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Squeaks and I love exploring!
我和吱吱喜欢探险！
We go exploring in our neighborhood, and we see what we can discover in nature around the Fort.
我们在附近探险，看看能在沃斯堡周围的大自然中发现什么。
And sometimes we pretend we're exploring in outer space!
有时，我们会假装在外太空探险！
Oh, what's that, Squeaks?
噢，吱吱，那是什么？
You think we should go to Mars? OK, we'll do that next!
你觉得我们应该去火星？好吧，我们下一步就去！
And maybe someday people will go to Mars in real life, too!
也许有一天，人们也会在现实生活中去火星！
Since before you and I were born, people have loved to talk about rocketing into space and exploring Mars.
在你我出生之前，人们就喜欢谈论进入太空探索火星的话题。
There are eight planets moving around the sun, including Earth,
太阳周围有8颗行星，包括地球！
and Mars is our neighbor, the next planet after Earth in the Solar System.
火星是我们的邻居，在太阳系中挨着地球。
And it's the friendliest neighbor we have.
它是我们最友好的邻居。
In many ways, Mars is actually a lot like Earth.
在很多方面，火星和地球很像。
The length of a day on Mars is just over 24 hours, very close to how long a day is on Earth.
火星的一天是24小时多一点儿，非常接近地球一天的时间。
It also has seasons like Earth, which not all planets do!
它也有像地球一样的季节，这并不是所有行星都有的！
But Mars is also very different from Earth in some ways,
但是火星在某些方面与地球很不同，
which is why it would be so hard for people to visit.
这就是人们很难去参观的原因。
One big problem is that there isn't enough air on Mars to breathe without a spacesuit!
一个严重的问题是火星空气稀薄，没有宇航服就不能呼吸，
Mars is also very cold and dry, since it's much farther from the sun.
而且，火星又冷又干，因为它离太阳更远。
It's so cold most of the time that its water is almost all frozen into ice
它大多数时候非常冷，以至于水都几乎冻结成冰了，
and it's buried beneath the surface of the planet.
而且水埋在行星表面之下。
Another problem is that even though Mars is our neighbor, it's still a long way from Earth.
另一个问题是，即使火星是我们的邻居，但离地球还有很长一段距离。
Mars goes around the sun a little slower than Earth,
火星运转的比地球慢些，
which means the planets don't usually line up.
这意味着行星不能经常排成一列。
Sometimes Earth can be on one side of the sun while Mars is all the way on the opposite side!
有时地球恰好在太阳的一面，而火星在另一面。
So if we wanted to take a trip to Mars, first we'd have to wait until the planets got close to each other,
所以，如果我们想去火星旅行，就必须等到行星靠近的时候，
and that only happens about once every two years.
这种情况每两年才发生一次。
But even then, it would take seven whole months to get there.
但即使如此，我们仍需整整七个月才能到达那里。
That's a long time for astronauts to be traveling through space,
这对在太空穿行的宇航员来说太长了。
and scientists are still figuring out how to keep them healthy when they're floating in space for so long.
而且科学家们也在想办法让他们长时间在太空漂流时保持健康。
Once we got to Mars, we would need to eat and breathe, just like we do on Earth.
我们一旦到达火星，就需要进食和呼吸，就像我们在地球上一样。
But since we can't breathe the air and there are no plants or animals to eat,
但是因为我们不能呼吸空气，而且没有可以吃的植物或动物，
we'd have to bring our own air and food,
就必须自己带空气和食物，
or figure out how to make them out of Mars's soil and ice.
或想办法利用火星的土壤和冰来制作它们。
Hmmm. Maybe we'd be better off not going to Mars,
嗯...我们最好不去火星，
and putting all that energy into making the Earth a better place to live.
并用这些能源将地球建的更宜居。
Or before we send human explorers over,
或者我们在派人类探索者之前，
we can keep learning about Mars and figure out whether it's possible to live there.
要一直研究火星，并确认它是否可能居住。
We've been studying Mars for a long time,
我们研究火星很长时间了，
because even though humans haven't visited yet,
即使没去参观，
we have sent machines to explore for us, starting more than fifty years ago!
但在50多年前就发射了机器去探索！
Spaceships without people on them have flown by the planet to study it,
无人宇宙飞船已经飞过行星去研究它了，
and special types of robots have even landed on it!
而且特殊类型的机器人甚至已经在它上面登陆了!
No, not robot rats, Squeaks.
吱吱，不是机器鼠。
They're a kind of robot designed to land on Mars and explore it, called a rover.
它们是设计用于登陆和探索火星的机器人，叫做探测车。
We've got two rovers still exploring Mars right now, named Opportunity and Curiosity.
我们至今有两辆探索火星的探测车，分别是“机遇号”和“好奇号”。
To explore Mars, the rovers use a special design called the rocker-bogie system!
为了探索火星，探测车使用了一种特别的设计，叫做六轮摇臂结构。
Isn't that a great name?!
这个名字很有趣吧？
I know, Squeaks! I love saying it, too. Rocker-bogie system!
吱吱，我知道！我也喜欢说它！六轮摇臂结构！
With this system, the Mars rovers have six wheels, and each wheel has its own motor powering it.
有了这个结构，火星探测车就有六个轮子，每个轮子都有自己的马达驱动。
That helps the rover climb over rocks and steep hills,
它能帮助探测车爬过岩石和陡峭的山丘，
and to keep its body level so it doesn't tip over or get damaged.
保持其身体平衡，让它不会翻倒或损坏。
This way, the rovers can keep exploring, and keep sending information back to us on Earth.
这样，探测车就可以继续探索，并不断将信息传回地球。
The next rover to Mars is set to leave Earth in 2020, just a couple of years from now.
下一个到火星的探测车将在2020年离开地球，就在几年后。
And in the meantime, we're planning to launch a lander this year!
与此同时，我们计划今年发射一个着陆器！
That's kind of like a rover, except it can't move around after it lands,
它有点儿像探测车，除了它不能在着陆后移动之外，
so it studies the planet while staying put.
所以它在原地不动的时候研究火星。
Some scientists are also trying to send people to Mars eventually,
一些科学家也试图将人类送上火星，
but it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of time before we're ready to do that.
但在我们做好准备之前，需要大量的工作和时间。
Probably more than 10 or even 20 years, at the very least.
可能至少需要10多年甚至20年。
It's much easier to send robots to Mars than it is to send humans,
发射机器人到火星比派人简单多了，
since robots don't have to breathe or eat.
因为机器人不用呼吸或进食。
But robots work very slowly, and they can't do so many scientific tests by themselves.
但机器人工作缓慢，它们不能独自完成很多科学实验。
Even though it would be a lot of work,
尽管工作繁重，
there's so much more that we could discover if we send people to explore!
但如果我们派人去探索，会发现更多东西！
And who knows?
谁知道呢？
If the first astronauts to explore Mars take off in twenty years…
如果第一个探索火星的宇航员是在二十年后起飞…
maybe you'll be on that first flight!
那么你有可能在第一个航班上！
I guess it's going to be a while before we can explore Mars, Squeaks.
我想，在我们能探索火星之前还有一段时间，吱吱。
But there's still so much to explore right here on Earth!
但是地球上还有很多值得探索的地方！
Do you think we should send people to Mars?
你认为我们应该派人去火星吗？
Would you like to go there yourself?
你想去那里吗？
Ask a grown-up to help you leave a comment below, or send us an email to kids@scishow.com.
找个大人帮忙在下方留言，或发邮件至kids@scishow.com。
Thanks, and we'll see you next time, here at the fort!
感谢您的收看，我们下期见，沃斯堡等你哦！
