美国国家航空和宇宙航行局让火星鼹鼠号工作的最新方法是推它一把

美国国家航空和宇宙航行局让火星鼹鼠号工作的最新方法是推它一把

Currently, on Mars there is a very sophisticated instrument that doesn’t seem to work, so NASA has resolved taking some desperate measures to get it going again.

目前，在火星上有一个非常复杂的仪器似乎不能工作，所以美国宇航局决定采取一些绝对的措施让它再次运行。

Alfredo Carpineti

The instrument in question is the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package, or HP3, but better known as "the mole". Its job is to dig down into the Martian soil and begin to measure the internal temperature of the Red Planet. Unfortunately, since February 28, 2019, it's not been doing much digging.

问题中的仪器是热流和物理性能包，或HP3，但更广为人知的名称是“摩尔”。它的任务是深入火星土壤，开始测量这颗红色星球的内部温度。不幸的是，自2019年2月28日以来，它没有做太多的挖掘工作。

The heat probe is self-hammering, so it drills through the soil by jumping up and down. To work it needs friction, which is best given by loose, sand-like soil. However, the soil where the NASA mission landed is different from the soil in previously studied locations, and it's not providing the friction it needs.

热探头是自锤式的，所以它通过上下跳动钻透土壤。它需要摩擦力才能工作，而最好的摩擦力来自松软的砂土。然而，美国宇航局任务着陆的土壤与之前研究过的地方不同，不能提供所需的摩擦力。

The mole is attached to the lander InSight, and over the past year engineers from both sides of the Atlantic have been looking at solutions to get the mole back in its hole. After some issues in October last year, the solution that had the most success was the “pinning” approach. The team used InSight’s robotic arm to push against the side of the heat probe, providing enough friction to hammer through the top layer of soil. It did get digging again, but unfortunately, the mole popped back out on two occasions likely due to a soil buildup during the self-hammering process. Hence the need now for drastic measures.

“鼹鼠号”与“洞察号”着陆器相连，在过去的一年里，大西洋两岸的工程师们一直在寻找让“鼹鼠号”回到洞里的办法。在去年10月的一些问题之后，最成功的解决方案是“固定”方法。该团队使用InSight的机械臂推动热探头的侧面，提供足够的摩擦力来穿透表层土壤。它确实又挖了起来，但不幸的是，这只鼹鼠有两次从洞里钻了出来，很可能是在自我锤击的过程中，由于土壤堆积的缘故。因此，现在需要采取严厉措施。

NASA InSight recently moved its robotic arm closer to the "mole," in preparation to push on its top, or back cap.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The robotic arm will now be placed on top of the mole so it can push the probe down deeper and deeper into the ground; hopefully, deep enough for it to get a grip (literally and figuratively) and continue by itself. Despite its simplicity, this is a risky move. The back of HP3 is where the delicate science tether that links the mole to the lander is found.

机械臂现在将被放置在鼹鼠的上面，这样它就可以把探测器往地下推得越来越深;希望足够深，让它抓住(字面上和比喻上)并继续自己。尽管操作简单，但这是一个冒险的举动。HP3的背面是连接“鼹鼠号”和“着陆器”的精密科学缆绳。

Over the next few weeks, the team will test this approach. They will gently place the robotic arm scoop on the mole's back cap and allow the mole to do a short hammering session. They will also use the scoop to cover the hole around the mole with more soil, hopefully producing more friction for it.

在接下来的几周里，团队将测试这种方法。他们将轻轻地把机械臂勺放在鼹鼠的后盖上，让鼹鼠进行短暂的锤击。他们还会用铲子在鼹鼠周围的洞上盖上更多的土，希望能产生更多的摩擦。

Hopefully, HP3 will be soon known as the little mole that could and (finally) start to uncover the mysteries of Mars' interior.

希望HP3能很快被称为“小鼹鼠”，能够(最终)揭开火星内部的神秘面纱。