In July 1969, American Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. They left a message on the lunar surface that said "We came in peace for all mankind." This marked the end of the "space race" between the United States and the former Soviet Union to see who would be first to put a human on the moon. In the end, American technological superiority triumphed. But the story doesn't end there. American pride and curiosity about the moon continued long after 1969. Apollo 13 was the name given to the third mission of astronauts that America sent to the moon. This was the most difficult Apollo mission of all. On route to the moon, there was an explosion in one of their spacecraft's oxygen tanks. This accident caused astronauts James Lovell, Fred W. Haise Jr., and John L. Swigert Jr. to lose their primary oxygen supply. Television viewers all over America watched live as the crisis happened, and many of them thought the crew would die. However, the astronauts reacted quickly and obtained a secondary oxygen supply from another part of the ship. Thanks to the training and experience of the astronauts and NASA support team on Earth, the badly damaged spacecraft was able to swing around the moon and get home safely. Four more groups of Americans went to the moon after Apollo 13. Eventually, America decided it was too expensive to send any more astronauts, so they ended the program. People often face danger, whether it is on Earth or in space. The example set by the Apollo 13 crew and NASA can teach us how training, experience, teamwork, and bravery are enough to overcome even the most dangerous situations.
在1969 年7 月，美國阿波羅11 號太空人尼爾．阿姆斯壯和巴茲．奧爾德林登陸月球。他們在月球表面留下了一段話：「我們為了人類的和平而來」。這也象徵了美國與前蘇聯的「太空競賽」之終結。美國與前蘇聯曾經比賽看誰先將人類送上月球，最後美國憑著優良的技術獲得勝利。但故事並未就此結束，美國對於月球的自豪和好奇心，即便過了1969 年仍不斷持續。 「阿波羅13 號」即是美國第三次登月的任務，也是阿波羅系列任務中最艱難的一次。在前往月球途中，其中一個船艙的氧氣罐爆炸，導致太空人詹姆斯．羅威爾、弗萊德．海斯，和約翰．斯威格特失去了主要的氧氣供給。這場危機透過電視實況轉播給美國各地的觀眾，許多觀眾都認為這些太空人應該活不了多久，然而他們很快反應過來，並從另一船艙取得了備用氧氣。藉著太空人的訓練與經驗，以及地球上NASA 的支援，損害嚴重的阿波羅13 號得以繞著月球，平安地返回地球。 繼阿波羅13 號之後，又有四組美國太空人登陸月球。美國最後還是認為將太空人送上月球耗費太大，於是終止了登月計畫。不論在地球或在太空中，人們時常都得面對危險。但是阿波羅13號的組員與NASA 團隊所立下的典範告訴我們，訓練、經驗、團隊合作與勇氣，可以克服艱難的考驗。 | 
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