纪录片《火星任务》 第35期 宇宙射线（在线收听）

We've put a bit of powdered rock into the oven of SAM,

将少量岩石粉末放入分析仪的烤炉中

and we slowly heat it up from ambient temperature

由环境温度开始

to very hot temperature, about 1,000 degrees centigrade.

逐渐加热到大概一千摄氏度的高温

And as the sample is heated up,

当样本被加热时

at different temperatures

在不同温度下

it releases different simple gases or complex gases,

它会释放出某种或多种气体

and that helps us

这可以帮助我们

determine what the mineralogy,

确定岩石的成分

what the mineral composition of the rock is.

确定岩石的化学组成

SAM can look for the chemical signatures of water

火星样本分析仪可以识别水的化学特征

and it can also detect organic compounds

也能检测作为生命基石的

the building blocks of life.

有机化合物

Our very first job on getting to Mars

到达火星最重要的目的

will be to understand

就是去弄清

if there are organic compounds that we can even detect.

我们是否可以探测到有机化合物

Mars is a very harsh environment.

火星上的环境极其恶劣

Ultraviolet radiation penetrates right down to the surface

由于大气比地球稀薄

because there is less of an atmosphere than on Earth.

紫外线直接穿透大气 照射在地表

The same is true for very energetic cosmic radiation

同样 大气也无法阻挡高能宇宙射线

that pounds in and really has the potential to destroy

它也会直射表面 并且很可能破坏

fragile compounds that are very close to the surface.

火星地表附近脆弱的化合物