泰坦是土星周圍的一個衛星。NASA的研究顯示其存在生命所需的物質。美國太空機構新宣布稱"蜻蜓"任務將探索這個滿是冰的太空物體來了解它是否有生命存在。
Titan is similar to a very early Earth, and NASA says it can provide clues to how life may have started on our planet.
泰坦與最早期地球很相似，並且NASA表示它能提供關於我們星球上的生命可能是如何起源的線索。
In some ways, Titan looks like Earth. There are lakes and seas across the northern half, and sometimes rain hits the sandy surface. But this is where the similarities end.
在某些方面，泰坦看起來像地球。在其北半球有許多湖泊和海洋。有時雨會下到滿是沙的星球表面。但是這是相似處結束的地方。
Titan is so cold that water is rock-hard ice, and oily methane falls from the sky and into the seas. The beaches are different too. Titan's sand is made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, unlike any beach on Earth.
泰坦太冷了以致於水以像石頭一樣硬的冰的形式存在並且像油一樣的甲烷雨從天上降落至海裡。這裡的沙灘與我們的也不同。泰坦的沙子的組成成分為:碳、氫、氮和氧，這跟地球上的任何一個沙灘都不像。
「One of the things I think is so exciting about Titan is how it can be alien and familiar at the same time,」 said Elizabeth Turtle, Dragonfly's lead investigator. At -179 degrees Celsius, 「it's totally different material than what we're used to interacting with on a daily basis.」 For example, there is water-ice bedrock—the material under the surface of the ground and large areas of liquid methane.
「我認為關於泰坦令人特別興奮的一件事兒是它是如何同時兼具外星特質和相似之處的，」蜻蜓的首席調查員伊莉莎白·特特爾說。在零下179攝氏度，「它便變成了與我們日常環境中接觸到的物質完全不同的一種物質。」例如，這裡有冰水相間的基巖，它是地表下的一種物質以及大面積的液體甲烷。
Titan's surface is hidden below its atmosphere which is four times as dense as Earth's. But its lower level gravity makes Titan a good place for a flying explorer.
泰坦的地表藏在其大氣層下。它的大氣層厚度是地球大氣層的四倍！但是它上面的重力很小，這為飛行探索提供了很好的環境。
Drones are small aircrafts that fly without a pilot. With the progress in drone technology, the Dragonfly team recognized that they could make what was once a dream—flying on Titan—a reality.
無人駕駛飛機是沒有飛行員駕駛的小型飛機！隨著無人駕駛飛機技術的發展，蜻蜓團隊意識到他們能將曾經想在泰坦上飛行的夢想變為現實。
Dragonfly will be three meters long and more than a meter tall. It will fly with the help of two sets of four propellers. The design will permit Dragonfly to take pictures from above the moon, and to land on Titan's frozen surface for a closer look.
蜻蜓將被製成三米長，一米多高。它將在兩組四個螺旋槳的協助下飛行。這種設計可支持蜻蜓從該衛星的上方拍照，同時也可以降落在泰坦結冰的地表進行近距離觀測。
At first, it will target an area near the moon's equator, or middle. It is covered in huge sand hills, similar to what is found in Earth's deserts. From there Dragonfly will move out and explore the moon by taking large jumps to see what lies ahead.
首先，它將定位到該衛星赤道即中心附近的一片區域。它上面覆蓋著巨大的沙丘，類似於地球沙漠中發現的沙丘。從那裡開始蜻蜓將向外移動並靠大的跳躍探索該衛星，去看看前方都存在什麼事物。
When it lands, it will study samples of the surface, take photographs and look for 「titanquakes」— like earthquakes.
當它著陸時，它將研究地表層的樣品，拍照並尋找類似於地震的「泰坦震」。
Dragonfly will travel at eight kilometers per jump, and make its way to Selk crater, more than 100 kilometers away. The crater was formed when a large object hit the area. Scientists think that the heat from the hit would have turned the ice to water in Titan's crust. That could have created an environment that would have all the necessary elements for life.
蜻蜓每次跳躍將前進八公裡的距離，並向100多公裡外的Selk坑前進。這個坑是由大型物體撞擊其表面時形成的。科學家認為撞擊過程中產生的熱量就會將地殼中的冰化成了液體水。那將創造一種包含所以生命所需元素的環境。
The Dragonfly team hopes to learn whether combining organic material with liquid water and energy in the form of heat could have caused complex molecules to develop – or even life itself.
蜻蜓團隊希望了解以加熱的形式將有機物質、液態水和能量融合結合在一起是否可以形成複雜的分子甚至是生命。
「We have this chance to explore a world that we know has all the ingredients for life, but how far did it get towards life?」 said Melissa Trainer, the mission's deputy lead investigator.
「我們有這樣的機會去探索我們知道包含生命所有組成成分的一個世界，但是多久它才能形成生命？」此次任務的副調查員梅麗莎·特雷納說。
If life is, or has been on Titan, Dragonfly should be able to find it. Its instruments will be searching for is a class of molecules called amino acids, which are found in all life on Earth.
如果生命已經存在於泰坦，蜻蜓應該能夠發現它。它的設備將尋找一組被稱為胺基酸的分子。胺基酸存在於所有地球生物中。
Dragonfly is expected to launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034. The science and engineering teams are designing and building the spacecraft.
蜻蜓預計於2026年發射並於2034年抵達泰坦。這些科學和工程團隊正在設計和建造宇宙飛船。
The trip may be a long way off, but the team believes the mission will be worth the wait.
這次行程可能會很長，但是該團隊認為此任務將值得被期待。
I'm Anne Ball.
安妮·鮑爾為您報導。