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New Discoveries on Mars 火星上的新发现
James Hattori, Host Welcome to NEXT@CNN, this week from the Chabot Space and Science Center in the hills of Oakland, California. Hi, everybody, I’m James Hattori. 詹姆斯·哈托利,主持人 欢迎来到《CNN科技新时代》,本周从加州奥克兰丘陵地区的CHABOT航天科技中心向您报道。嗨,大家好,我是詹姆斯·哈托利。
You can’t tell just by looking, even with the telescopes here, but up on Mars, just beneath the surface, lies what some scientists are calling buried treasure. NASA’s Odyssey spacecraft has detected large amounts of hydrogen on the planet. It’s strong and convincing evidence that there’s ice there too. And, as Ann Kellan tells us, it raises intriguing new questions about the possibility of life on the Red Planet. 不光是凭肉眼看不见,即使是用这里的望远镜也无法分辨火星上有什么,但是就在火星地表下面,蕴藏着一些科学家说的“地下宝藏”。美国国家航空航天局的“奥德赛”火星探测器在这个行星上发现了大量的氢。有确凿证据表明,火星上还有冰。安·凯兰告诉我们,此项发现对于这个红色星球上存在生命的可能性提出了一些有趣的新问题。
Ann Kellan, CNN Correspondent Purple marks the spot. The evidence that there’s lots of water on Mars, a potential boon for future space exploration. 安·凯兰,CNN特派记者 那些地方标成紫色。火星上有大量水的证据,对于将来探索宇宙可能大有益处。
Bill Feldman We knew that it was there. We just didn’t know that it was going to be that much. So we are ecstatic. 比尔·费尔德曼 我们早已知道火星上有水,只是以前不知道有这么多,我们为此兴奋不已。
Kellan Substantial amounts of hydrogen were found at the Mars Poles. This NASA image highlights those areas in blue and purple. Scientists suspect hydrogen in these quantities means water, and lots of it. 凯兰 在火星的两极地区发现了大量的氢。美国国家航空航天局的这幅图像把这些地区用蓝色和紫色加以标注。科学家猜测,大量的氢元素意味着水,而且数量不少。
Actually, scientists think it’s water ice, mixed with dirt and rocks, one to two feet underground. From on board the unmanned Mars odyssey spacecraft, instruments that measure gamma rays and neutrons made the discovery. 实际上,科学家认为位于地表之下一至两英尺的冰态水掺杂着泥土和岩石。这个发现归功于无人驾驶的“奥德赛”火星探测器上测量伽玛射线和中子的仪器。
We’ve all seen earlier images of the Mars surface, which show valleys and canyons. They look like dry river beds, and suggest evidence that this ice trapped underground could have once existed on its surface. Could Mars have had oceans like Earth? 我们都已经见过火星表面的图像,上面显现着山峦和峡谷。它们看起来像干涸的河床,表明埋藏于地下的冰也许曾经位于地表。 火星也曾像地球一样有海洋吗?
Jim Bell, NASA Mars was, perhaps, much more like the Earth a long time ago early in its history. The atmospheric pressure may have been higher, the temperature may have been warmer, and liquid water may have been stable on its surface. 吉姆·贝尔,美国国家航空航天局 火星在其太古时期也许很像地球,那时的空气压力也许更大,气温也许更高,液态水在火星地表也许更加稳定。
Kellen One astronomer says this probably just the tip of the Martian iceberg, speculating icy layers could go as much as one mile deep. Are they sure it’s water ice? 凯兰 一位天文学家说,这也许只是火星冰山的一角,他估计冰层厚度可能有一英里。 他们确信它是冰态水吗?
Feldman In the north and south, there’s so much of it there, it could be nothing else but water ice. 费尔德曼 在火星南北两极蕴藏着如此之多的冰,除了是冰态水这外,别无可能。
Kellan Today, Mars is a cold, dry, hostile environment, with no atmosphere, no rain to replenish surface water, but the potential of so much underground water expands the scope for space exploration. Imagine using Mars as a stopover point for water and refueling. As for determining whether life ever existed on Mars… 凯兰 目前,火星上的环境严寒而干燥,不适合人类居住,既没有大气层,也没有降雨来补充地表水分,但是存在如此丰富地下水的可能性使得探索宇宙的空间以扩展。 想象一下,火星可以作为一个补给水和燃料的中转站,同时判断一下火星上是否有生命存在。
Feldman It would be very, very exciting if we found life. You know, the old question, are we alone? 费尔德曼 如果我们能发现生命,那将太令人激动了。那么回到那个老话题,我们真的是独一无二的吗?
Kellan To answer that, NASA says it would take sending a robot to the Red Planet, to scoop up and bring samples back to Earth to study. Even though NASA’s talked about it, no such missions are planned. But at least now, thanks to Odyssey, they’re getting some good maps of where to look. 凯兰 美国国家航空航天局人士称,要解答这个问题,就得考虑派遣一个机器人到这个红色行星上,挖掘一点土壤样本带回到地球进行研究。虽然国家航空航天局就此讨论过,但并无进行此类太空行动的打算。但至少现在,幸亏有“奥德赛”宇宙飞船,能够提供去哪里寻找的地图。
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