時差N小時:危險的月球塵埃

Don: Hey Yaël, I was wondering–why don't we hearmuch about the moon anymore?

嘿，Yaël,我在想——為什么我們現(xiàn)在沒什么跟月球相關的消息了呢?

Yaël: Whadya mean, Don?

Don，你是什么意思?

D: It's just that back in the 1960s and '70s, sending astronauts to the moon was a big deal,but nobody talks much about it anymore.

早在二十世紀六七十年代的時候，送宇航員上月球是個天大的事兒，但卻沒什么人再談論這件事兒。

Y: Well, actually NASA is planning to send astronauts back to the moon.

事實上,NASA正計劃送宇航員重返月球。

D: Really?

真的嗎?

Y: Yep. And this time there's talk of building a lunar base where astronauts can stay for weeksand months at a time to conduct experiments in low gravity.

對呀。這次他們說要建立一個月球基地，宇航員一次可以停留幾周或幾個月在低重力的條件下進行實驗。

D: Cool.

很棒啊。

Y: But there are a few kinks to work out–like what to do about moon dust.

但還存在幾個問題要解決——比如說月球塵埃怎么辦。

D: Wait. Why is moon dust a problem?

等等。為什么月球塵埃會是個問題?

Y: Well, for one thing, it has chemical properties that resemble fresh fractured quartz, which ispretty toxic.

嗯，一方面，它的化學性質，像斷裂的石英，那是有劇毒的。

And moon dust is clingy; it gets all over spacesuits and inside space capsules.

而且月球塵埃很有依附性，太空服太空艙里面都會有。

Astronauts from the '60s and '70s used to complain that there was so much dust inside thecapsule that they could smell it.

二十世紀六七十年代的宇航員們曾經抱怨，太空艙里面有太多的灰塵，甚至他們都能聞得到。

D: So is the dust actually dangerous? What happens if it gets in the lungs?

那么灰塵對身體有害嗎?如果它進入肺里會怎樣?

Y: That's what scientists are studying now.

那就是科學家們現(xiàn)在正在研究的。

One issue is that the moon's weak gravity could allow dust particles to float around in anastronaut's airway, which could let moon dust penetrate deeper into the lungs.

一個問題就是,月球的低重力會讓塵埃粒子飄進宇航員的導氣管,這可能讓月球塵埃更深地穿透進人的肺部。

D: Which increases the health risks.

這就增加了健康風險。

So what can astronauts do to breath in less dust? High-tech feather dusters?

那么怎么做才可以讓宇航員吸入較少的粉塵?高科技的雞毛撣子嗎?

Y: Funny. But it's a good question–one that scientists are busy looking into before sendingastronauts up there to set up house on our very dusty moon.

太逗了。不過這確實是個好問題。這是科學家們正在忙于調查的問題，要在將宇航員們送上太空造房生活之前解決的問題。