2018年经济学人 空间探索:拂去尘埃(1)

 

Science and technology: Space exploration: Dusting yourself down

科技：空间探索：拂去尘埃

A new space suit could resist the damaging effects of sharp lunar dust.

一款新型的宇航服能够抵抗尖利的月尘带来的破坏性影响。

“Picking up some dust.” So said Buzz Aldrin on July 20th 1969, as he and Neil Armstrong descended¹ towards the lunar surface.

1969年7月20日，Buzz Aldrin与Armstrong降落在月球表面，Aldrin对Armstrong说：“收集一些尘土。”

It is not the most famous quote from that day.

这句话并不是那天他们说的最有名的话。

But the lunar dust kicked up by Aldrin’s and Armstrong’s descending² spacecraft would go on to become a serious, if under-appreciated, problem for all of the Apollo astronauts.

不过，Aldrin和Amrstrong驾驶的宇宙飞船着陆时扬起的月尘如果没有得到恰当的处理，会变成对所有阿波罗计划宇航员来说很严重的问题。

Lunar dust consists of rock pulverised to the consistency³ of talcum powder by micrometeoroid impacts.

月尘是由受流星体撞击影响而变成了滑石粉块的岩石组成的。

The fragments are sharp, and because there is no weather on the Moon, and therefore no erosion, they stay that way.

这些碎片十分锋利，并且因为月球上没有天气之说，没有腐蚀现象，故而它们会一直保持着自己的棱角。

At the same time, the solar wind bombards the dust with charged particles from the sun, giving it a static charge that makes it cling to anything it touches.

与此同时，来自太阳的太阳风让这些尘埃带上了正负电荷，有了电荷它们就能够依附任何它们触碰到的东西。

The jagged dust fragments blackened spacesuits, causing them to absorb too much heat.

由于这些锯齿状的尘埃碎片表面温度过高，接触到宇航服时会把宇航服烧焦、使其碳化变黑。

They tore tiny leaks in joint⁴ seals, resulting in pressure leaks and risking total failure of the suits.

尘埃碎片能在宇航服的接缝处撕开一个小口，使宇航服压力失衡而丧失保护作用。

They scratched visors, hindering visibility, and caked batteries, making them overheat.

尘埃碎片还会划伤宇航服的面具，阻碍其视野，并且由于每粒尘埃都带有电荷，当它们彼此相连就相当于组成了电池组，开始加热。

Tramped back into the spacecraft, they escaped into the air, from where the astronauts had little choice but to breathe them in and risk any potential health consequences.

当宇航员回到太空飞船上之后，这些尘埃碎片就会分布在空气中，而宇航员们在不知不觉中被迫将它们吸入，这就对其健康造成了潜在的影响。

Half a century later NASA is pondering a return to the Moon, as a stepping stone for missions to Mars and the asteroids⁵.

半个世纪后，美国国家航空和宇宙航行局将目光重新聚焦在月球上，因为月亮可以成为通往火星或是其他小行星的跳板。

1 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

2 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

3 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。