VOA标准英语2013--NASA: Ancient Martian Conditions Suitable for Life

 

NASA: Ancient Martian Conditions Suitable for Life

NASA says there is new evidence that ancient Mars could have supported microbial life.

NASA's Curiosity rover has drilled into a rock near an ancient stream bed on the Red Planet, and the rover has analyzed¹ the powdered sample of the rock's interior in its onboard lab.

Scientists say the sample from an area known as Yellowknife Bay contained some key chemical ingredients needed for life, including oxygen, hydrogen and carbon.

The lead scientist of the Mars Exploration Program, Michael Meyer, revealed the findings Tuesday at NASA headquarters in Washington.

"This was an ancient environment with the right elements, minerals indicating a near-neutral environment and slightly salty liquid water, all the pre-requisites to support life - a habitable environment," said Meyer.

Researchers say the Martian bedrock shows evidence of multiple periods of wet conditions. Clay minerals, which indicate water, are present in the grayish sample of Martian rock.

Curiosity project scientist John Grotzinger:

"I think we have found a habitable environment that is so benign² and supportive of life that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it," said Grotzinger.

Curiosity is exploring within a deep, 150-kilometer-wide depression called Gale³ Crater⁴, and it will head toward a Martian peak called Mount Sharp. The car-sized rover landed on Mars in August on a two-year, $2.5 billion mission to explore the Red Planet but is not equipped to look for any microbes that may live on Mars today or fossils of those that are extinct. 

1 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

3 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

4 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。