Dust scooped up from an asteroid by a
美国宇航局的一艘航天器从距离地球 22 亿英里的小行星上收集到了尘埃
NASA spacecraft 2200 million miles from
Earth. It's been found to contain
。 人们发现它含有
material that's older than our sun. The
比我们的太阳还要古老的物质。
first major study of the chemistry of
the asteroid Bennu, there it is,
这是对小行星贝努的化学成分进行的首次重大研究，
identified pre-olar grains, stardust
发现了前太阳系颗粒，即数十亿年前在
that condensed around dying stars
垂死恒星周围凝结的星尘
billions of years ago. Our science
。 我们的科学
correspondent Thomas Moore can explain
记者托马斯·摩尔可以做出
more.
更多解释。
>> Is extraordinary. This is an amazing
很不平凡。 这是了解我们早期太阳系的一个令人惊叹的
window into our early solar system. Now,
窗口。 现在，
Bennu is a space rock uh that was
贝努是一块太空岩石，
intercepted by this spacecraft Osiris
Rex 5 years ago. It it briefly touched
五年前被奥西里斯雷克斯号宇宙飞船拦截。 它短暂地接触了这颗直径
the surface of the 260 m asteroid,
260 米的小行星的表面，
scooped up 120 grams and brought that
捞起了 120 克并
back to Earth. And some of that ended up
带回地球。 其中一些最终被收藏
at the Natural History Museum in London.
在伦敦自然历史博物馆。
Uh scientists there been collaborating
呃，那里的科学家们
as part of an international team to do
作为国际团队的一部分进行合作，
this big chem chemical analysis of
对
what's actually on the asteroid. And
小行星上的实际成分进行大规模化学分析。
they have found these pre- solar grains.
他们发现了这些太阳前颗粒。
Now these are uh material bits of
现在，这些是物质的碎片，它们在
material which condensed um around uh
周围凝聚，
which contains material which is from
包含来自
the dying stars and actually predates uh
垂死恒星的物质，实际上早于
the sun. Um and they also found a
太阳。 嗯，他们还发现了
smorgus boot of organic material from
来自
the outer solar system and also the
外太阳系和
interstellar medium. Now this is the gas
星际介质的大量有机物质。 这些
and dust that's actually between the
实际上是恒星之间的气体和尘埃，
stars as well as high temperature
以及
material thought to have formed close to
被认为是在太阳附近形成
the sun and then moved outwards. Now
然后向外移动的高温物质。 现在
they think that Bennu has its origins in
他们认为贝努起源于
the outer solar system perhaps beyond
外太阳系，可能超出
the orbit of uh of Saturn and it just
土星轨道，并且它
been moving around the solar system for
在
the last 4.5 billion years. So it is an
过去 45 亿年里一直在太阳系内运行。 所以它是一个
extraordinary extraordinary time capsule
非凡的时间胶囊，可以展示
of what the early so solar system was
早期太阳系的
like. This is important because it is a
面貌。 这很重要，因为它是一个
time capsule. It's uncontaminated. For
时间胶囊。 它是未受污染的。
example, like meteorites that crash
例如，撞击
through our atmosphere. Uh they undergo
我们大气层的陨石。 呃，它们会发生
chemical and physical changes. But by
化学和物理变化。 但通过
going out into the void of space, you
进入太空，你
can sample the asteroid as it is. And
可以对小行星进行原样采样。
that not only helps us understand what
这不仅帮助我们了解
the solar system was and those very
太阳系是什么以及那些
early periods, but also why life is
早期时期，而且还帮助我们了解为什么生命适合
habitable, what the earth is habitable.
居住，地球适合居住。
Uh now that these asteroids are thought
嗯，现在人们认为这些小行星
to have bombarded the planet early in
在行星生命早期就轰击了它
its life, bringing the building blocks,
，带来了构成它的物质，
bringing water, creating the conditions
带来了水，创造了
that allow allowed life to evolve here.
允许生命在这里进化的条件。