, a satellite may be designed for military purposes”，判断 military 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，随后原文还提到“or it may have been launched for commercial reasons”，其中 commercial reasons 这一信息与题干原词对应，因此确认 military 为该题正确答案。
听前预测：定位词为 details；提示词为 hard、collect、object’s，此处应填名词。
题目解析：上一题结束后，本题紧随其后出现。原文提到“the information isn’t easy to collect”，判断与题干 hard to collect 信息一致，准确定位到该题。随后原文提到“Details are needed about the object itself, as well as about its location”，其中 details、object 都跟题干原词对应，只有 location 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：定位词为 Scientists；提示词为 only、make a，此处应填单数名词。
题目解析：本题定位不难，题干定位词 Scientists 原词出现。原文提到“so all that the scientists can do is to put forward a prediction concerning where the satellite is heading next”，其中 all that…can do 对应题干信息 only，put forward 表示“提出”，与题干 make 意思一致，因此 prediction 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求。随后原文提到“where the satellite is heading next”，跟题干 where the satellite will go 信息对应，因此确认 prediction 为该题正确答案。
听前预测：提示词为 information、combined、one，此处应填单数名词。
题目解析：本题跟上一题间隔较长，但考生耐心听取，可以听到上一行题干信息 standards、 information、presented 先后出现，接着听到逻辑词 Then，可以判断该题即将出现，准备抓取。原文提到“Then, as all this information’s collected, it needs to be put together so it can be used, and that will involve creating a single database”，其中 put together 与题干信息 combined 内容一致，single 与题干中的 one 一词进行同义替换，因此判断 database 符合题干词性和内容搭配要求，为该题正确答案。
听前预测：定位词为 coordinated system；提示词为 create、users，此处应填名词。
题目解析：上一题结束后，原文先后出现题干定位信息 system 和 coordinate，提示定位到准备抓取。接着答案句通过转折词 but 引出“but it’s also essential that this system is one that establishes trust in the people that use it”，其中 establish 替换题干 create 一词，people that use it 与题干信息 users 对应，因此确认 trust 为该题正确答案。
