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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) |
來自英格蘭坎布里亞郡的一只泰迪熊即將飛入太空，為慈善事業籌集資金。
由著名飛行器設計師伯特·魯坦設計的“太空飛船一號”是航天飛行史上的奇跡。“太空飛船一號”在地球上空飛行時，泰迪熊特倫斯將有幸成為飛行嘉賓。特倫斯是一位經驗豐富的旅行者，他曾經去過伊拉克。
這次太空飛行9月29日從加利福尼亞開始。返航后，這只可愛的泰迪熊將被拍賣掉，用于幫助北部空中救護服務中心購買空中救護機。
“太空飛船一號”是世界上第一艘私人開發的太空飛船，它將角逐一項著名的太空飛行獎。
北部空中救護服務中心（GNAAS）的執行總監格雷厄姆·皮克林說：“六個月前，‘飛行官’
特倫斯被轉交給英國皇家空軍，從那時起，工作人員們就一直收到從他那兒寄來的明信片。”
他說：“用特倫斯玩具熊籌款的想法真的啟動了。”
“我們收到了它在U2太空船中拍的照片。它正在試著跳傘，即使看上去有點醉醺醺的，有些慌亂的樣子。”
“當他最后從英國皇家空軍退役時，它將成為一只珍貴的玩具熊。我們只希望它在返回地球時不要燒起來。”
北部空中救護服務中心每年需要200萬英鎊的慈善捐款，該中心擁有三架空中救護機。
皇家天文學會的發言人彼得·邦德說特倫斯安全沒有得到保證。
他說：“這是一個全新的用于實驗的太空飛船，這才是它第二次飛行。在它的第一次飛行中曾出現技術問題，但愿現在問題已經解決了。”
從五月份開始，泰迪熊特倫斯和駐扎在伊拉克巴士拉英國皇家空軍Leeming基地的100空軍中隊的隊員在一起，并且參加了戰斗機的空中表演。
“太空飛船一號”將會在距離地球表面100千米（62英里）的上空飛行，這個高度剛剛超出地球的大氣層。
如果在兩周內再創佳績的話，“太空飛船一號”將會贏得1000萬美元的安薩里X獎。這個獎項是為鼓勵私人航空事業而設立的。
（中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2004-09-30 09:58