NASA's orbiting spacecraft has discovered evidence of flowing water. It appears to be seasonal, flowing only in the summer. Scientists say this discovery is just the beginning.
美國太空總署繞軌道運行的太空船發現流動液態水的證據。那液態水似乎是季節性的，只會在夏季時流動。科學家們表示這項發現只是開始。
...that we send astrobiologists and planetary scientists to Mars to explore the question of Is there current life on Mars?
...我們將天體生物學家以及行星科學家送上火星去探索問題的答案，火星上目前有生命嗎？
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield certainly agrees.
加拿大太空人 Chris Hadfield 當然認同。
That is tantalizingly close to the building blocks of life. And anywhere on Earth there's water and heat, there's life—I mean, look under your sink...
那和構成生命的基本物質是那麼地相近。而地球上任何有水和熱度的地方，就有生命－－我是說，看看你的水槽底下...
Now, this may look like another picture of Mars, but it isn't; it's the Atacama Desert in Chile. And The National science correspondent Bob McDonald is here to tell us what that has to do with today's announcement. Bob.
現在，這可能看起來像另一張火星的照片，但這並不是；這是位在智利的亞他加馬沙漠。The National 科學特派員 Bob McDonald 在這裡告訴我們那張照片和今天的聲明有什麼關聯。Bob。
Well, Peter, it looks a lot like Mars; it is the driest place on Earth, and it has in its soil the same chemicals that they found on Mars, and there's life that exists in the Atacama. So the idea is that if life can survive in the extreme environment of the Atacama Desert, perhaps it can survive in the extreme environments of Mars. But that does not prove that there's life on Mars yet! We still have some more work to do.
這個嘛，Peter，這看起來很像火星；亞他加馬沙漠是地球上最乾的地方，它的土壤裡有同樣在火星上發現的化學物質，而亞他加馬沙漠中有生命存在。所以這概念是，如果生命能在亞加他馬沙漠的極端環境中生存，那或許生命也能在火星的極端環境中生存。不過那樣並未證明火星上有生命存在!我們還有很多事要做。
Well, why is it such a big deal then?
嗯，那這為什麼這麼重要？
Well, it's such a big deal because, as Chris said, you know, liquid water means life, but what they need to find out on Mars is whether this liquid water is liquid all the time. Where did it come from? Did it come from ice that just melts once in a while? Well, that's not liquid. Is there an aquifer underground that's liquid all the time? Is there an underground stream? Is there a hot spring? They don't know that. But if there is, then they're gonna have to find it, and then in the future, go back with either robots or people and start digging into Mars, and try to look for life on the inside because that's probably where it's gonna be—not on the outside where we've been looking so far.
這個嘛，這是一件不得了的事，因為就像 Chris 說的，你知道，液態水就代表生命，但他們需要在火星上查清楚的事是，這液態水是否一直都是液態的。水來自何處？它是來自偶爾融化的冰嗎？嗯，那就不是液態了。地底下有沒有一直都是液態的含水土層？是否有地下河川？是不是有溫泉？他們並不清楚。但如果有，那他們就得去找出來，接著在未來，帶著機器人或人類回去並開始挖掘火星，然後試著從裡面尋找生命，因為那搞不好就是生命存在的地方－－不是我們到目前為止一直在注意的火星外部。
Well, tell me more about that. How do we look for life on Mars?
嗯，跟我多說點。我們要怎麼在火星上尋找生命？
It's really difficult because all the robots we've been sending so far have been geologists and chemists, so they can tell us what the rocks are made of and what the atmosphere's made of; it's a little harder to find life. You either have to find actual microbes in the water—so you gotta go there with a microscope—or you gotta try to find signs of fossils or metabolic activity. So it's a little trickier but not impossible, and there are missions in the future that are gonna start to do that.
這真的很困難，因為到目前為止我們送上去的所有機器人都是地質學家和化學家，所以它們可以告訴我們石頭的成分和大氣的成分；要找尋生命就困難點了。你要不就是得在水中找出實際的微生物－－你得帶著顯微鏡上火星－－不然就是得試著找出化石或代謝活動的跡象。所以這稍微棘手了些，但並非不可能，而在未來會有開始進行尋找的任務。
- 「大事、重要的事」- A Big Deal
Well, why is it such a big deal then?
嗯，那這為什麼這麼重要？ - 「找出、查明」- Find Out
...liquid water means life, but what they need to find out on Mars is whether this liquid water is liquid all the time.
...液態水就代表生命，但他們需要在火星上查清楚的事是，這液態水是否一直都是液態的。 - 「一直」- All The Time
...liquid water means life, but what they need to find out on Mars is whether this liquid water is liquid all the time.
...液態水就代表生命，但他們需要在火星上查清楚的事是，這液態水是否一直都是液態的。 - 「偶爾、有時」- Once In A While
Did it come from ice that just melts once in a while?
它是來自偶爾融化的冰嗎？ - 「到目前為止」- So Far
...not on the outside where we've been looking so far.
...不是我們到目前為止一直在注意的火星外部。
