64亿公里的等待 人类探测器首次登陆彗星

A European robot probe has made the first, historic landing on a comet, but its status is uncertain after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface.

欧洲一架机器人探测器在人来历史上首次成功在彗星上着陆，但是由于着陆器上的鱼叉头系统出现故障，所以其目前的状态并未确定。

The "first" landing on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was confirmed at about 1605 GMT.

“菲莱”着陆的彗星为67P/丘留莫夫-格拉西缅科彗星，着陆的时间为格林威治时间16点05分。

There were cheers and hugs at the European Space Agency (Esa) mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, after the signal came through.

“菲莱”成功着陆后，位于德国达姆施塔特市的欧洲航天局控制中心充满了欢呼声，工作人员们高兴得相互拥抱。

Director general Jean-Jacques Dordain described it as "a great great day, not only for Esa, but... I think for the world". He described the landing as "a big step for human civilisation".

欧洲航天局的局长让•雅克•多尔丹称这一天是“非常伟大的一天，不只是对欧洲航天局来说，更是整个世界的一个大日子”。他称这次着陆是“人类文明史上的一大步”。

Further analysis is needed to fully understand the status of the probe, known as Philae.

有关“菲莱”着陆器目前的情况还需要进一步的全面分析。

However, Lander project manager Stephan Ulamec told the BBC that at last radio contact with the probe, he believed it to be in a stable configuration.

但是“菲莱”着陆器主管史蒂芬·乌拉美克表示，通过最近一次与“菲莱”的无线电联络，他相信“菲莱”目前状况稳定。

"This is the indication right now," he explained. "We really have to wait until tomorrow morning and then we will know a lot more."

“这是目前的情况”，他解释道，“我们必须等到明天早上才能获取更多的信息。”

Early data started to come back from instruments, and one team could see that the lander had sunk about 4cm (1.5 inches) into the surface, suggesting a relatively soft top layer.

“菲莱”已经传回了之前的数据，工作人员能够发现着陆器在表面下沉了4厘米，这说明彗星地面的表层相对较柔软。

But shortly after, engineers could see that the harpoons, designed to fasten the spacecraft to the 4km-wide (2.5 miles) ball of ice and dust, had not fired as planned.

但随后，工程师们发现之前设计的用来在彗星表面固定着陆器的鱼叉头系统并未按计划射出。

In a later media briefing, Dr Ulamec said: "What we know is we touched down, we landed at the comet at the time when you all saw us cheering and when it was announced.

在之后的媒体通气会上，乌拉美克博士说：“我们所知的是“菲莱”已经着陆了，着陆后我们就向大家进行了宣布，大家也看到了我们的欢呼。”

"We had a very clear signal there; we received data from the landing - housekeeping and science data. That's the good news."

“现在我们这里有非常清晰的信号，能收到来自登陆管家的数据信息，这是个好消息。”

But then Dr Ulamec delivered the "bad news". He said telemetry from the craft suggested it might have drifted off the surface after landing and started to turn. This subsequently came to an end, which the German Space Agency official interpreted as a possible "second landing" on Comet 67P.

但乌拉美克博士同时也传达了一个“坏消息”。他说通过遥感勘测技术可得知，“菲莱”在着陆后在表面漂浮并开始转动。但紧接着这种状况就结束了，德国航天局的工作人员将这称为在67P上的“二次着陆”。

In fact, even later data would indicate that the Philae robot may have bounced twice, taking a full two hours to come to a rest.

事实上，之后的数据将会显示“菲莱”可能弹跳了两次，并用了两个小时才稳定下来。

This bouncing was always a possibility, but had been made more likely by the failure of the harpoons to deploy, and the failure of a thruster intended to push the robot into the surface.

这种弹跳或许只是一种可能，但也意味用来将“菲莱”在表面固定的鱼叉头和推进器可能都出现了故障。

Pictures from the surface have been retrieved at Earth and are being processed in preparation for release.

彗星表面的图片已经传至地球，现正在处理中，之后会发布出来。

Scientists were initially elated following the confirmation of a landing.

在得知“菲莱”着陆后，很多科学家都非常兴奋。

But the news about the unanchored state of Philae has cast a shadow over the celebrations.

但是目前“菲莱”无法固定的消息也给大家心里蒙上一层阴影。

The mission team must decide if the harpoons can now be commanded to fire without unsteadying the robot still further.

工作人员必须决定在“菲莱”不稳定的状态下是否能够下令发射鱼叉头。

What is clear is that Philae touched down very close to the targeted zone on the head of the rubber-duck-shaped comet.

但可以确定的是“菲莱”着陆的位置离预订区域非常近，位于这颗鸭子形状的彗星的头部。

If Philae remains stable and can be properly secured, it will engage in several months of science experiments on 67P.

如果“菲莱”保持稳定状态并能够确保安全，它将负责完成在67P上长达几个月的科学实验。

It will take pictures of the cometscape and analyse the surface chemical composition.

它将拍摄彗星地形的图片，并分析彗星地表物质的成分。

Scientists are hoping 67P's surface materials will hold fresh insights into the origins of our Solar System more than 4.5 billion years ago.

科学家们希望67P的地表物质能够为人类探索有450亿年历史的太阳系的起源提供新思路。