Image Martian Dust Particles

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander¹ has taken its first-ever picture of a single particle of rusty Martian dust with one of its microscopes. The dust particles of dust were shown at a higher magnification than anything outside of Earth that has been imaged before. The rounded particle measured only about one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across.

“Taking this image required the highest resolution microscope operated off Earth² and a specially designed device to hold the Martian dust,” said Tom Pike, a Phoenix science team member from Imperial College London³. “We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small⁴.”

The device that imaged the dust speck is called an atomic force microscope, which maps the shape of particles in three dimensions by scanning them with a sharp tip at the end of a spring. The atomic force microscope can detail the shapes of particles as small as about 100 nanometers. And this won’t be the last dust particle that Phoenix will image⁵. “After this first success, we"re now working on building up a portrait gallery⁶ of the dust on Mars,” Pike said.

Dust exists everywhere on Mars, coating the surface and giving it its rusty red color. Dust particles also color the Martian sky pink and feed storms that regularly envelope the planet. The ultra-fine⁷ dust is the medium that actively links gases in the Martian atmosphere to processes in Martian soil, so it is critically important to understanding Mars’ environment⁸, the researchers said.

The $420-million Phoenix mission is analyzing the dust and subsurface ice layers of Mars’ arctic regions to look for signs of potential past habitability. The particle seen in the atomic force microscope image was part of a sample scooped by the robotic arm from the "Snow White" trench and delivered to Phoenix’s microscope station in early July.

词汇:

image / "ɪmɪdʒ/ v.绘……的图像

habitability / ,hæbitə"biləti/ n. 居住性

scan / skæn/ v. 扫描

resolution / rezə"luːʃ(ə)n/ n. 分辨率，清晰度

magnification / ,mægnɪfɪ"keɪʃ(ə)n] / n. 放大

scoop / sku:p / v. 挖

subsurface / "sʌbsɜːfɪs / adj. 地面下的

map / mæp / v.绘制……的地图

micrometer / maɪ"krɒmɪtə/ n.微米

trench / trentʃ / n. 沟

注释:

1. NASA"s Phoenix Mars Lander：美国国家航空航天局的凤凰号火星登陆器

2. off earth：地球之外

3. Imperial College London：伦敦帝国学院

4. image particles this small：描绘如此之小的微粒。 image particles this small是口语的说法，其意思是 image such small particles／image particles which are so small。

5. And this won"t be the last dust particle that Phoenix will image：这不会是凤凰号扫描图像的最后的尘粒。本句

的言外之意是：科学家将会收集更多的火星微粒进行扫描。

6. portrait gallery：（火星尘粒）图像陈列馆

7. ultra-fine：超小的

Scientists use the highest resolution microscope to watch and record the image of Martian particles on earth.

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THE MASTER OR AN OFFICER SHOULD HANDING OVER THE WATCH SHOULD SAY（）.

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THE OFFICER WHO RELIEVING THE WATCH SHOULD CONFIRM AND SAY（）.

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