时代周刊:各国扎堆探索火星 却是为何?(2)

This summer just such an alignment¹ is taking place, dramatically slashing² inter³ planetary travel time to the current seven-month itinerary⁴.

今年夏天就出现了日地火星排成直线的情形，星际旅行时间瞬时缩短到了目前的7个月。

So that explains the when question.

这就解释了时间安排的问题。

The why part is because of Mars’ tantalizing⁵, potentially biological history.

至于原因，则是因为火星有着极大的拥有生物的可能性。

The surface of the planet is etched with dry riverbeds, stamped with ancient sea basins,

火星表面布满了干燥的河床以及古老的海洋盆地的痕迹，

marked by deep depressions that could only indicate long-vanished water.

那些深深的洼地就是标志，而那些洼地表明，它们只能是很早以前就已干涸的水域留下的洼地。

Perseverance⁶ is landing in one such place: the Jezero Crater⁷, north of the Martian equator,

“毅力号”便着陆在了这样一个地方：杰泽罗陨石坑。这是位于火星赤道以北的一个陨石坑，

which is lined with both inflow and outflow channels indicating it was once a vibrant⁸ sea.

流入流出通道齐全，这就表明，这里曾是一片充满活力的海洋。

Previous rover analyses in similar locations have discovered chemicals and compounds that form only in the presence of water,

以往火星车对类似区域的分析发现了只有在水存在的情况下才会形成的化学物质和化合物，

proving that Mars was once, like Earth, exceedingly wet.

这就证明和地球一样，火星过去也非常潮湿。

Now the mission is to look for actual fossilized organisms or even signs of extant microbial life.

“毅力号”接下来的任务是寻找真正的生物化石，甚至是现存微生物的痕迹。

To that end, Perseverance is the most ambitious of the new spacecraft and is actually just the first part of a multipart mission.

因为这一目标，“毅力号”也成了新航天器中最具雄心壮志的一部分，然而，这也只是此次探测任务的首站任务。

During its explorations, it will collect Martian soil samples in sterile⁹ titanium tubes and set them neatly¹⁰ on the ground

它还需在探索期间收集到火星土壤样本，将其存放到无菌钛管中，然后固定到火星地面上，

awaiting another spacecraft that could leave Earth as early as the 2026 alignment, collect the samples and fly them home for analysis.

等待另一艘航天器，最早可能会在2026年离开地球的航天器来取走样本，将其空运回地球等候分析。

Finding life on Mars would be an epochal discovery.

发现火星上存在生命将会成为一项划时代的重大发现。

The bragging¹¹ rights that go with being first to make the find is part of what makes the planet the hot new destination it’s become.

成为首个有此发现的国家便拥有了吹嘘的资本，一定程度而言，火星之所以成为近日的热门探索之地，跟虚荣心作祟也不无关系。

1 alignment   

n.队列；结盟，联合

参考例句：

• The church should have no political alignment.教会不应与政治结盟。
• Britain formed a close alignment with Egypt in the last century.英国在上个世纪与埃及结成了紧密的联盟。

2 slashing   

adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Slashing is the first process in which liquid treatment is involved. 浆纱是液处理的第一过程。 来自辞典例句
• He stopped slashing his horse. 他住了手，不去鞭打他的马了。 来自辞典例句

3 inter   

v.埋葬

参考例句：

• They interred their dear comrade in the arms.他们埋葬了他们亲爱的战友。
• The man who died in that accident has been interred.在那次事故中死的那个人已经被埋葬了。

4 itinerary   

n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划

参考例句：

• The two sides have agreed on the itinerary of the visit.双方商定了访问日程。
• The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.我们行程的下一站是锡利斯特拉。

5 tantalizing   

adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This was my first tantalizing glimpse of the islands. 这是我第一眼看见的这些岛屿的动人美景。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have only vague and tantalizing glimpses of his power. 我们只能隐隐约约地领略他的威力，的确有一种可望不可及的感觉。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

6 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

7 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

8 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

9 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

10 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

11 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句