Voyagers in Space

Voyagers in Space. Written by Cheryl Reif -Snyder.

《太空旅行者》，作者：谢丽尔·赖夫-斯奈德

One tough job. The United States sent two Voyager spacecraft into space in 1977. Their job was to fly past Jupiter and Saturn, two giant planets in our solar system.

一项艰巨的任务 1977年，美国将两艘旅行者号航天器送入太空。 它们的任务是飞掠木星和土星，这两颗是我们太阳系的巨型行星。

Scientists built the Voyagers to be tough. Still, they thought the Voyagers would only work for about five years. More than 35 years later, both spacecraft are still working.

科学家们把旅行者号造得非常坚固耐用。 不过，他们原本以为旅行者号只能工作五年左右。 三十五年多过去了，两艘航天器至今仍在正常运行。

Planning. The trip was carefully planned. The planets all move around the sun at different speeds. Sometimes they are on the same side of the sun. Sometimes they are on opposite sides. In the late 1970s, the four biggest planets in our solar system all lined up near each other. They were close enough together that the voyagers could visit them all in one trip.

规划。 这次旅程经过了周密的安排。 所有行星都以不同的速度围绕太阳运转。 有时候它们处在太阳的同一侧。 有时候又处在太阳的两侧。 20世纪70年代末，太阳系最大的四颗行星刚好彼此靠近，连成一线。 它们的距离足够近，所以旅行者号可以在一次旅程中造访所有这四颗行星。

The main task. The Voyagers' first job was to study Jupiter and Saturn, their larger moons and Saturn's rings. As the two spacecraft flew, they made discoveries about our solar system.

主要任务。 旅行者号的首要工作是研究木星和土星，它们较大的卫星以及土星环。 两艘航天器在飞行过程中，获得了很多关于我们太阳系的新发现。

Jupiter. The Voyager's first target was Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet. People had already seen Jupiter through telescopes, but the Voyagers gave a much better view. They showed that the Great Red Spot was a huge spinning storm. They discovered a ring around Jupiter, like the ones around Saturn. They also helped scientists learn more about Jupiter's moons.

木星。 旅行者号的第一个探测目标是太阳系最大的行星——木星。 此前人们已经通过望远镜观测过木星，但旅行者号带来了清晰得多的画面。 它们显示大红斑其实是一场巨大的旋转风暴。 它们发现了木星周围也有一个环，和土星周围的环类似。 它们还帮助科学家进一步了解了木星的卫星。