First extraterrestrial baby is to be delivered in space

貴州貴陽市北師大貴陽附中 羅躍梅

Netherlands-based start-up SpaceLife Origin wants to send a pregnant woman 250 miles above the Earth to give birth to the first extraterrestrial（地球外的）baby in history，in the name of science.

Should our planet ever become unable to sustain human life，our species'only hope would be to leave and settle elsewhere.But in order to make it come true，we first have to learn how to reproduce in space，and the founders of SpaceLife Origin want to send a pregnant woman into space and have her give birth in zero gravity conditions.

According to Egbert Edelbroek，one of the executives（管理人員）of the Dutch startup，learning how to give birth in space is an insurance policy for the human race.Even if we ever discover or build an inhabitable place away from Earth，we must first uncover the secrets of space birth if we stand any chance of survival.

To do that，SpaceLife Origin plans to organize a series of pioneering experiments over the next five years， with the most important one—an actual human birth in space—scheduled for 2024.However，there are three primary but tough tasks for SpaceLife Origin.They need to find a volunteer，a commercial rocket and the money necessary to fund the whole thing.

The mission is still bound to be a logistical（后勤的）disaster，but it's the safety of the baby and the childbirth itself that experts are worried about.Astronauts usually experience three times the force of gravity during a rocket's ascent（上升）to orbit，and no one knows how that will affect the fetus（胎兒）or the mother.The absence of gravity would lead to serious problems，like the lack of assistance when the mother pushes the baby out.Assuming that somehow everything goes right and the “trained，world-class medical team”accompanying the pregnant woman on her historical journey delivers the baby safely，there's still the descent back to Earth to consider.And once the baby is safely back on Earth，what kind of birth certificate do you issue someone who was born in space?

SpaceLife Origin acknowledges that its plan still has many unknowns，but that's the main reason for this pioneering mission to find answers.

Reading Check

1.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to？

A.To reproduce in space.

B.To leave and settle elsewhere.

C.To sustain human life on Earth.

D.To send a pregnant woman into space.

2.How many challenges in the experiment are referred to according to the text？

A.Three. B.Four. C.Five. D.Six.

3.Which of the following words can best describe SpaceLife Origin？

A.Courageous. B.Practical. C.Intelligent. D.Creative.

Language Study

Sentences for writing

1.should引導倒裝句表示虛擬

如果我們的星球無法維持人類的生命，我們人類唯一的希望就是離開并定居在其他地方。（sustain）

___________________________，our species'only hope would be to leave and settle elsewhere.

2.It is/was+被強調部分+that+其他……

這次任務仍將是一場后勤災難，但專家們擔心的是嬰兒的安全和分娩本身。

The mission is still bound to be a logistical disaster，but_____________________and the childbirth itself_________________experts are worried about.