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標題: Mars probe set for risky landing
新聞來源:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7411113.stm
An American spacecraft is about to attempt a perilous landing on the surface
of Mars.
美國一件太空裝備已預備冒險降落於火星表面。
Nasa's Phoenix lander is due to touch down on Monday in the far north of the
Red Planet, after a 423-million-mile journey from Earth.
美國太空總署，火鳳凰(Phoenix Lander)著陸器預備於星期一著陸於紅色火星的極北方，
位於地球的四億兩千三百萬英哩遠。
The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water ice thought to be
buried beneath the surface.
探測器已裝備機械手臂以挖掘深埋於地表冰塊。
Scientists say the mission should give the clearest indication yet of whether
Mars could once have harboured life.
科學家說這件任務有最清楚不過的指示，就是是否火星存在生命。
The final seven minutes of the probe's ten-month journey is regarded as the
riskiest part of the mission.
在最後十個月旅程的最後七分鐘是任務中最危險的時刻。
After it enters the top of the Martian atmosphere at nearly 21,000km/h
(13,000 mph), the probe must perform a series of manoeuvres to come safely to
rest.
在它達到火星最高氣壓，將近21,000km/h(13,000 mph)，探測器必須執行一連串演練
來執行最後的安置。
It will release a parachute, use pulsed thrusters to slow to a fast walking
speed, then come to a halt on three legs.
它將放出降落傘，用脈衝推力器減緩速度，然後靜止三隻支架腳。
If all goes to plan, the Phoenix lander will reach the surface of Mars at
0053 BST (1953 EDT) on 26 May.
如果執行全部計畫，火鳳凰著陸器會到達火星的 0053 BST (1953 EDT) 於五月
二十六日。
Nasa controllers will know in about 15 minutes whether the attempt has been
successful.
NASA的航管員會在約十五分鐘後知道是否嘗試成功
David Catling from the University of Bristol is a co-investigator on the
mission. He said the landing phase would be one of the most exciting and
tense parts of the journey, with so much riding on Phoenix's safe descent.
來自英國Bristol大學的David Catling是任務的共同研發者。他說降落表面是控制人員
最刺激最緊張的時刻。
"Everyone involved is on tenterhooks and eager to start this unique
exploration," he said.
他說：每個參予的夥伴都是焦慮不安又熱切地開始這趟探索。
If all goes to plan, Phoenix will begin a three-month mission to search for
ice beneath the Martian surface.
假使計畫全開，火鳳凰會開始三個月的蒐尋火星表面冰塊的任務。
It will use a robotic arm to dig through the protective topsoil layer and
lift samples of both soil and ice to its deck for scientific analysis.
它將會用機械手臂挖掘表土層，而且在機體上放上土壤與冰層樣本來做科學分析。
Building blocks
建造基地
Dr Tom Pike of Imperial College, London, is part of the British team involved
in the project.
倫敦Imperial College的Tom Pike博士是參於計畫的英國團隊。
"The main goal of the mission is to get below the surface of Mars to where we
are almost certain there is water," he told BBC News.
他告訴BBC說：主要任務是撬開火星表面，那些地方幾乎確定有水的存在呢！
"The orbiters that are around Mars have already surveyed in great detail the
area in which we are landing and we know that there is ice - solid water -
10cm, or maybe even less, below the surface.
火星上的人造衛星已經調查降落處的詳細資料而且我們知道那邊
有冰！有固態水！有十公分！或許更淺一點。
"Water, of course, is of critical importance because it is one of the
building blocks - one of the essential habitats we need - for life."
水！當然是關鍵性的重點，因為它是建造基地的必需品，那些人類所需的必須要素。
Landing on Mars is a notoriously tricky business. Of the 11 missions that
have tried to land probes on Mars since 1971 - only five have succeeded.
降落在火星是個眾所周知的麻煩任務。自從1971年，曾有十一個任務嘗試降落火星，
只有五次成功。
Phoenix is an apt name for the current mission, as it rose from the ashes of
two previous failures.
火鳳凰是貼切現在任務的名稱，如同它盛開於兩次失敗的灰燼上。
In September 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft crashed into the Red
Planet following a navigation error caused when technicians mixed up
"English" (imperial) and metric units.
於1999年九月，火星氣候衛星墜毀於紅色火星上，由於操作員混淆了「英制」與
「公制」兩種尺寸單位上。
A few months later, another Nasa spacecraft, the Mars Polar Lander (MPL), was
lost near the planet's South Pole.
幾個月後，另一個NASA航空機－Mars Polar Lander (MPL)「火星極地登陸號」，於火星
南極失蹤。
Phoenix uses hardware from an identical twin of MPL, the Mars Surveyor 2001
Lander, which was cancelled following the two consecutive failures.
火鳳凰使用的硬體是雙胞胎，兩套一樣的系統。另一台航空機 Mars Surveyor 2001
Lander 就是因為兩個連續的系統錯誤而取消。
The probe was launched on 4 August 2007 on a Delta II rocket from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
探測器發射於2007年八月四號，配載於 Delta II 火箭於 Cape Canaveral 佛羅里達空軍
基地。
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Peter Peng aka sinsun 翻譯
原文為BBC所有，翻譯為sinsun所譯
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