(upbeat music)
激揚的音樂
On February 1st, 2019,
2019年2月1日
members of the Mars Exploration team
火星任務團隊的成員
gathered at NASA's JPL headquarters
在噴氣推進實驗室集♥合♥
to say their final goodbye
做最終告別
to one of space explorations greatest pioneers,
最偉大的太空探索先驅之一，
the Opportunity Rover.
機遇號♥火星車
I wanted to say,
我想說，
with the completion of tonight's commanding,
隨着今晚指令的完成，
this concludes operations for MER-1 spacecraft ID 253.
編號♥爲253的MER-1航♥天♥器的運行就要終止了
And on behalf of the entire MER project,
我代表整個MER項目，
we'd like to thank the DSN for over 15 and a half years
感謝DSN（深空通訊）超過15年半的努力，
of outstanding support, from launch until tonight.
從發射一直到今晚，都提供了傑出的支持
And this is station 14,
這裏是14號♥站，
on behalf of the network,
我代表通訊部門
thank you for your comments,
感謝你們的好評
and it's a sad day for all of us.
今天對我們大家來說都很難過
(upbeat music)
音樂
14, you are released.
14號♥，你們放假了
And 14 copies.
14號♥收到
MER Project, off the net.
MER任務，斷開連接
(all applaud)
大家鼓掌
In an instant,
一瞬間，
the lights went out on a record journey of almost 15 years.
創紀錄的15年旅程結束了
A far cry from the expected 90 days survival rate.
遠超了預期的90天任務期限
In it's wake,
它醒着的時候
Opportunity has left a history-redefining legacy.
機遇號♥留下了重新改寫歷史的遺產
We have been given the opportunity,
我們接收了機遇號♥
by a team of engineers 15 years ago,
15年前的工程師團隊
who built two of the most extraordinary pieces
創造了兩件最非凡的作品
of space exploration hardware ever conceived and built.
構想和建造用於太空探索的硬件
You only get to do something like this
你要能參與這樣的任務
for the first time once.
第一次也是最後一次
Well sort of,
嗯，那個
after all, the program did construct twin Rovers,
最後，這個項目制♥作♥了兩輛火星車
destined to land in two locations
在兩個不同的目的地登陸
on opposite sides of the planet.
在星球相對的兩側
A redundancy designed to increase their chance of success.
旨在爲它們的成功提供更多冗餘
Spirit was the first to break away from Earth's gravity,
勇氣號♥是首先從地球發射的
with Opportunity lighting up the Florida night sky
機遇號♥從佛羅里達升空
a few weeks later,
在幾周之後
as it too rocketed towards
同樣的目標都是
our closest planetary neighbor, Mars.
我們最近的行星鄰居，火星
It wasn't an easy trip.
這不是什麼簡單的旅程
Solar storms a few months into the journey
旅程開始幾個月後的太陽風暴
bombarded the Rovers with brutal radiation.
強烈的輻射襲擊了火星車
NASA's $850 million explorers
美國航♥天♥局耗資8.5億美元的探測器
weren't communicating with home.
沒有和地球聯♥系♥
It was a nail biting moment,
那是一個緊張時刻，
until Mission Control tried the old IT help desk stand-by,
任務控制中心試着讓舊的IT服務檯工作，
turning your Rover off and back on again.
關閉火星車的電源，再接通
It worked,
可以了
first crisis averted.
第一次危機得以避免
Now, to the really harrowing part of the mission,
現在，對於任務中真正令人提心吊膽的部分，
landing on Mars.
登陸火星
Hurtling at 16,000 miles per hour,
以每小時16000英里的速度飛過，
about 10 times the speed of a bullet.
子彈速度的十倍
The heat shield in front of the Rover vehicle
火星車前面的隔熱罩
got about as hot as the surface of the Sun.
變得和太陽表面一樣熱
A supersonic parachute deployed.
超音速降落傘展開
Atmospheric entry.
大氣層進入
It was time for everyone back on Earth
是讓地球上的每個人
to strap themselves in.
揪心的時刻
It was going to be a bumpy ride.
這將是一個坎坷的旅程
Current altitude 8000 feet.
目前海拔8000英尺
The heat shield jettisoned.
隔熱罩被拋離
The airbags blew up in less than 1,000th of a second.
安全氣囊在不到1000秒的時間內膨脹
And then she bounced.
然後落地彈跳
We're getting a bouncing signal.
我們收到一個彈跳信♥號♥♥
(crowd cheers)
歡呼
We are getting a bounce signal.
我們收到一個彈跳信♥號♥♥
Confirmation that space craft is bouncing and alive on Mars.
確認飛船在火星上彈跳並正常工作
And bounced,
彈跳起來，
26 times.
26次
We have a momentary loss of signal,
我們暫時失去信♥號♥♥，
as the space craft is bouncing on the surface.
當飛船在地面上彈跳時
It is difficult to maintain lock.
很難鎖定
We need to reacquire the signal,
我們需要重新獲得信♥號♥♥，
to have positive confirmation of a safe landing.
確認安全着陸
But there's always a possibility something goes wrong,
但總有出錯的可能，
something you didn't account for,
一些你沒有預計的事情，
or just bad luck,
或者就是壞運氣
like really sharp pointy rocks
比如尖利的石頭
right where you want it to land
正好在要着陸的地方
that might puncture the airbags.
可能會刺破安全氣囊
But these are the risks that you take
但這些是你要冒的風險
when you're going someplace where you've never been,
當要去一個你從未去過的地方，
that you know is dangerous and unknown.
你知道那裏是危險和未知的
We're seeing it on the LCP.
我們在LCP屏幕上看到了
(Crowd cheers and Applauds)
衆人歡呼鼓掌
We have a very strong signal.
我們有非常強烈的信♥號♥♥
(indistinct radio chatter)
（隱約的無線電聲音）
(cheering and applause)
歡呼鼓掌
Finally the airbags deflated,
最後安全氣囊放氣了，
and the solar arrays opened up,
太陽能電池板打開了，
charging the power hungry little Rover.
爲飢餓的火星車充電
And she lifted her head,
她抬起頭
the panoramic camera,
全景攝像機，
and sent her first beautiful, "We are here." postcard.
寄出她第一張漂亮的明信片“我們在這裏”
When Opportunity sent back that first picture
當機遇號♥發回第一張照片時
from Eagle Crater,
從老鷹隕石坑，
that night is burned in my brain,
那晚深深烙在我的腦子裏，
I will never forget it.
我永遠不會忘記
It was such a dramatic image of Mars.
這是一幅讓人印象深刻的火星圖像
And it was so different
它是如此不同於
than any images we've seen before.
我們以前所見到的照片
It was now time
現在是時間
for Opportunity to get to work.
機遇號♥開始工作
It's mission,
它的任務
the quest for the holy grail of planetary exploration,
尋找行星探索的聖盃，
liquid water.
液態水
It was initially planned as a 90 day expedition
最初計劃是90天的探險
that would stretch on for 15 years.
結果將持續15年
The Mars Exploration Program had this long standing goal
火星探測計劃有一個長♥期♥的目標
of searching for signs of life on Mars.
在火星上尋找生命跡象
But that's a really big question.
但這是個很大的問題
That's a really hard question to answer.
這是個很難回答的問題
So we started with something a little more simple.
所以我們從更簡單的開始
A little more fundamental.
更基本一點
Was there ever water, liquid water on Mars?
火星上有水，液態水嗎？
Where and for how long?
在哪裏和多久？
And that was what Spirit an Opportunity
那就是勇氣號♥和機遇號♥
really went out to go look for.
要去那裏找出的答案
Golf cart sized Spirit and Opportunity
高爾夫球車大小的勇氣號♥與機遇號♥
were designed to be wandering geologists.
被設計成可移♥動♥的地質學家
Instead of pics and hammers, though,
不是照相和錘子敲打，
they have little particle blasters
它們有小型的分♥析♥儀
that they use to take samples,
可以取一些樣本
and spectrometers and microscopes to examine them.
用光譜儀和顯微鏡來檢查它們
And wouldn't you know it,
你不知道，