探测器在小行星上着陆英文原文
撰文:Irene Brown 译:bood


    2000年2月12号,在几乎不可能的情况下,NEAR探测器幸运的在爱神星表面成功着陆,它在数个小时的着陆过程中,发回了空前的特写镜头,这给科学家们带来了极大的喜悦。

    让我们看看NEAR探测器的登陆过程。

    美国东部时间下午3:07,在约翰霍普金斯大学物理实验室(Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)的探测器控制者宣布登陆成功。此时,从NEAR探测器发来的数据已经确认探测器已接触到当时距地球1.96亿英里的爱神星表面。

    NEAR(Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous)探测器自从2000年2月14号以来一直在爱神星的轨道上运行。

    NEAR探测器并没有被设计成一个登陆飞行器,但是随着燃料和运转资金的日渐不足,科学家们打算使NEAR号尽量靠近爱神星,从而利用其照相机获取一些小行星的高精度照片。

    如果不幸的话,NEAR探测器将在发出第一张照片前撞毁在小行星表面。但走运的话,NEAR探测器将不断传回清晰的爱神星的表面照片,直到着陆的撞击打断它与地球的电波联系。

    然而,探测器的控制者检测到了一个微弱的信号,这表明NEAR探测器并没有在着陆时被撞毁。

    “那些照片的确很壮观”,此任务的策划人Robert Farquhar在控制室接受分发到包括Discovery在内的几个网站的录象时说。

    科学家们对爱神星表面的很多特征感到不解,比如那里很少有新的环行山,并且那里的岩石看上去似乎都已经瓦解。类似爱神星的小行星其起源可以追溯到太阳系形成时,它们也可能含有关于宇宙起源的线索。

 

   译自 Discovery网站

 

Probe Lands on Asteroid
Chinese Version
By Irene Brown, Discovery News

  Feb. 12, 2001 — Defying overwhelming odds, the NEAR spacecraft survived a touchdown on the surface of the asteroid Eros, delighting scientists with unprecedented close-up pictures during the hour-long descent. 

  Spacecraft operators at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory declared victory at 3:07 p.m. ET when telemetry data from the NEAR probe confirmed it had struck the surface of Eros, a 21-mile long asteroid currently about 196 million miles from Earth. 
The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft has been in orbit around Eros since Feb. 14, 2000. 

  NEAR was never designed to be a lander, but with fuel running low and operating funds at an end, scientists decided to try to bring NEAR as close as possible to the asteroid's surface in an attempt to wrest some highly detailed images from the probe's cameras. 

  At worst, NEAR would run short of fuel and crash to the surface before relaying an pictures. What happened was the best: NEAR transmitted clear views of Eros' rocky surface until landing interrupted its radio link to Earth. 

  Spacecraft operators, however, were able to detect a low-signal beacon, indicating NEAR had survived its close encounter with Eros. 

  "The pictures have just been absolutely spectacular," mission director Robert Farquhar said from the control room in a video broadcast distributed by several Web sites on the Internet, including Discovery.com. 

  Scientists are puzzled by many surface features on Eros, such as the lack of fresh craters and the apparent disintegration of many of its rocks. Asteroids like Eros date back to the birth of the solar system and may hold clues as to how the universe formed. 

 

   From Discovery WebSite

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