BBC环球慢速英语 第347期:星尘号宇宙飞船(5)

voice 1: It took years for the Stardust to reach Comet Wild Two. In January of 2004 the Stardust finally crossed paths with the comet.
声音1：星尘号用了数年时间才接近“怀尔德2号”彗星。2004年1月，星尘号终于和这颗彗星相遇了。

voice 2: So, why did scientist choose Comet Wild Two? Well, it is because they believe that this comet is over four billion years old! Weather and pressure have changed the shapes and the faces of planets. But comets are frozen. Comets are made of frozen ice and dust. They mainly fly outside of the Solar System. Scientists believe that comets are the most unchanged bodies in space. So, scientists hope that particles collected from Comet Wild Two will explain more about the beginning of the universe.
声音2：那为什么科学家选择“怀尔德2号”彗星呢？这是因为他们认为这颗彗星的历史超过40亿年！天气和压力会改变行星的形态和特征。但是彗星是冻结的。彗星由冻结的冰和尘埃组成。它们主要在太阳系外飞行。科学家认为彗星是太空中最没有变化的物体。因此，科学家希望从“怀尔德2号”彗星那里收集到的尘埃颗粒能详细解释宇宙的起源。

voice 1: The aerogel in the Stardust was able to collect particles from the comet. And on January 15 2006 those particles arrived here on earth, four years after the Stardust collected them. What a journey!
声音1：星尘号的气凝胶收集器能收集彗星颗粒。2006年1月15日，星尘号在收集了4年之久的颗粒后，带着这些颗粒返回了地球。多么漫长的旅行啊！