The American space agency NASA has cleared a spacecraft to launch next month to look for possible signs of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. 

美国宇航局已批准下个月发射一艘宇宙飞船，在木星的卫星欧罗巴上寻找可能的生命迹象。 

Agency officials announced plans for the Europa Clipper spacecraft at a press briefing last week. The launch window for the mission will open October 10. The spacecraft is to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be carried to space aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket built by SpaceX. 

该机构官员在上周的新闻发布会上宣布了欧罗巴快船飞船的计划。该任务的发射窗口将于 10 月 10 日开放。该航天器将从美国宇航局位于佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射。它将由 SpaceX 制造的猎鹰重型火箭运送到太空。 

The main goal of the mission is for the spacecraft to collect data on whether Jupiter’s icy moon could possibly support life. Scientists have identified Europa as a good candidate for holding the right conditions to support life. Several studies have suggested it likely contains a very large ocean beneath its icy surface. 

该任务的主要目标是让航天器收集有关木星冰冷的卫星是否可能支持生命的数据。科学家们认为木卫二是拥有支持生命的适当条件的良好候选者。几项研究表明，它的冰冷表面下可能有一个非常大的海洋。 

In an online description, NASA says liquid water is necessary for planets or moons to support the “complex chemistry” processes that can make life possible. A huge, salty ocean likely lies beneath Europa’s surface and could hold “more water than Earth’s oceans combined,” the space agency added. 

美国宇航局在网上的描述中表示，液态水对于行星或卫星来说是必要的，以支持使生命成为可能的“复杂化学”过程。该航天局补充说，木卫二表面下方可能存在一个巨大的咸水海洋，其容纳的水量“比地球海洋的总和还要多”。 

Scientists have also discovered evidence of chemical compounds and energy forces – including very strong gravity – that could provide the right conditions to support life. 

科学家还发现了化合物和能量力量（包括非常强的重力）的证据，可以为支持生命提供合适的条件。 

Europa is a little smaller than Earth’s moon but is still one of the largest moons in our solar system. It is one of many moons orbiting Jupiter. Astronomers announced in 2023 they had discovered 12 additional moons orbiting Jupiter. NASA says the planet now has a total of 95 confirmed moons. 

木卫二比地球的月球小一点，但仍然是太阳系中最大的卫星之一。它是绕木星运行的众多卫星之一。天文学家于 2023 年宣布，他们又发现了 12 颗绕木星运行的卫星。NASA 表示，目前地球上共有 95 颗已确认的卫星。 

It is estimated to take six years for the robotic, solar-powered spacecraft to reach Europa. The orbiter is the largest spacecraft built by NASA to investigate another planet. It reaches about 30 meters when fully open. The orbiter is expected to perform many flybys of Europa. Some may get as close as 25 kilometers away from the moon. 

据估计，这艘太阳能机器人航天器需要六年时间才能到达木卫二。轨道飞行器是美国宇航局为调查另一个行星而建造的最大的航天器。完全打开时可达约30米。轨道飞行器预计将多次飞越木卫二。有些可能距离月球近25公里。

After launching, NASA says Europa Clipper will fly past Mars, then back toward Earth, “using the gravity of each planet to increase its momentum.” 

美国宇航局表示，欧罗巴快艇发射后将飞越火星，然后返回地球，“利用每颗行星的引力来增加其动量”。