NASA科學家 火星表面有液態水
US satellite observations have produced the first strong evidence for water flowing on Mars.
美國衛星觀測找到了火星表面存在液態水的首批強有力證據。
The water is a brine saturated in salts such as perchlorates. As it seeps down the slopes of Martian craters and mountains, it leaves narrow streaks less than five metres wide, which appear and lengthen during the warm season and fade during the Martian winter.
這種水是含有飽和鹽類（如高氯酸鹽）的鹹水。隨着鹹水滲入火星隕石坑和山丘的斜坡，它留下了不到5米寬的狹窄條紋，這些條紋在溫暖季節顯現並延長，而在火星冬季時逐漸消失。
Although the salty liquid would not be drinkable by visiting astronauts in its present form, the presence of any water strengthens the idea that Mars may harbour microscopic lifeforms.
雖然這種鹹水以目前形態無法被到訪火星的宇航員飲用，但任何形式水的存在都會加強火星可能存在微小生命形態的設想。
“Our quest on Mars has been to ‘follow the water’ in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected,” said John Grunsfeld, Nasa’s head of science. “This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water, albeit briny, is flowing today on the surface of Mars.”
“我們在火星上的探索一直在‘循着水’尋找宇宙中的生命，而現在我們有了令人信服的科學證據來證實我們所長期懷疑的，”美國宇航局(NASA)科學部門主管約翰格隆菲爾德(John Grunsfeld)說，“這是一項重大發現，因爲它似乎證實瞭如今有水（儘管是鹹的）在火星表面流淌。”
Nasa scientists announced their “major science finding” at a news conference in Washington and in a scientific paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
NASA科學家在華盛頓的一場新聞發佈會以及發表在《自然地球科學》(Nature Geoscience)期刊上的科學論文中宣佈了他們的“重大科學發現”。
