Juno Mission: Jupiter’s Unknown

英倫聚焦

美國國家航空暨太空總署的「朱 諾號」木星探測器於2011年8 月5日利用擎天神五號運載火箭 （Atlas V）發射升空。

Juno Mission: Jupiter’s Unknown 朱諾號任務：探索木星之謎 撰文及考題設計／British Council 英協教育中心 Melissa Henry 中譯／陳怡君 （中央社編譯）

E

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星底下的暴風雲、巨大磁場以及含氧量。科學家

ven in the 21st century, there are still mysteries

也想知道，地球兩倍寬、持續數百年之久的眼狀

on Earth and in our solar system. Jupiter is one

風暴「大紅斑」為何正持續縮小，以及木星是否有

of them. Scientists are eager to know more about what is beneath the storm clouds and enormous

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圖／歐新社

固態核心。

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magnetic field of Jupiter, as well as how much

Thus, scientists have sent Juno, a solar-powered

oxygen there is within its water. They additionally

spacecraft, to fly 2,600 miles above Jupiter’s clouds

question why the ‘Great Red Spot’, or eye-shaped

to find out. The spacecraft is named Juno, after

storm that has been going for hundreds of years and

the wife of Roman god Jupiter, and it is the closest

is twice as wide as Earth, is shrinking and if Jupiter

any spacecraft has ever come to this gigantic gas

even has a solid core.

giant and the first of its kind to travel to such a long

即便在 21世 紀，地球與太 陽系仍存 在一些謎

distance from Earth. It carries nine instruments that

團，木星就是其中之一。科學家渴望更深入了解木

will enable it to look further into Jupiter, which have

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been protected by a titanium box due to the intensity

─萊斯特大學的柯利教授與邦斯教授發表理論指

of radiation and turbulence that Jupiter has.

出，由於木星高速旋轉，加上木衛一噴發出的火山

因此，科學家派出太陽能太空船「朱諾號」，飛

物質，造就木星極光的誕生。兩位學者投入木星研

掠木星雲層上空2,600英里來尋求解答。「朱諾」

究長達15年，美國國家航空暨太空總署邀請兩人

以羅馬天神朱庇特之妻為名，是史上最靠近這個

參與朱諾號任務來驗證其理論是否正確。

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巨大氣體行星的太空船，也是利用太陽能從地球 航行最遠的太空探測器。朱諾號上頭搭載九台設

On July 5, 2016 after almost five years and 2.8

備以便深入探測木星，由於木星的強烈輻射與氣

billion kilometers of travel, Juno successfully

流，因此朱諾號裝上特製的鈦金屬保護罩。

completed the most difficult part of its trip called the

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‘Jupiter Orbital Insertion’, when it had 1.2 seconds

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system

to be captured into a relatively miniscule space of

and is so big that you can see if from Earth without

Jupiter’s gravitational pull and therefore be able

a telescope. It is made from hydrogen and helium,

to orbit the planet. After completing two elliptical

which resembles more the sun than a planet, and

orbits over 53 days, Juno will start its engine

its stripes are made from east-west winds that can

again to move into 14-day orbits. This is when the

reach up to 618 km per hour. It is known for its

instruments will begin to collect data to answer

polar aurora displays that two scientists from the

questions and theories about Jupiter. 37 orbits later,

UK, Professors Stan Cowly and Emma Bunce from

in February 2018, the $1.1 billion USD project will

the University of Leicester, have theorised are a

plunge into Jupiter’s atmosphere and disintegrate to

result from the planet’s rapid rotation combined

avoid hitting Europa, one of its largest moons, on

with volcanic material exploding from its moon

which scientists believe could support life.

Io. With fifteen years’ worth of work invested in understanding

朱諾號歷經近五年與28億公里的航行後，於2016年 7月5日成功進入木星軌道運行。

Jupiter, these two scientists were invited to work with NASA on the Juno mission to prove or disprove their theory. 木星為太陽系最大的行星， 大到在地球不用天文望遠鏡就 可肉眼觀察，主要由氫氣與氦 氣構成，以組成來說，木星更類 似 於太陽而非行星。木星表面 的條紋是由東西向的風形成， 風速每小時高達618公里。木星 的極光現象由英國兩位科學家

CNA NEWSWORLD

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英倫聚焦

NASA提供的木星眼狀風暴「大紅班」 （右）與木衛一「埃歐」（左）照片。

2016年7月5日，朱諾號歷經近五年與28億公里的

defibrillators, and weather satellites to name just a

航行後，完成最艱鉅的任務─在1.2秒內瞄準木星

few. Technology transfer is a requirement of NASA,

引力間的極小空間潛入，成功進入木星軌道運行。

and has been responsible for over 1,500 technology

朱諾號完成為期53天的兩圈橢圓形軌道繞行後，

and science advances, which arguably a majority

將再度點燃引擎，進入週期14天的軌道繞行，這些

of people have knowingly or unknowingly profited

探測設備也將在此時蒐集資訊來解答關於木星的

from. If you would like to follow Juno, go to

疑問和理論。到了2018年2月，這項耗資11億美元的

JunoCam at www.missionjuno.swri.edu.

朱諾號計畫將在環繞木星37圈後，脫離軌道墜入

過去的太空探險已為大眾帶來若干好處，包括

木星大氣層銷毀，避免撞擊到科學家認為可能有

像是偵測乳癌、心臟去顫器以及氣象衛星等先進

生命存在的木星最大衛星之一歐羅巴。

科技。美國國家航空暨太空總署依規定必須技術

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轉移，影響絕大多數人類已知或不知不覺從中受

Past space exploration has brought a number

益的逾1,500種技術與科學進展。如果你想追蹤朱

of benef its to the public, including advanced

諾號的動態，就上www.missionjuno.swri.edu.網站

t e c h n ol o g y t o d e t e c t b r e a s t c a n c e r, h e a r t

觀看「朱諾攝影機」。

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本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語 教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw

Key Words magnetic field 磁場 – an area of space that has charged (positive or negative) particles in it Ro m a n g o d 古羅馬人信奉的天神 – a deity worshipped by the ancient Romans radiation 輻射 – energy as electromagnetic waves, such as in a x-ray polar aurora displays 極光 – lights in the sky over the North and South poles theorise 理論 – form a system of ideas that explain something

雅思考試粉絲團： www.facebook.com/ielts.testcentre

miniscule 極小的 – extremely small gravitational pull 引力 – the invisible force that causes massive objects to pull other objects towards them elliptical 橢圓形的 – similar to an oval shape disintegrate 瓦解 – break into small parts because of impact or decay defribrillator 去顫器 – a device used to control heart beats by using an electric current to shock the heart

雅思考試模擬試題 IELTS questions

Do the following statements agree with the information given? Choose: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Scientists plan for Juno to complete 39 orbits before ending its mission.

2. Scientists chose the name Juno because in ancient Roman mythology, Jupiter would hide behind clouds but his wife, Juno, could see through them.

3. Juno will orbit over Jupiter’s poles in order to avoid its high radiation belt and ring of comets.

4. The Juno mission will allow scientists to know whether or not there is life on Europa.

5. Two scientists from the UK are hoping to prove or disprove their theory about Jupiter’s auroras with the Juno mission.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

6. Entering Jupiter’s orbit was incredibly difficult due to the small window of _____ it had to be pulled into an incredibly small space by its gravitational pull.

7. While some question the spending of billions on space exploration, the public _____ from technical and scientific advances since the start of NASA. 8. Juno’s nine instruments are sheltered from radiation and turbulence by a _____.

9. The _____ that has been raging for hundreds of years is decreasing in size and is one of the mysteries that scientists hope to get closer to solving.

10. Because of its components, Jupiter is more similar to a _____ and thus led scientists to raise questions as to whether it has a gas or solid core.

7. has benefited Answers:1.T CNA NEWSWORLD

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8. titanium box 2. NG

3. NG

4. F

9. eye-shaped storm 5. T

6. time

10. star