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You know the story of the Princess and the Pea. What about the space probe and the pebble?
也许你知道豌豆公主的故事，但你知道航天探测器和鹅卵石的故事吗？
In 2005 the European Huygens probe landed on Saturn's moon Titan and provided an unprecedented look at the surface. But what happened in the first seconds after touchdown wasn't clear.
2005年，欧洲的惠更斯号探测器在土星的卫星泰坦上登陆，让人们看到前所未见的土星表面的景象。但着陆后几秒内发生了什么却不清楚。
Now a re-analysis of Huygens sensor data has reconstructed the bouncing, skidding moments before the probe came to rest on Titan—apparently on top of a small rock. The report is in the journal Planetary and Space Science.
现在，科学家们再次分析了惠更斯传感器的数据，重组了探测器停下之前的跳跃，滑移等动作。很显然，探测器停在泰坦表面一小块岩石的顶端。这项报告刊登在《行星和空间科学》杂志上。
The parachuting probe hit the surface of Titan at about 10 miles per hour. According to the new study, the impact created a hole in the ground a few inches deep. But Huygens bounced out and slid across the surface before coming to rest with a wobble. The sliding motion implies that Titan's surface was a bit like damp sand. And the speed of the probe's wobble suggests that Huygens bumped against a rock less than an inch across.
这个降落伞式探测器以每小时10英里的速度击中泰坦表面。根据这项新研究，冲击力在泰坦表面形成了一个几英尺深的大洞。但是惠更斯号反弹了出来，滑到地面，摇摆一会之后便停了下来。这套滑移动作表明泰坦表面有点像湿砂。以探测器摇摆的速度可以看出惠更斯号碰到的岩石不到一英尺长。
Again, that's a reconstruction based on sensor data, but the researchers contend it's a likely scenario. Regardless, it makes a nice story. Like the Princess and the Pea.
虽然那次重组以传感器数据为基础，然而研究人员却坚信那只是其中一种可能出现的情景。不管怎样，这是一个不错的故事，就像豌豆公主一样。
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