宇宙（2007）

The Universe S05E02

Part 3 April 22, 2021, 1:48 p.m.

which is getting "ground truth".
即获得了实际地貌资料
While the Phoenix team expected water ice,
凤♥凰♥号♥团队期待发现冰水
they're suprised by something else that
但让他们感到意外的是
the Lander's laser detects
探测器的激光探测到
in the Martian sky: Snow.
火星的天空中有雪花
Not carbon dioxide snow,
并非固态二氧化碳
but water crystals,
而是水的结晶
as on Earth.
和地球上的一样
It snows on Mars, which is indeed cool.
火星上下雪证明温度确实很低
Phoenix saw it first dissipating high in the atmosphere
凤♥凰♥号♥探测到它一开始从高空大气层消散开来
and eventually, actually, falling to the surface
最终落到了地面
and then sublimating
然后升华
and going back to a gas when the sun came back up.
当太阳再次升起时变为气态
It really is one of the first times
这是我们第一次
we really seeing the surface atmosphere water cycle.
真正看到地表上的大气水循环
In this case, gas to solid,
就这样气体变为固体
solid back to gas.
固体又变成气体
Meanwhile, roving robots explore
此外机器人探测器也在
near the equator.
赤道附近进行探索
Spirit and Opportunity use high resolution imaging and spectroscopy
勇气号♥和机遇号♥采用高分辨率成像光谱仪
to find evidence of minerals and land forms,
搜寻在火星古代时期由于水流
shaped by water in Mars' ancient past.
形成的矿物和地形的资料
A day in the life of Mars rover
火星探测器的一天
starts as the sun rises and illuminates the solar panels.
从太阳升起照射到太阳能板
and wakes up the rover.
然后唤醒探测器开始
The radio commads are sent from the Earth
无线电指令从地球发出
to tell it what to do
指挥完成指令
This time, drive 10 meters forward
这一次前进10米
and then stop and turn 20 degree.
然后立定转20度
and then take a panorama with these colored filters
用有色滤镜朝对应方向
looking off in that direction.
拍一张全景图
Near the end of the day,
当天日暮时分
one of the NASA orbiters,
美国宇航局的一颗卫星
like the Mars Odyssey Orbiter,
例如火星奥德赛号♥
or the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is passing overhead
或是火星侦察轨道器会飞过它上空
and we know when that's gonna happen,
这些时间都是确定的
the rover will transmit data from that day
机器人探测器会将当天的数据
up to that orbiter and
传送到卫星上
then that orbiter relays it back to the Earth.
卫星再将信息转发回地球
And while it's sleeping, we've got those pictures,
它停机时我们已经收到它传回的
that it just sent back and other data.
图像和数据
And now, we're trying to figure out what happened?
现在我们在想办法弄清楚发生了什么
Did it do what we're expecting it to do?
它按照我们的期望工作了吗
Did it do something unexpected?
或发生了什么意外
Is it in sosome dangerous situation?
它陷入危险了吗
In early 2008,
2008年初
signals from Spirit indicate trouble
勇气号♥发出的信♥号♥♥显示有异常出现
its right front wheel jams.
它的右前轮卡住了
When the Phoenix team tries driving the rover in reverse,
当凤♥凰♥号♥团队试着让探测器往回倒时
the dragging wheel gouges several inches into the soil
卡住的轮子又下陷了几英尺
and hits silica.
并撞上了硅石
On our own planet, where do we find silica?
在地球上哪能找到硅石呢
Well, hydrothermal environments.
热液环境
Maybe that's what we're seeing on this other world as well.
也许火星跟地球一样
So a lot of the excitement about
我们为此感到十分兴奋
silica is because of that connection to our own planet.
因为硅石与地球有这样的联♥系♥
That indicates that, hey, maybe
它表明也许
those kinds of environments exexisted on Mars as well.
火星上也存在过那种环境
In fact, the Spirit rover may be parked at one right now,
事实上勇气号♥探测器也许就停在那
right next to what may have been an ancient
就靠近一个古老的
yellowstone-like hotspot.
类似黄石地区的热区
It's a classic accidental discovery,
这是个意义非凡的意外发现
and raises the question...
问题也随之而来
could Mars have current underground thermal activity?
火星现在还有地下热运动吗
Is Mars still hot in its interior?
火星内部的温度仍然很高吗
It certainly is.
答案是肯定的
And there's no way that Mars has completely cooled off.
火星不可能完全冷却下来
All the heat of its accretion, all the heat of its formation,
在所有的吸积热和生成热中
some of it is still there.
一部分热量仍未消散
Plus, heat from radioactive elements.
加上放射性元素放热
There's definitely sufficient heat inside of Mars
火星内部绝对有充足的热量
to make hot fluids percolate.
使热液渗出地表
But there is that possibility
不过还是有可能
where you might find liquid water at some depth in the crust,yes
在地壳的某些深度发现液态水没错
in Yellowstone and at hot springs all over Earth,
在黄石公园以及地球上所有的温泉中
many different species of bacteria
有着种类繁多的细菌
feed and grow in the gas and mineral-rich waters.
在沼气和富含矿物质的水体中觅食繁衍
Could hidden hot springs
这些不为人知的温泉
be breeding grounds for life on Mars?
会是火星生命的繁衍地吗
We would love to send
我们会向火星
electromagnetic sounding instruments to the planet
发射电磁测深仪器
because they could actually tell us
它们能准确告诉我们
whether there is liquid in the crust at some depth.
地壳下是否有液体存在
That would be fantastic.
这真令人激动
then we'd know.
真♥相♥就会揭晓了
While the Spirit team wonders about Mars' underground mysteries,
当勇气号♥团队忙着破解火星的地下谜题时
the Phoenix team finds another surprise on the surface.
凤♥凰♥号♥团队在火星表面又有了惊喜发现
2% of the soil around the Phoenix lander
在凤♥凰♥号♥探测器周围的土壤中
is composed of perchlorates
有2%的土壤由高氯酸盐组成
combinations of chlorine and oxygen
也就是一种氯和氧的化合物
the discovery of perchlorates on Mars has been
在火星上发现的高氯酸盐
fairly controversial
引起了相当大的争议
because on Earth, it's a very toxic substance.
因为在地球上它可是种剧毒物质
On Earth, perchlorates are used as propellants in fireworks
在地球上高氯酸盐被用作烟花和火箭的
and rockets.
推进剂
This was a surprise.
这真让人惊讶
So it was a discovery.
令人惊讶的发现
Why is it even there?
为什么会有高氯酸盐
How is it forming?
它是怎样形成的
But the question-- perchlorates is a really
关于高氯酸盐的问题
good question and it's not a--
确实值得研究而且
there's no definitive answer.
目前还没有明确的答案
Perchlorates do occur naturally
在某些地方比如智利的阿塔卡马沙漠
in places like Chile's Atacama desert
有自然生成的高氯酸盐
as ultraviolet radiation from the sun
太阳发出的紫外线
transforms chlorine and oxygen.
使氯和氧转化成高氯酸盐
On Mars, many of the same kinds of
在火星地表应该有许多
chemical reactions might be happening on the surface.
相同的化学反应发生
We don't understand the details of even on the Earth.
对于地球上的这种反应我们还没研究透彻
let alone on Mars.
更别提火星上的了
The challenge with perchlorates is
高氯酸盐带来的问题是
they affect some of the experiments
它们影响了一些实验的结果
that people use to look for organics for
而人们希望通过这些实验寻找
carbon-based molecules like you might find in life.
生命体中常见的由碳基分子构成的有机物
Some scientists are now reconsidering
一些科学家开始重新考察
the famous 1976 experiments by the Viking lander.
1976年海盗号♥探测器做的著名实验
When Viking went to the surface in 1976,
1976年海盗号♥在火星着陆
they found no evidence whatsoever for organics.
当时人们没有发现有机物的迹象
One of the recent theories that's
最近流传的一个理论说
being bandied about is that if you did have,
如果在火星的土壤中
perchlorates in the soil.
确实有高氯酸盐的话
that those might have actually broken down
那么在进行有机物侦测
the organics in the same process
加热土壤样本的过程中
you were using to try
高氯酸盐已经将
to detect them as you heated the soil up.
有机物破坏掉了
Perchlorates may have destroyed
高氯酸盐可能破坏了
organic materials in the Viking experiment.
海盗号♥实验中可能存在的有机物
And on Earth,
在地球上
they're a key poison in many chemical runoffs.
它们也是化学排放物中的主要毒素
But perchlorates are also power sources for certain bacteria,
可高氯酸盐却是一些细菌的能量来源