New images of ancient waterways of Mars could unlock the secrets of planet's past
火星古代水道的新图像可能会解开火星过去的秘密
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft captured impressive images of the Holden Basin on Mars, part of an area key for the ongoing search for life on the Red Planet. The images and further investigation of the region could help reveal how water once flowed across the Martian surface.
欧洲航天局的火星快车号飞船在火星上捕捉到了霍顿盆地令人印象深刻的照片，这是正在进行的火星生命搜索的关键区域的一部分。这些图像和对该地区的进一步调查可能有助于揭示水曾经是如何流经火星表面的。
The close-up image of the Holden Basin, captured on April 24, 2022, by Mars Express' High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), shows geological features of the former water reservoir near the almost 95-mile-wide (150 kilometers) Holden Crater.
“火星快车”的高分辨率立体相机(HRSC)于2022年4月24日拍摄了霍尔顿盆地的特写图像，显示了近95英里宽(150公里)的霍尔顿陨石坑附近的前水库的地质特征。
The Holden Basin forms part of the series of channels and sinks that comprise the Uzboi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) outflow system on the southern hemisphere of Mars. This system has become an important target for Mars orbiters such as Mars Express because scientists think it could once have drained as much as 9% of the Red Planet's water.
霍尔顿盆地是构成火星南半球乌兹博伊-拉冬-莫拉瓦(ULM)流出系统的一系列水道和汇的一部分。该系统已成为火星轨道器(如“火星快车”)的重要目标，因为科学家们认为该系统曾经可以抽干这颗红色星球多达9%的水。
Related: 12 amazing photos from the Perseverance rover's 1st year on Mars
相关图片:毅力号探测器登陆火星第一年拍摄的12张照片
Before Mars lost its water approximately 4 billion years ago, possibly due to the Martian atmosphere being stripped by harsh solar radiation which allowed water vapor to 'leak' into space, liquid water would have flowed through channels that drain into the Argyre Planitia.
大约在40亿年前，火星失去了它的水，可能是由于强烈的太阳辐射剥离了火星的大气层，使水蒸气“泄漏”到太空中，液态水会通过管道流入阿盖尔平原。
From this 1,100-mile wide (1,770 km) plain that drops as deep as 3.2 miles (5.2 km), water would have flowed through the valley called the 'Uzboi Vallis' past the area now marked by the Holden Crater — which was created later in the planet's history.
从这片1100英里宽(1770公里)、深达3.2英里(5.2公里)的平原上，水流经乌兹博伊山谷，经过霍尔顿陨石坑(霍尔顿陨石坑是地球历史上较晚形成的陨石坑)的区域。
Water would then have collected in the Holden Basin before streaming through Ladon Valles — an ancient river valley system leading to the 274 miles (440 km) wide Ladon Basin.
然后，水会在霍尔顿盆地收集起来，然后流经拉东河谷——一个通向274英里(440公里)宽的拉东盆地的古老河谷系统。
The new image reveals a distinct crater south of the basin, and basin walls that gently slope to a depth of around 5,000 feet (around 1,500 meters) below the surrounding Martian surface.
这张新照片显示了盆地南部有一个明显的陨石坑，盆地壁在周围火星表面以下约5000英尺(约1500米)的深度缓慢倾斜。
The northeastern side of the Holden Basin, meanwhile, shows where water would have flowed from this reservoir to the Ladon Valles. Scarring and rough terrain is visible in the image, likely created by the melting of water ice beneath the Martian surface.
与此同时，霍尔登盆地的东北侧显示了水可能从这个水库流向拉东山谷的位置。图像中可见疤痕和粗糙的地形，可能是由火星表面下的水冰融化造成的。
The European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement (opens in new tab) that experience with our own planet shows that water and life go hand in hand. Scientists are keen to learn if the same could be true for Mars billions of years ago.
欧洲航天局(ESA)在一份声明中说(打开新标签)，我们自己的星球的经验表明，水和生命是携手并进的。科学家们很想知道数十亿年前的火星是否也存在同样的情况。
The soils in Ladon Valles and Holden Basin contain phyllosilicate, a type of mineral which includes clays created by the interaction of rock and water that have been linked to the origins of life on Earth. Phyllosilicates in these regions are present in layered deposits that could have acted as a reaction center for organic molecules , the building blocks of terrestrial life. It is for this reason that scientists are so interested in the area.
拉东山谷和霍尔登盆地的土壤含有页硅酸盐，这是一种矿物，包括由岩石和水相互作用产生的粘土，与地球上的生命起源有关。这些地区的层状硅酸盐可以作为有机分子的反应中心，而有机分子是陆地生命的基石。正是因为这个原因，科学家们才对这一领域如此感兴趣。
Holden Crater likely formed following an ancient asteroid strike when material ejected by the impact fell back to the planet's surface and filled the older Holden Basin, which had formed by an earlier impact in the planet's history.
霍尔顿陨石坑可能是在一次古老的小行星撞击后形成的，当时撞击产生的物质落回地球表面，填补了更古老的霍尔顿盆地，这是地球历史上早期撞击形成的。
Because the Holden Crater shows no evidence of water flowing through it in the past, scientists believe that it must have formed after the ULM system had dried out.
由于霍尔顿陨石坑没有显示出过去有水流过的证据，科学家们认为它一定是在终极光运系统干涸之后形成的。
Because of its geological significance and potential to harbor evidence of ancient life, the Holden Crater was shortlisted as a landing site for both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, but lost out to Gale Crater and Jezero Crater respectively.
由于霍尔顿陨石坑具有重要的地质意义，并有可能提供古代生命的证据，因此它被列为“好奇”号和“毅力”号探测器的着陆点，但分别输给了盖尔陨石坑和杰塞洛陨石坑。
Mars Express, which has been imaging the Martian surface and atmosphere from the planet's orbit since 2003, is now ensuring the area is well-investigated.
“火星快车”自2003年以来一直在火星轨道上拍摄火星表面和大气层的图像，现在正在确保对该地区进行充分的调查。
Earlier images of the Holden Basin revealed ridges and grooves carved by Martian winds, impact craters and ancient rivers, as well as fossilized lava pools and volcanoes.
霍顿盆地早期的图像显示了火星风雕刻的山脊和沟槽，撞击坑和古老的河流，以及熔岩池和火山的化石。
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