LYRICS
New research suggests Saturn's moon Titan has a thick ice cover that could be warming lower areas and supporting molecular growth.
新的研究表明，土星的卫星土卫六有一层厚厚的冰盖，这可能会使较低的地区变暖，并支持分子的生长。
Scientists at the University of Hawaii carried out the new study. It appears in The Planetary Science Journal.
夏威夷大学的科学家进行了这项新研究。它发表在《行星科学杂志》上。
The findings add to existing evidence that Titan may hold the right mix of materials to support possible life.
这些发现增加了现有证据，表明土卫六或许拥有支持可能生命的合适的物质组合。
No life forms have been confirmed on Titan, a cold, icy world.
土卫六是一个冰冷的世界，目前还未证实那里有生命形式存在。
But past studies suggest the moon now has a large layer of ice that once supported widely flowing water on the surface.
但过去的研究表明，这颗卫星上有一层巨大的冰层，曾经支撑着表面广泛流动的水。
Titan is also thought to contain a dense atmosphere rich in nitrogen and methane, both of which are found in Earth's own atmosphere.
人们还认为土卫六含有富含氮气和甲烷的稠密大气，这两种物质都存在于地球的大气层中。
NASA reports Saturn has a total of 146 moons orbiting it, more than any other planet.
美国国家航空航天局报告称，土星共有146颗卫星绕其运行，比其他任何行星都多。
Titan, an ice giant, is the largest of them.
冰川巨人土卫六是其中最大的一个。
For more than 10 years, NASA's Cassini spacecraft studied Saturn "and its complex system of rings and moons," the space agency said.
NASA表示，在10多年的时间里，NASA的卡西尼号航天器一直在研究土星“及其复杂的光环和卫星系统”。
The new study used NASA data to closely examine surface details of Titan.
这项新研究使用了NASA的数据，来仔细检查土卫六表面的细节。
The researchers used computer modeling to examine different elements of Titan's surface.
研究人员使用计算机建模来检查土卫六表面的不同元素。
One of the main discoveries was that many craters examined on Titan's surface were not as deep as some other moons.
其中一个主要发现是，在土卫六表面观察到的许多陨石坑没有其他一些卫星那么深。
The team reported that in some cases, craters were hundreds of meters shallower, or less deep, than scientists expected.
该团队报告说，在某些情况下，陨石坑比科学家预期的要浅数百米，或深度少数百米。
In addition, only 90 craters were identified on the whole moon.
此外，整个卫星上只发现了90个陨石坑。
"This was very surprising because, based on other moons, we expect to see many more impact craters on the surface," said University of Hawaii's Lauren Schurmeier, who led the study.
夏威夷大学的劳伦·舒尔迈尔领导了这项研究，他说：“这非常令人惊讶，因为根据其他卫星的情况，我们原本预计会在它表面看到更多的撞击坑。”
She said the research team had also expected to see much deeper craters.
她说，研究小组原本以为这些陨石坑会更深一些。
"We realized something unique to Titan must be making them become shallower and disappear relatively quickly," she said.
她说：“我们意识到，土卫六的独特之处一定是让这些陨石坑变得更浅，并相对较快地消失。”
Computer modeling carried out by the researchers showed how the surface might have changed to remove signs of major impact craters.
研究人员进行的计算机模拟显示，表面可能发生了变化，以消除大型撞击坑的痕迹。
The researchers said one of the most likely causes of such change was that the moon's icy surface is covered with a thick layer of solid water ice, with methane gas trapped inside.
研究人员说，这种变化最有可能的原因之一是卫星的冰面覆盖着一层厚厚的固体水冰，里面困有甲烷气体。
The team said the data examinations suggest Titan has a methane-filled icy crust that is from five to 10 kilometers thick.
该团队说，数据检查表明，土卫六有一个充满甲烷的冰壳，厚度从5到10公里不等。
The modeling operations run by the scientists produced images that looked similar to crater formations on Titan's surface.
科学家们进行的建模操作产生的图像看起来与土卫六表面的陨石坑形成相似。
Schurmeier said the methane crust, "warms Titan's interior" and can cause surprisingly fast changes to the surface structure.
舒尔迈尔说，甲烷壳“使土卫六内部变暖”，并能以惊人的速度改变土卫六的表面结构。
Schurmeier noted, for example, that crater shallowing on Titan is believed to be happening at a rate "that is close to that of fast-moving warm glaciers on Earth."
例如，舒尔迈尔指出，土卫六上的陨石坑变浅的速度被认为是“接近地球上快速移动的温暖冰川的速度”。
The surface of Titan is estimated to be about minus 179 degrees Celsius.
据估计，土卫六的表面约为零下179摄氏度。
Because of this extreme cold, liquids on the moon's surface take the form of ice, with methane gas locked inside, the researchers said.
研究人员说，这种极端寒冷让月球表面的液体以冰的形式存在，甲烷气体被锁在里面。
This gas could help warm surface levels beneath, possibly permitting molecules to rise toward the surface.
这种气体可以加热地表以下的结构，或许能让分子上升到地表。
Schurmeier said studying the thickness of Titan's icy crust is important because it might help explain how the moon's atmosphere began to develop.
舒尔迈尔说，研究土卫六冰壳的厚度很重要，因为它可能有助于解释这颗卫星的大气是如何开始发展的。
The measurements could also provide additional information on Titan's changing climate.
这些测量还可以提供关于土卫六气候变化的更多信息。
"Titan is a natural laboratory to study how the greenhouse gas methane warms and cycles through the atmosphere," she said.
“土卫六是一个天然的实验室，研究温室气体甲烷如何升温并在大气中循环，”她说。
The resulting information, she added, can provide important insights about such processes happening on Earth.
她补充说，由此产生的信息可以为地球上发生的这种过程提供重要的见解。
NASA's Cassini spacecraft ended it mission in 2017, when it crashed into Saturn's atmosphere.
美国国家航空航天局的卡西尼号航天器于2017年坠入土星大气层，结束了这项任务。
But the U.S. space agency has plans to send another explorer to Titan in 2028.
但美国航天局计划在2028年向土卫六发送另一个探险者。
That mission calls for a spacecraft called Dragonfly to travel to Titan to observe many different areas.
这项任务需要一艘名为“蜻蜓”的宇宙飞船前往土卫六观测许多不同的区域。
The planned explorer, called a rotorcraft, operates similar to a helicopter.
计划中的探险者被称为旋翼机，其操作方式类似于直升机。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。
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