本集内容

'Grand finale' for Cassini space mission 土星探测器卡西尼号任务将“隆重收场”

学习要点

有关“Space 太空”的词汇

文字稿

Instantly recognisable - Saturn and its spectacular rings. The Cassini spacecraft's revealed this planet in incredible detail and these are some of its latest close up images - from its hexagonal north pole to its ring system and even an aurora. 

But this mission's very nearly at its end. Cassini's been in space for twenty years. It's set down a probe, spotted plumes on one of Saturn's moons and discovered colossal storms - but now it's running out of fuel - its final days though will be crucial.

This spacecraft will go out with a bang - its last manoeuvre will be a death dive into Saturn's atmosphere, bringing this blockbuster mission to a close.

土星和她的壮丽光环 – 很容易被识别。这台叫做卡西尼号（Cassini）的宇宙飞船以极为精致的细节为我们展现了这颗星球，这是由卡西尼号拍摄的最新特写图像，包括土星北极的六边形风暴、光环系统，它还拍到过一次极光。

但这项任务临近收尾。卡西尼号已经进入太空二十年，它在土星上设置了探头，并在它的一颗卫星上观测到了雾状体，还捕捉到了巨型风暴。但该探测器的燃料即将耗尽，不过它最后阶段的工作是至关重要的。

飞船会以向土星大气纵身一跃的形式终结它的使命，届时场面会非常壮观，而这项规模浩大的土星探测任务也将就此圆满结束。

词汇

Saturn
土星

ring system
行星环系统

aurora
极光

probe
探测器、探头

atmosphere
（天体的）大气

你知道吗？

Next year, NASA is planning to launch The Parker Solar Probe, which will travel to within four million miles of the Sun's surface, enduring temperatures of about 2,500C.

明年，美国航空航天局（NASA）计划发射一台名为派克太阳探测器的飞船，它将驶入距太阳表面400万英里的区域，这意味着飞船需要承受2500摄氏度的高温。

练习

True or false? The Cassinni spacecraft will be destroyed during its final journey into Saturn's atmosphere.

答案

TRUE. Cassinni's last manoeuvre will be a death dive into Saturn's atmosphere – so it will kill off the spacecraft. It will melt and be torn apart as it dives into the planet's gases at over 120,000km/h.