现在轮到中国探测月球了

高齐云

NASA may have landed on the Moon decades ago， but that doesnt mean we know all that much about our nearest celestial1 neighbor. Were regularly learning new things as we stare at the lunar surface from Earth， and NASA and other space groups have sent various probes2 and orbiters3 to study it in greater detail than was possible.

几十年前，美国国家航空航天局已经登陆月球，但这并不意味着我们很了解这个最近的天体邻居。当我们从地球上凝视月球表面时，经常会发现新的东西。美国宇航局和其他航天小组已经派出了各种各样的探测器和轨道飞行器，对月球进行了尽可能更加详细的研究。

Now， its Chinas turn.

现在，轮到中国了。

In a landing that lined up nicely with the new year， Chinas Change 4 touched down on the far side of the Moon and quickly deployed a rover4 that is now crawling along the surface. Its the first time any country has accomplished such a feat5 on the Moons little-studied far side， and for China its a huge opportunity to contribute to space exploration as a whole.

中國的“嫦娥四号”在新年之际着陆，降落在月球背面，并迅速部署了一辆现在正在月球表面爬行的月球车。这是第一次有国家在研究较少的月球背面完成这样的壮举，对中国来说，这是一个为整个空间探索做出贡献的巨大机遇。

Recently Chinas space agency CNSA was sure that both the lander and the rover itself have established a data link. The rover， which was seen in early photos having just taken its first strides6 on the Moon， is shown moving farther away from the landers camera. CNSA says the radar and camera instruments are working as intended， but it has yet to test out some of its other high-tech tools.

最近，中国的航天机构中国国家航天局证实了登陆器和月球车已经建立了数据链接。在前期的照片中，月球车刚刚在月球上迈出了第一步，照片显示它离着陆器的照相机越来越远。中国国家航天局表示，雷达和摄像设备按预期在照常工作，但还没有测试月球车上其他的高科技工具。

The mission starts on January 10th， and CNSAs engineers and scientists have plenty of work ahead of them. The rover will take samples of the Moons surface and relay7 data back to Earth， giving researchers a hint as to the age of the material and helping scientists paint a clearer picture of the formation8 of the Moon as well as Earth.

该任务于1月10日开始，中国国家航天局的工程师和科学家们在这之前还有大量工作要做。月球车将采集月球表面的样本，并将数据传回地球，给研究人员提供有关物质年份的线索，帮助科学家描绘出月球和地球形成时更清晰的图像。

The mission also brought with it a pint-sized “biosphere” which will be used to study the effects of low gravity9 on Earths own organisms10. Small silkworms and potato plants are housed in the enclosed unit， as well as oxygen and water. Its a self-contained ecosystem， and scientists want to see what might happen to it over time.

这次任务还带了一个微型“生物圈”，将用来研究低重力对地球生物的影响。蚕宝宝和土豆苗以及氧气和水被安置在封闭的舱里。这是一个自给自足的生态系统，科学家们想看看随着时间的推移会发生什么。

Its exciting times for Moon research， and at the moment China is leading the charge.

对月球研究而言，这是令人激动的时刻，而中国目前正处于主导地位。

▲Discuss 议一议

[1]Do you want to go to the moon if you have chance？ 如果有机会，你想去月球吗？

[2]What will you take when you go to the moon？ 去月球的时候你会带些什么呢？

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