NASA will allow private citizens to stay at the International Space Station (ISS) for month-long getaways at a cost of about $35,000 per night, the US space agency said on Friday.
美國國家航空航天局上周五（6月7日）表示，將允許普通民眾在國際空間站停留一個月，費用為每晚大約3.5萬美元（約合24.2萬元人民幣）。
The shift reverses a long-standing prohibition against tourists and private interests at the orbiting research lab, and reflects a broader push to expand commercial activities at the ISS and in space more generally.
長期以來，軌道研究實驗室都禁止遊客和私人機構到訪，而這一轉變推翻了這一禁令，同時也表明美國國家航空航天局將在國際空間站和太空中更廣泛地擴大商業活動。
It paves the way for private citizens to travel to the ISS aboard rocket-and-capsule launch systems being developed by Boeing Co and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The two companies are set to ferry astronauts to the ISS from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade.
這為普通民眾搭乘波音公司和埃隆·馬斯克的太空探索技術公司研發的火箭及太空艙發射系統前往國際空間站鋪平了道路。這兩家公司都準備近十年內首次將太空旅行者從美國送到國際空間站。
NASA will allow up to two private trips to the station per year, each lasting up to 30 days, NASA said. The first mission could be as early as 2020.
美國國家航空航天局表示，每年最多允許兩次私人國際空間站之旅，每次最長30天。此類飛行最早可能會在2020年實現。
But the ride won’t be cheap.
不過太空之旅的費用可不低。
NASA estimated the cost of a flight would be around $50 million per seat. In addition, NASA will charge visitors for food, storage and communication once at the station.
據美國國家航空航天局估計，每位乘客的飛行花費約為5000萬美元（約合3.47億元人民幣）。此外，抵達國際空間站之後，美國國家航空航天局還會向遊客收取食物、保管和通訊費用。
「If you look at the pricing and you add it up, back of a napkin, it would be roughly $35,000 a night, per astronaut,」 NASA’s Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit told a news conference in New York.
美國國家航空航天局財務長傑夫·德威特在紐約舉行的記者招待會上說：「看一下價格，粗略地算一下，每位太空旅行者每晚要花費3.5萬美元。」
「But it won’t come with any Hilton or Marriott points,」 DeWit deadpanned.
德威特面無表情地說：「不過這可沒有希爾頓或萬豪酒店的積分。」
NASA’s Russian counterpart Roscosmos has already allowed a number of private citizens at the station.
此前，俄羅斯聯邦航天局已經允許幾位普通民眾進入空間站。
NASA officials also said opening the door to private enterprise gives the agency more room to focus on the Trump administration’s goal of returning to the moon by 2024, which could be fueled in part by revenue generated from new commercial services and paying astronauts.
美國國家航空航天局的官員還表示，向私營企業敞開大門使其更有能力完成川普政府提出的美國2024年重返月球的計劃，新的商業服務和太空旅行者方面的收入也可為實現這一計劃提供部分資金來源。
Arrangements for the trip were being left to Boeing and SpaceX, NASA said.
美國航天局表示，太空旅行安排由波音公司和太空探索技術公司負責。
本文來源：中國日報網 責任編輯： 鄭娟_NQ0738