两个探测器携手合作--和太阳的“亲密接触”又进了一步(上)

One hundred years ago, solar weather was a lot less relevant than it is today.

一百年前，太阳天气远没有今天这么有现实意义。

Flares and ejections from our nearest star didn't have any impact on satellites, global positioning systems, astronauts, mainly because none of those things existed.

离我们最近的恒星发出的太阳耀斑和日冕物质抛射对人造卫星、全球定位系统和宇航员都不会产生任何影响，主要是因为那时这些东西都不存在。

But now, these events could potentially disrupt all that, plus airlines and the power grid.

但现在，这些事件可能会破坏这一切，还可能会破坏航空公司和电网。

And that's part of the reason why scientists from the United States and the European Union have sent a pair of probes to study the sun.

这就是为什么美国和欧盟的科学家发射了两个探测器来研究太阳的一部分原因。

The American spacecraft is NASA's Parker solar probe.

这个美国航天器是美国国家航空航天局(NASA)的帕克太阳探测器。

It's named for astrophysicist Eugene N. Parker who predicted the existence of solar wind in the 1950s and most scientists then didn't believe him, according to "The New York Times".

据《纽约时报》报道，帕克太阳探测器以天体物理学家尤金·帕克的名字命名，帕克在20世纪50年代预测了太阳风的存在，但当时大多数科学家都不相信他。

The Parker solar probe is on a $1.5 billion mission and will fly through the sun's atmosphere.

帕克太阳探测器正在执行一项耗资15亿美元的任务，它将穿越太阳大气层。

That spacecraft is working with another from the European Space Agency.

该航天器正在与欧洲航天局的另一个航天器合作。

That one's called the Solar Orbiter. It's named for its mission to orbit the sun.

这个航天器叫做太阳轨道飞行器。该航天器因其环绕太阳轨道运行的任务而得名。

This probe also cost one and a half billion dollars.

这个探测器也花费了15亿美元。

The money coming from both Europe and the U.S..

这项资金来自欧洲和美国。

And both of these spacecrafts have some serious heat shields to withstand extreme temperatures that the Earth's atmosphere and distance from the sun protect us from.

这两个航天器都有严格的隔热罩来抵御极端温度，而地球的大气层和距离太阳的距离可以保护我们免受这一极端温度的影响。

Space.com says the Parker probe's shield will work to keep its instruments at a temperature of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, though the probe itself will face measurements of thousands of degrees higher.

Space.com网站称，帕克探测器的隔热罩将使仪器保持在华氏85度左右，不过该探测器本身的测量温度要高出数千度。

Here's Rachel Crane on how the two probes can work together.

以下是瑞秋·克兰关于这两个探测器如何协同工作的报道。

Here are some of the most uNPRecedented and informative images of the sun ever taken.

这是一些前所未有的、信息最为丰富的太阳图像。

They're made possible by these two machines: NASA's Parker solar probe and the European space agency's Solar Orbiter.

它们是由这两台机器实现的:美国国家航空航天局的帕克太阳探测器和欧洲航天局的太阳轨道飞行器。

Parker was sent up by NASA in August of 2018, with Solar Orbiter following it in February 2022.

帕克太阳探测器于2018年8月由NASA发射升空，太阳轨道飞行器随后于2022年2月发射升空。

Parker plans to make 24 passes around the sun before its mission ends in 2025.

帕克飞行器计划在2025年任务结束前环绕太阳24圈。

Solar Orbiter will be making close approaches to the sun every six months through at least 2030.

太阳轨道飞行器至少到2030年将实现每六个月接近太阳一次。

They've been sent to investigate major questions about the star at the center of our solar system, what drives its 11-year magnetic cycle, what heats its corona, where do solar winds come from.

它们被派去调查关于这颗位于太阳系中心的恒星的主要问题，是什么驱动了该恒星为期11年的磁活动周期，是什么加热了该恒星的日冕，太阳风从哪里来。