If we look at a star in January—when Earth is at one point in its orbit—it will seem to be in a different position from where it appears six months later.

如果我们在一月份观察一颗恒星——那时地球在其轨道上的一个点——它的位置似乎会与六个月后它出现的位置不同。

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The cable would connect with some point on Earth located at the equator, and would allow mass to be transferred to orbit using electricity instead of rocket fuel.

该电缆将连接一些位于地球赤道上的点，这将允许群众被运送到到轨道使用电来代替火箭燃料。

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It has reached the point where this oval orbit is nearest to the Earth.

最近，月球到达了离地最近的椭圆轨道点上。

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The perigee of its elliptical orbit (the closest point it comes to Earth) has actually risen slightly, and is just above 200km.

BBC: Signal picked up from Russia's stranded Mars probe

Phobos-Grunt launched successfully on its Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was dropped off into an elliptical orbit with an apogee (farthest point from Earth) of 345km.

BBC: Stricken Mars probe stays silent

Others question how NASA can claim to be making much exploratory progress when the greatest accomplishment it can point to 36 years after sending Glenn into orbit is sending Glenn back into orbit.

CNN: Victory Lap