时差N小时:危险的月球尘埃

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

嘿，Yaël,我在想——为什么我们现在没什么跟月球相关的消息了呢?

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.

早在二十世纪六七十年代的时候，送宇航员上月球是个天大的事儿，但却没什么人再谈论这件事儿。

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

事实上,NASA正计划送宇航员重返月球。

D: Really?

真的吗?

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.

对呀。这次他们说要建立一个月球基地，宇航员一次可以停留几周或几个月在低重力的条件下进行实验。

D: Cool.

很棒啊。

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

但还存在几个问题要解决——比如说月球尘埃怎么办。

D: Wait. Why is moon dust a problem?

等等。为什么月球尘埃会是个问题?

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

嗯，一方面，它的化学性质，像断裂的石英，那是有剧毒的。

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

而且月球尘埃很有依附性，太空服太空舱里面都会有。

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

二十世纪六七十年代的宇航员们曾经抱怨，太空舱里面有太多的灰尘，甚至他们都能闻得到。

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

那么灰尘对身体有害吗?如果它进入肺里会怎样?

Y: That's what scientists are studying now.

那就是科学家们现在正在研究的。

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.

一个问题就是,月球的低重力会让尘埃粒子飘进宇航员的导气管,这可能让月球尘埃更深地穿透进人的肺部。

D: Which increases the health risks.

这就增加了健康风险。

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

那么怎么做才可以让宇航员吸入较少的粉尘?高科技的鸡毛掸子吗?

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。不过这确实是个好问题。这是科学家们正在忙于调查的问题，要在将宇航员们送上太空造房生活之前解决的问题。