從好奇號的視野一覽火星全景
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NASA好奇號火星車自2012年以來在火星坑坑洼洼的表面緩慢前進, 目前捕捉到了火星表面的全景照片, 滿足了人類的好奇心，揭開了火星的神秘面紗。NASA的博文稱這幅照片中 “一場全球范圍的沙塵暴聲勢漸息，棕褐色的天空在沙塵中更顯昏暗。” 照片下方可以看到好奇號的身影，外殼上覆蓋著一層沙塵。它的搭檔機遇號在星球的另一邊被困在同一場沙塵暴中，但據Gizmodo報道，那邊的情況要惡劣得多。 NASA的操作員將機遇號調至休眠狀態以節省電力，因為天空中厚厚的沙塵導致機遇號的太陽能板無法充電。現在無法確定什么時候機遇號才會蘇醒甚至是否還會蘇醒，但與此同時好奇號卻做出了一些成績。 火星的全景照拍攝于8月9日，顯示好奇號位于“維拉魯賓山脊”（Vera Rubin Ridge）。好奇號項目的科學家阿斯溫·瓦薩瓦達在NASA的噴氣推進實驗所說，這座山脊的巖石成分十分豐富多元。 “這座山脊不是單一結構，它由截然不同的兩部分組成，每一部分各自擁有多種色彩。”瓦薩瓦達在NASA的博文中說道。“其中一些肉眼可見，在近紅外光譜中能顯現出更多肉眼無法看到的部分，還有一些似乎說明了山脊巖石之所以十分堅硬的原因。” 不久前，好奇號才剛剛獲得了一份巖石樣本，它之前的兩次鉆井都沒成功，因此這算是小小的勝利。NASA在報告中說，之前的鉆井因為“沒有預料到巖石如此堅硬”受阻，但對這份樣本的分析能夠幫助他們明確“山脊中到底是哪種成分讓它如此‘堅固’，能夠抵御風蝕作用。” 瓦薩瓦達說，遠古時代的地下水流動可能起到了加固巖石的作用。山脊中富含赤鐵礦這種水中常見的礦物質，含量之高，導致它“像香餑餑一樣吸引了NASA火星探測器的注意”，NASA說。但如需確定巖石硬度高的原因，還需進行更多研究。 你可以在YouTube上使用“360度成像”（360-degree imaging）功能仔細觀察好奇號拍攝的全景圖片。（財富中文網) ? 譯者：Agatha |
NASA’s Curiosity rover, chugging along the rocky surface of Mars since 2012, has captured a panorama image of the planet’s surface, providing a mesmerizing look into the rover’s environment. A NASA blog post describes the image as including “umber skies, darkened by a fading global dust storm.” The rover itself is visible at the bottom of the image, showing a layer of dust on its surface. Curiosity’s complement, Opportunity, got caught in the same dust storm on the other side of the planet, where conditions were much worse, Gizmodo reports. NASA operatives put Opportunity into hibernation mode to conserve energy, since the dusty skies prevented its solar panels from being able to charge. It’s uncertain when, or if, Opportunity will become active again, but Curiosity is doing some good work in the meantime. The panorama image of Mars, captured on August 9, shows Curiosity’s location at Vera Rubin Ridge. According to Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the ridge’s rock composition is uniquely diverse. “The ridge isn’t this monolithic thing—it has two distinct sections, each of which has a variety of colors,” Vasavada said in a NASA blog post. “Some are visible to the eye and even more show up when we look in near-infrared, just beyond what our eyes can see. Some seem related to how hard the rocks are.” Curiosity grabbed a rock sample just before taking the panorama image, a small victory considering its past two drill attempts were not successful. “Unexpectedly hard rocks” thwarted the previous attempts, NASA reports, but an analysis of this rock sample can help them determine “what’s acting as ‘cement’ in the ridge, enabling it to stand despite wind erosion.” According to Vasavada, groundwater flowing in a far-away past could have helped strengthen the rock. The ridge contains a lot of hematite, a mineral found in water, so much so that “it drew the attention of NASA orbiters like a beacon,” says NASA. More studies are required to determine the cause of the rocks’ strength with certainty. You can take a closer look at Curiosity’s panorama using a 360-degree imaging experience provided by YouTube. |
