在线英语听力室

NASA Spacecraft Records Sounds of Space Rocks Hitting Mars

时间：2022-10-09 05:31:21

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

（单词翻译）

NASA Spacecraft Records Sounds of Space Rocks Hitting Mars

Researchers say a spacecraft on Mars has recorded vibrations1 and sounds of space rocks hitting the planet.

The activity was picked up by a seismometer, an instrument that measures ground noises and shaking linked to earthquakes, volcanic2 eruptions3 and explosions.

The seismometer sits on the surface of Mars. It is connected to the InSight lander, which is operated by the American space agency NASA.

Scientists recently announced the instrument had discovered seismic4 waves from four different space rocks that crashed into Mars in 2020 and 2021.

The first of the four confirmed meteoroids entered Mars' atmosphere on September 5, 2021, NASA said in a statement. Meteoroid is the term used for a space rock before it hits the ground. Once the rock or parts of it hit the surface, they are called meteorites5.

The first rock to enter the atmosphere exploded into at least three pieces. Each of the pieces left craters7 on the surface. Researchers then estimated where the craters were. NASA even released recordings8 of what the meteoroid strikes sounded like.

Later, the team used NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to confirm the crater6 positions. The orbiter's imaging instruments found three darkened spots on the surface.

InSight's seismometer has already discovered numerous marsquakes on the Red Planet. A marsquake is a seismic event on Mars that is similar to earthquakes that happen on Earth.

But NASA said this was the first time scientists were able to confirm that these kinds of seismic and sound waves were linked to space rock strikes. The discovery also marks the first time that such seismic activity from strikes, also called impacts, has been measured on Mars.

Researchers recently published details on their findings in a paper in the publication Nature Geoscience.

Ingrid Daubar is a specialist on Mars impacts at Brown University in Rhode Island. She was a co-writer of the paper. Daubar said in a statement, "After three years of InSight waiting to detect an impact, those craters looked beautiful."

NASA said the team used earlier data to also confirm three other impacts. One happened in May 2020, another in February 2021 and a third in August 2021.

Researchers have wondered why they have not detected more meteoroid strikes on Mars. After all, the planet sits next to the solar system's main asteroid9 belt, which produces a large number of flying space rocks. In addition, the Mars atmosphere is just one percent as thick as Earth's, meaning more meteoroids can pass through it without being destroyed.

Daubar said that on Mars, "hundreds of impact craters are forming somewhere on the planet's surface every year."

But NASA scientists say InSight lander's seismometer may have been missing impacts because of interfering10 noise from the Martian wind or seasonal11 changes in the atmosphere.

The researchers believe the new findings could lead to many new impact discoveries based on InSight's existing data that goes back to 2018, when the lander arrived on Mars.

Scientists say the study of seismic activity on Mars can help them better understand the materials contained below the planet's surface.

"Impacts are the clocks of the solar system," said Raphael Garcia, a lead writer of the paper and a scientist at France's Higher Institute of Aeronautics12 and Space in Toulouse. "We need to know the impact rate today to estimate the age of different surfaces," he said in a statement.

Garcia added that the same kind of instrument might also be used to make similar measurements on the moon. He said two French-built seismometers are expected to be included in a NASA lunar science mission that could launch in 2025.

Words in This Story

vibrate – v. to shake with small, quick movements

crater – n. a big hole in the ground created by the force of an object

detect – v. to find or discover

asteroid belt – n. the area of interplanetary space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are found


分享到：


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vibrations d94a4ca3e6fa6302ae79121ffdf03b40     
n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动
参考例句：
  • We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
  • I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 volcanic BLgzQ     
adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的
参考例句：
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
3 eruptions ca60b8eba3620efa5cdd7044f6dd0b66     
n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句
4 seismic SskyM     
a.地震的，地震强度的
参考例句：
  • Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
  • The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。
5 meteorites 12efd1ed528a28fe1f7cb667a7fbc1e0     
n.陨星( meteorite的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • One theory about the existence of extraterrestrial life rests on the presence of carbon compounds in meteorites. 地球外存在生命的理论是基于陨星上存在碳化合物质这一事实的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 crater WofzH     
n.火山口，弹坑
参考例句：
  • With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
  • They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。
7 craters 1f8461e3895b38f51c992255a1c86823     
n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等
参考例句：
  • Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
8 recordings 22f9946cd05973582e73e4e3c0239bb7     
n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片
参考例句：
  • a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
  • old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐
9 asteroid uo1yD     
n.小行星；海盘车(动物)
参考例句：
  • Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
  • It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。
10 interfering interfering     
adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词
参考例句：
  • He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
  • I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。
11 seasonal LZ1xE     
adj.季节的，季节性的
参考例句：
  • The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
  • The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。
12 aeronautics BKVyg     
n.航空术，航空学
参考例句：
  • National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
  • He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交，仅供参考，部分栏目没有内容，如果您有更合适的内容，欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。