Launching your own satellite.doc

阅读任务--来测试下自己的阅读水平吧 发展中国家需要发射自己的卫星吗？ Launching your own satellite — the pros and cons 1 India’s aim to launch two more satellites in the next three years has highlighted the trend for developing countries to add their own presence to the West’s already extensive space portfolio (投资组合；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品，系列服务)— sometimes at major cost to their finances.? 2 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced plans last month (18 October) for two Earth observation satellites, which will join six already in orbit. South Africa launched its first commercial-grade satellite the previous month (17 September); Brazil, China, Thailand and Vietnam have satellites, as do Algeria and Nigeria.? 3 Many of these satellites seek to monitor the environment, from population density to flooding to carbon emissions. But experts question whether this is the best use of precious funds, especially for countries that do not even manage to feed their people. With free satellite data now available from several international organisations in Europe and the United States, funding priorities (优先权；优先考虑的事) are likely to receive even closer attention.?? 4 One example is South Africa’s new satellite, SumbandilaSat, which will monitor the country’s environment, from crops and population density to dam levels, with six high-resolution (高分辨率的) cameras. It should provide better disaster management — such as tracking floods that regularly blight (使植物枯萎；毁坏；毁灭) surrounding countries, and domestic savannah (大草原) fires — and could even track crop yields to better predict droughts. 5 But a key goal for South Africa is also national — and scientific — self-confidence, according to Herman Steyn, professor of electronic engineering at the University of Stellenbosch, where the satellite project began. As he says, it has helped train a new generation of African space scientists and engineers. 6 “If you want to stimulate Africans to take up science and engineering as a career you need to be a