【翻译】数据指出旅行者1号正航向星际空间

旅行者1号的新闻这几天已经传遍各大媒体了。于是去翻翻NASA上的报道，稍微翻译了一下。

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager20120614.html#

Data From NASA's Voyager 1 Point to Interstellar Future
06.14.12

旅行者的征途是星辰大海
06.14.12

Data from NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft indicate that the venerable deep-space explorer has encountered a region in space where the intensity of charged particles from beyond our solar system has markedly increased. Voyager scientists looking at this rapid rise draw closer to an inevitable but historic conclusion – that humanity's first emissary to interstellar space is on the edge of our solar system.

来自旅行者1号的数据指出，令人尊敬的深空探测者已经进入了一个新区域。这个区域里，来自太阳系外的带电粒子的强度显著的增大。运作旅行者号的科学家们分析了这些数据，结论是无可争辩和历史性的——人类第一名向星际空间进发的特使已经到达了太阳系的边缘。

"The laws of physics say that someday Voyager will become the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, but we still do not know exactly when that someday will be," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "The latest data indicate that we are clearly in a new region where things are changing more quickly. It is very exciting. We are approaching the solar system's frontier."

”遵循物理法则，旅行者号总有一天会成为第一个进入星际空间的人造物体，但是我们并不知道确切的日子。“旅行者计划的科学家，加州理工学院的Ed Stone这样说。“最新的数据表明，我们已经到了一个全新的领域。这个区域里，事物变化的很快。这是让人振奋的，我们正在接近太阳系的边界线。”

The data making the 16-hour-38 minute, 11.1-billion-mile (17.8-billion-kilometer), journey from Voyager 1 to antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth detail the number of charged particles measured by the two High Energy telescopes aboard the 34-year-old spacecraft. These energetic particles were generated when stars in our cosmic neighborhood went supernova.

数据从旅行者1号传向NASA深空网的天线，期间经历16小时38分钟共178亿公里。两个装设在这台有着34年历史的飞船上的高能望远镜记录了带电粒子的数量。当我们临近的星球变成超新星的时候，这些粒子产生了。

"From January 2009 to January 2012, there had been a gradual increase of about 25 percent in the amount of galactic cosmic rays Voyager was encountering," said Stone. "More recently, we have seen very rapid escalation in that part of the energy spectrum. Beginning on May 7, the cosmic ray hits have increased five percent in a week and nine percent in a month."

“从2009年1月开始到2012年1月，旅行者接收到的宇宙射线逐渐增加了25%，”Stone说。“而最近，我们观测到了这些谱段的更为快速的增长。从5月7号开始，宇宙射线以每周5%、每月9%的速度在增长。”

This marked increase is one of a triad of data sets which need to make significant swings of the needle to indicate a new era in space exploration. The second important measure from the spacecraft's two telescopes is the intensity of energetic particles generated inside the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles the sun blows around itself. While there has been a slow decline in the measurements of these energetic particles, they have not dropped off precipitously, which could be expected when Voyager breaks through the solar boundary.

这个显著的增加是一组三位一体的数据中的一部分。两个望远镜的第二个重要的测量工作是太阳风中产生的高能粒子的强度。太阳将这些粒子吹到它的周围形成泡状结构，这就是太阳风。这一强度正缓慢的下降，但是并不十分明显。当旅行者号穿过太阳系的边界的时候，人们预测太阳风高能粒子强度会下降。

The final data set that Voyager scientists believe will reveal a major change is the measurement in the direction of the magnetic field lines surrounding the spacecraft. While Voyager is still within the heliosphere, these field lines run east-west. When it passes into interstellar space, the team expects Voyager will find that the magnetic field lines orient in a more north-south direction. Such analysis will take weeks, and the Voyager team is currently crunching the numbers of its latest data set.

第三部分是关于飞船附近磁场方向的变化。当旅行者号还在太阳风内的时候，这些磁场是东西向的。当它进入到星际空间的时候，科学家们估计旅行者号会测量到一种更加偏向南北向的磁场。分析需要数个星期的时间，科学家们正在消化大量的最新数据。

"When the Voyagers launched in 1977, the space age was all of 20 years old," said Stone. "Many of us on the team dreamed of reaching interstellar space, but we really had no way of knowing how long a journey it would be -- or if these two vehicles that we invested so much time and energy in would operate long enough to reach it.”

“当旅行者号在1977年被发射的时候，太空时代才开始了20年，”Stone说。“团队中的很多人都憧憬有一天它能够进入星际空间，但我们不知道旅途会有多长——前提是这两架探测器能够继续运行下去。”

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 are in good health. Voyager 2 is more than 9.1 billion miles (14.7 billion kilometers) away from the sun. Both are operating as part of the Voyager Interstellar Mission, an extended mission to explore the solar system outside the neighborhood of the outer planets and beyond. NASA's Voyagers are the two most distant active representatives of humanity and its desire to explore.

1977年，旅行者1号和2号成功发射。旅行者2号距离太阳147亿公里。这两个探测器是旅行者星际探测任务的一部分，这一额外的任务计划探索太阳系的外层甚至更远。NASA的旅行者号是人类探索得最远的两个代表。






This artist's concept shows NASA's two Voyager spacecraft exploring a turbulent region of space known as the heliosheath, the outer shell of the bubble of charged particles around our sun. After more than 33 years of travel, the two Voyager spacecraft will soon reach interstellar space, which is the space between stars.

本图展示了两艘旅行者飞船正探索一个被称作日鞘的混乱区域，这一区域是包围这太阳的由一系列带电粒子形成的泡状结构的外层。在航行了33年以后，两艘旅行者飞船最近到达了星际空间。

Our sun gives off a stream of charged particles that form a bubble around our solar system known as the heliosphere. The solar wind travels at supersonic speeds until it crosses a shockwave called the termination shock. That part of our solar system is shown in dark blue. Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock in December 2004 and Voyager 2 did so in August 2007. Beyond the termination shock is the heliosheath, shown in gray, where the solar wind dramatically slows down and heats up. Outside those two areas is territory dominated by the interstellar wind, which is blowing from the left in this image. As the interstellar wind approaches the heliosphere, a bow shock forms, indicated by the bright arc.

我们的太阳喷射出一股带电粒子形成了包围整个太阳系的泡状结构，这一结构，被称作太阳风层。太阳风以超音速飞行，直到遭遇到一股冲击波（？），这被称作边界激波。这一部分由深蓝色标出。旅行者1号于2004年12月穿过这一边界，2号于2007年8月穿越。这一边界的外面是日鞘，由灰色表示。太阳风在这一区域里显著的减速并被加热。这两个区域外由星际风主宰，图中由左往右表示。当星际风接近日鞘的时候，一组弓形激波产生了。图中由高亮的区域表现。

补充内容 (2012-6-25 09:14):
多谢46L
termination shock：终端激波，太阳风在此处速度降到音速之下。
heliopause：太阳风顶，太阳风在此处速度降为0。此处是太阳系物质与外界星际物质的分界限。
bow shock：弓形激波，太阳以250km/s的超音速速度

旅行者1号的新闻这几天已经传遍各大媒体了。于是去翻翻NASA上的报道，稍微翻译了一下。

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager20120614.html#

Data From NASA's Voyager 1 Point to Interstellar Future
06.14.12

旅行者的征途是星辰大海
06.14.12

Data from NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft indicate that the venerable deep-space explorer has encountered a region in space where the intensity of charged particles from beyond our solar system has markedly increased. Voyager scientists looking at this rapid rise draw closer to an inevitable but historic conclusion – that humanity's first emissary to interstellar space is on the edge of our solar system.

来自旅行者1号的数据指出，令人尊敬的深空探测者已经进入了一个新区域。这个区域里，来自太阳系外的带电粒子的强度显著的增大。运作旅行者号的科学家们分析了这些数据，结论是无可争辩和历史性的——人类第一名向星际空间进发的特使已经到达了太阳系的边缘。

"The laws of physics say that someday Voyager will become the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, but we still do not know exactly when that someday will be," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "The latest data indicate that we are clearly in a new region where things are changing more quickly. It is very exciting. We are approaching the solar system's frontier."

”遵循物理法则，旅行者号总有一天会成为第一个进入星际空间的人造物体，但是我们并不知道确切的日子。“旅行者计划的科学家，加州理工学院的Ed Stone这样说。“最新的数据表明，我们已经到了一个全新的领域。这个区域里，事物变化的很快。这是让人振奋的，我们正在接近太阳系的边界线。”

The data making the 16-hour-38 minute, 11.1-billion-mile (17.8-billion-kilometer), journey from Voyager 1 to antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth detail the number of charged particles measured by the two High Energy telescopes aboard the 34-year-old spacecraft. These energetic particles were generated when stars in our cosmic neighborhood went supernova.

数据从旅行者1号传向NASA深空网的天线，期间经历16小时38分钟共178亿公里。两个装设在这台有着34年历史的飞船上的高能望远镜记录了带电粒子的数量。当我们临近的星球变成超新星的时候，这些粒子产生了。

"From January 2009 to January 2012, there had been a gradual increase of about 25 percent in the amount of galactic cosmic rays Voyager was encountering," said Stone. "More recently, we have seen very rapid escalation in that part of the energy spectrum. Beginning on May 7, the cosmic ray hits have increased five percent in a week and nine percent in a month."

“从2009年1月开始到2012年1月，旅行者接收到的宇宙射线逐渐增加了25%，”Stone说。“而最近，我们观测到了这些谱段的更为快速的增长。从5月7号开始，宇宙射线以每周5%、每月9%的速度在增长。”

This marked increase is one of a triad of data sets which need to make significant swings of the needle to indicate a new era in space exploration. The second important measure from the spacecraft's two telescopes is the intensity of energetic particles generated inside the heliosphere, the bubble of charged particles the sun blows around itself. While there has been a slow decline in the measurements of these energetic particles, they have not dropped off precipitously, which could be expected when Voyager breaks through the solar boundary.

这个显著的增加是一组三位一体的数据中的一部分。两个望远镜的第二个重要的测量工作是太阳风中产生的高能粒子的强度。太阳将这些粒子吹到它的周围形成泡状结构，这就是太阳风。这一强度正缓慢的下降，但是并不十分明显。当旅行者号穿过太阳系的边界的时候，人们预测太阳风高能粒子强度会下降。

The final data set that Voyager scientists believe will reveal a major change is the measurement in the direction of the magnetic field lines surrounding the spacecraft. While Voyager is still within the heliosphere, these field lines run east-west. When it passes into interstellar space, the team expects Voyager will find that the magnetic field lines orient in a more north-south direction. Such analysis will take weeks, and the Voyager team is currently crunching the numbers of its latest data set.

第三部分是关于飞船附近磁场方向的变化。当旅行者号还在太阳风内的时候，这些磁场是东西向的。当它进入到星际空间的时候，科学家们估计旅行者号会测量到一种更加偏向南北向的磁场。分析需要数个星期的时间，科学家们正在消化大量的最新数据。

"When the Voyagers launched in 1977, the space age was all of 20 years old," said Stone. "Many of us on the team dreamed of reaching interstellar space, but we really had no way of knowing how long a journey it would be -- or if these two vehicles that we invested so much time and energy in would operate long enough to reach it.”

“当旅行者号在1977年被发射的时候，太空时代才开始了20年，”Stone说。“团队中的很多人都憧憬有一天它能够进入星际空间，但我们不知道旅途会有多长——前提是这两架探测器能够继续运行下去。”

Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 are in good health. Voyager 2 is more than 9.1 billion miles (14.7 billion kilometers) away from the sun. Both are operating as part of the Voyager Interstellar Mission, an extended mission to explore the solar system outside the neighborhood of the outer planets and beyond. NASA's Voyagers are the two most distant active representatives of humanity and its desire to explore.

1977年，旅行者1号和2号成功发射。旅行者2号距离太阳147亿公里。这两个探测器是旅行者星际探测任务的一部分，这一额外的任务计划探索太阳系的外层甚至更远。NASA的旅行者号是人类探索得最远的两个代表。



Voyagers in the Heliosheath (Artist Concept)
日鞘中的旅行者们 (艺术表现)

This artist's concept shows NASA's two Voyager spacecraft exploring a turbulent region of space known as the heliosheath, the outer shell of the bubble of charged particles around our sun. After more than 33 years of travel, the two Voyager spacecraft will soon reach interstellar space, which is the space between stars.

本图展示了两艘旅行者飞船正探索一个被称作日鞘的混乱区域，这一区域是包围这太阳的由一系列带电粒子形成的泡状结构的外层。在航行了33年以后，两艘旅行者飞船最近到达了星际空间。

Our sun gives off a stream of charged particles that form a bubble around our solar system known as the heliosphere. The solar wind travels at supersonic speeds until it crosses a shockwave called the termination shock. That part of our solar system is shown in dark blue. Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock in December 2004 and Voyager 2 did so in August 2007. Beyond the termination shock is the heliosheath, shown in gray, where the solar wind dramatically slows down and heats up. Outside those two areas is territory dominated by the interstellar wind, which is blowing from the left in this image. As the interstellar wind approaches the heliosphere, a bow shock forms, indicated by the bright arc.

我们的太阳喷射出一股带电粒子形成了包围整个太阳系的泡状结构，这一结构，被称作太阳风层。太阳风以超音速飞行，直到遭遇到一股冲击波（？），这被称作边界激波。这一部分由深蓝色标出。旅行者1号于2004年12月穿过这一边界，2号于2007年8月穿越。这一边界的外面是日鞘，由灰色表示。太阳风在这一区域里显著的减速并被加热。这两个区域外由星际风主宰，图中由左往右表示。当星际风接近日鞘的时候，一组弓形激波产生了。图中由高亮的区域表现。

补充内容 (2012-6-25 09:14):
多谢46L
termination shock：终端激波，太阳风在此处速度降到音速之下。
heliopause：太阳风顶，太阳风在此处速度降为0。此处是太阳系物质与外界星际物质的分界限。
bow shock：弓形激波，太阳以250km/s的超音速速度