双语新闻：新的数据表明，木星的卫星木卫二的氧气含量比预期的要少

A new study suggests Jupiter's icy moon Europa produces much less oxygen than previously thought.

一项新的研究表明，木星冰冷的卫星木卫二产生的氧气比之前认为的要少得多。

The study was based on data collected by the American space agency NASA's Juno spacecraft. Juno is an orbiter that has been studying Jupiter since July 2016.

这项研究是基于美国宇航局朱诺号宇宙飞船收集的数据。朱诺号是自2016年7月以来一直在研究木星的轨道飞行器。

The study involved Juno's instruments measuring levels of oxygen and hydrogen molecules coming from Europa's atmosphere. The data showed the icy moon produces about 1,000 tons of oxygen every 24 hours. NASA said that amount would be enough "to keep a million humans breathing for a day.

这项研究涉及朱诺的仪器测量来自木卫二大气的氧和氢分子的水平。数据显示，这颗冰冷的卫星每24小时产生约1000吨氧气。美国宇航局表示，这一数量足以“维持100万人一天的呼吸”。

However, the space agency noted those oxygen level estimates were "substantially less" than those measured in earlier studies about the moon.

然而，美国宇航局指出，这些氧含量的估计“大大低于”早期关于月球的研究中测量到的水平。

Europa is a little smaller than Earth's moon. But it is still one of the largest in our solar system. NASA observations have suggested an ocean exists beneath a thick layer of ice on Europa's surface. Scientists estimate the moon's ocean may contain twice the amount of water as Earth's oceans.

木卫二比地球的卫星小一点。但它仍然是太阳系中最大的行星之一。美国宇航局的观测表明，木卫二表面厚厚的冰层下存在海洋。科学家估计，月球海洋的含水量可能是地球海洋的两倍。

The new study is based on data Juno collected in 2022 during a particularly close flyby of Europa. The flyby is believed to have brought the spacecraft within 350 kilometers of the moon.

这项新研究是基于朱诺号在2022年特别近距离飞越木卫二时收集的数据。据信，这次飞越将飞船带到了距离月球350公里的范围内。

The research was led by teams from Princeton University in New Jersey and Maryland's Southwest Research Institute. The scientists estimated Europa is producing around 12 kilograms of oxygen per second. Earlier predictions suggested the moon was releasing up to 1,000 kilograms per second.

这项研究是由新泽西州普林斯顿大学和马里兰州西南研究所的团队领导的。科学家们估计木卫二每秒产生大约12公斤的氧气。早些时候的预测显示，月球每秒释放的能量高达1000公斤。

Since Europa is believed to have a large ocean under its surface, researchers in the past identified it as a good candidate to hold the right conditions to support some form of life. That data came mainly from telescope observations of oxygen levels existing in the moon's icy surface.

由于木卫二被认为在其表面下有一个巨大的海洋，研究人员过去认为它是一个很好的候选者，拥有适宜的条件来支持某种形式的生命。这些数据主要来自望远镜对月球冰冷表面氧气含量的观测。

The new, lower oxygen estimates do not support the earlier observations. The team involved in the study said more research will be needed to confirm the latest findings.

新的、较低的氧估计不支持早期的观测结果。参与这项研究的团队表示，需要更多的研究来证实最新的发现。

Scott Bolton is a Juno investigator at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study. He said in a statement that the team's new findings have a direct effect on the possibility that Europa could be habitable. While the oxygen amounts measured were much lower, the latest study gives scientists "a narrow range that could support habitability," Bolton said.

斯科特·博尔顿是西南研究所的朱诺号研究员，也是这项研究的合著者。他在一份声明中说，研究小组的新发现对木卫二适宜居住的可能性有直接影响。博尔顿说，虽然测量到的氧气量要低得多，但最新研究为科学家提供了“一个可能支持宜居性的狭窄范围”。

Princeton University researcher Jamey Szalay was the study's lead writer. He said, "The findings unambiguously demonstrate oxygen is continuously produced at the surface, just a good bit lower than we expected."

普林斯顿大学研究员Jamey Szalay是该研究的主要作者。他说:“这些发现明确地表明，氧气在地表持续产生，只是比我们预期的要低一点。”

Szalay added that Juno's flyby of Europa marked the first time a spacecraft was able to directly measure the moon's atmosphere. "We couldn't wait to peek behind the curtain of its complex environment," he wrote to The Associated Press in an email.

Szalay补充说，朱诺号飞越木卫二标志着航天器第一次能够直接测量卫星的大气。“我们迫不及待地想一探其复杂环境背后的内幕，”他在给美联社的一封电子邮件中写道。

The researchers said the new measurements can help scientists gain a better understanding of Europa and its environment, and "open the door for newer, more precise models."

研究人员表示，新的测量结果可以帮助科学家更好地了解木卫二及其环境，并“为更新、更精确的模型打开大门”。

Robert Ebert is a researcher at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-writer of the study. He said that even with the new results, he believes further investigations should take place to search for signs of life on Europa. "Water is important for the existence of life... Europa is a good place to search for water within our solar system."

罗伯特·埃伯特是西南研究所的研究员，也是该研究的合著者。他说，即使有了新的结果，他认为应该进行进一步的调查，以寻找木卫二上的生命迹象。“水对生命的存在很重要……木卫二是在太阳系中寻找水的好地方。”

NASA hopes to launch its Europa Clipper mission in October. This orbiter is designed to carry out close examinations of Europa. It will look for signs it might hold the right conditions to support life.

美国宇航局希望在10月份发射“木卫二快船”任务。这个轨道飞行器被设计用来对木卫二进行近距离观测。它将寻找它可能拥有适宜生命生存条件的迹象。

NASA says the orbiter plans to fly in orbit around Jupiter and "perform repeated close flybys of the ice moon."

美国宇航局表示，该轨道飞行器计划在木星轨道上飞行，并“多次近距离飞越这颗冰卫星”。