Europe Launches Spacecraft to Explore Asteroid Hit by NASA

A European spacecraft has been launched to explore an asteroid struck in an earlier planetary defense mission by the American space agency NASA.

一艘欧洲航天器已发射升空，探索美国航天局美国宇航局早期行星防御任务中撞击的小行星。

The European Space Agency (ESA’s) Hera spacecraft launched October 7 from NASA’s Cape Canaveral in Florida. The spacecraft, or probe, was carried to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

欧洲航天局 (ESA) 的赫拉航天器于 10 月 7 日从美国宇航局佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射升空。 该航天器或探测器由 SpaceX 猎鹰 9 号火箭运送到太空。

Hera is headed to the asteroid Dimorphos. NASA crashed its DART spacecraft into the space rock in 2022 in an area about 11 million kilometers from Earth. The NASA mission was an experiment to test a method for changing the orbit of asteroids that might one day threaten Earth.

赫拉正前往小行星狄莫佛斯。 2022 年，NASA 的 DART 航天器在距地球约 1100 万公里的区域撞上了太空岩石。 美国宇航局的任务是一项实验，旨在测试一种改变小行星轨道的方法，这些小行星有一天可能会威胁地球。

NASA has said its own studies of the crash showed it was successful because the force of the strike changed the asteroid’s orbit around a larger asteroid, called Didymos. Data showed the strike reduced the orbital period of Dimorphos by 33 minutes.

美国宇航局表示，其对这次坠机事件的研究表明，这次坠机是成功的，因为撞击的力量改变了小行星围绕一颗名为“迪迪莫斯”的更大小行星的轨道。 数据显示，这次撞击使 Dimorphos 的轨道周期缩短了 33 分钟。

But the Hera mission seeks to closely examine Dimorphos to get more details on how the asteroid was changed in the strike by DART. Data collected by the ESA spacecraft will be used together with information gathered by NASA to develop future planetary defense plans.

但赫拉任务旨在仔细检查迪莫弗斯，以获取有关小行星在 DART 袭击中如何改变的更多细节。 欧空局航天器收集的数据将与美国宇航局收集的信息一起用于制定未来的行星防御计划。

American astronomer Derek Richardson, from the University of Maryland, told reporters before the launch, "The more detail we can glean the better as it may be important for planning a future deflection mission should one be needed.”

马里兰大学的美国天文学家德里克·理查森在发射前告诉记者：“我们收集的细节越多越好，因为如果需要的话，这对于规划未来的偏转任务可能很重要。”

Officials from ESA have described the $400 million mission as a “crash scene investigation.” Hera project manager Ian Carnelli said the spacecraft was “going back to the crime site and getting all the scientific and technical information.”

欧空局官员将这项耗资 4 亿美元的任务描述为“坠机现场调查”。 Hera 项目经理伊恩·卡内利 (Ian Carnelli) 表示，该航天器正在“返回犯罪现场并获取所有科学和技术信息”。

Hera’s trip to the asteroid is expected to take about two years. Next year, the probe plans to get a big gravitational push as it flies past Mars. It should arrive in the area around Dimorphos in December 2026.

赫拉的小行星之旅预计需要大约两年的时间。 明年，探测器计划在飞越火星时获得巨大的引力推动。 它应该于 2026 年 12 月抵达 Dimorphos 周围地区。

Before it was hit by DART, Dimorphos circled a larger asteroid from about 1,189 meters out. Scientists believe the orbit is now closer and that Dimorphos changed its shape. Astronomers have also found evidence the asteroid is likely moving differently.

在被 DART 击中之前，Dimorphos 在距地球约 1,189 米的地方绕着一颗更大的小行星旋转。 科学家认为，轨道现在更近了，并且 Dimorphos 改变了它的形状。 天文学家还发现了这颗小行星可能以不同方式移动的证据。

Examinations of the DART mission have suggested that rather than being a single hard rock, Dimorphos was more of a collection of rubble pieces held together by gravity. Investigators have said they believe the DART crash might have "completely deformed" the asteroid.

对 DART 任务的检查表明，Dimorphos 并不是一块坚硬的岩石，而是由重力聚集在一起的碎石块的集合。 调查人员表示，他们相信 DART 坠毁可能使这颗小行星“完全变形”。

Ignacio Tanco is the flight director for the Hera mission. He told The Associated Press that some large rocks and other materials could still be following the asteroid. This, he said, could present a damage risk to the spacecraft.

伊格纳西奥·坦科 (Ignacio Tanco) 是赫拉任务的飞行指挥。 他告诉美联社，一些大岩石和其他物质可能仍然跟随小行星。 他说，这可能会给航天器带来损坏风险。

“We don't really know very well the environment in which we are going to operate,” Tanco said. "But that's the whole point of the mission is to go there and find out.”

“我们不太了解我们将要运营的环境，”坦科说。 “但这就是任务的全部意义，就是去那里找出答案。”

Hera will be equipped with two nanosatellites. One will land on Dimorphos and capture data on the asteroid with radar. The other will study the makeup of Dimorphos from farther out.

赫拉将配备两颗纳米卫星。 一艘将降落在 Dimorphos 上并用雷达捕获小行星上的数据。 另一个将从更远的地方研究 Dimorphos 的构成。

ESA and NASA will use the data to create plans for a possible asteroid strike that could cause wide destruction on Earth. Astronomers believe an asteroid wider than one kilometer – which could cause a worldwide disaster – is estimated to strike Earth about every 500,000 years.

欧空局和美国宇航局将利用这些数据为可能对地球造成广泛破坏的小行星撞击制定计划。 天文学家认为，一颗宽度超过一公里的小行星——这可能会导致世界范围的灾难——估计大约每 50 万年就会撞击地球一次。

An asteroid around 140 meters – which is a little smaller than Dimorphos but could still take out a major city – is predicted to hit Earth around every 20,000 years.

一颗大约 140 米的小行星——比 Dimorphos 小一点，但仍然可以摧毁一座主要城市——预计大约每 20,000 年就会撞击地球一次。

Currently there are no known 140-meter asteroids on a path to strike Earth. However, scientists have said only 40 percent of those space rocks are believed to have been identified.

目前尚无已知的 140 米小行星撞击地球的路径。 然而，科学家表示，据信这些太空岩石中只有 40% 已被识别。