2019年1月3日10時26分，”嫦娥四號”探測器成功著陸在月球背面東經(jīng)177.6度、南緯45.5度附近的預(yù)選著陸區(qū)，并通過“鵲橋”中繼衛(wèi)星傳回了世界第一張近距離拍攝的月背影像圖。

這是人類探測器首次實(shí)現(xiàn)月背軟著陸，國外主流媒體紛紛報道了中國的這項(xiàng)壯舉，稱其是人類探月工程的一個里程碑，創(chuàng)造了歷史。

美國CNBC網(wǎng)站當(dāng)?shù)貢r間2日報道稱：

月球背面是人類長久以來未知的區(qū)域?！版隙鹚奶枴背晒Φ顷懺虑虮趁?，創(chuàng)造了歷史。

Landing on the far side is a technical challenge, as there is no direct way to communicate with the spacecraft as it nears its target. China put a relay satellite in orbit around the moon in May to overcome that communication challenge.

探測器在月球背面著陸是一個技術(shù)上的挑戰(zhàn)，因?yàn)樵谔綔y器接近月背的時候，沒有直接與其傳遞信號的方式。為了克服通信上的難題，中國在去年5月發(fā)射了一顆中繼衛(wèi)星繞月飛行（名為“鵲橋”）。

relay satellite：中繼衛(wèi)星

美國《紐約時報》網(wǎng)站當(dāng)?shù)貢r間2日報道稱：

“嫦娥四號”成功著陸月球背面，開啟了人類探月歷史的新篇章，充分證明中國在深空探測領(lǐng)域已達(dá)到世界領(lǐng)先水平。

In a spaceflight first, China’s Chang’e-4 has landed where no spacecraft has touched down in one piece before: the far side of the moon.

中國的“嫦娥四號”在月球背面著陸，此前從沒有航天器曾在此著陸過。

If successful, the mission could answer fundamental questions about Earth’s only natural satellite. There are still mysteries, for example, about the moon’s formation and early evolution, which, in turn, hold clues to the history of the entire solar system.

如果任務(wù)成功，就可以回答有關(guān)月球作為地球唯一一顆天然衛(wèi)星的基本問題。例如，關(guān)于月球的形成和早期演化目前仍然存在一些謎團(tuán)，而這些謎團(tuán)反過來又為整個太陽系的歷史提供了線索。

Additionally, the mission will conduct the first radio astronomy experiments from the moon’s far side and the first investigations to see whether plants can grow on the moon — a crucial step toward long-term human missions beyond Earth.

此外，此次任務(wù)還將在月球背面進(jìn)行首次射電天文學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)，并就植物能否在月球上生長首次進(jìn)行研究——這是人類在地球之外開展長期任務(wù)的關(guān)鍵一步。

報道還稱，這僅僅是中國未來一系列航天任務(wù)中的一個。

China now plans to begin fully operating the third space station of the world by 2022, to put astronauts in a lunar base by later in that decade, and to send probes to Mars, including ones that could return samples of the Martian surface back to Earth.

中國計劃在2022年前全面建成空間站，成為世界上第三個擁有空間站的國家，并在同年代稍晚時候派宇航員進(jìn)駐月球基地。中國還將向火星發(fā)射探測器，并將火星表面樣本帶回地球。

【小知識：月球“背面”并非“黑暗面”】

Astronomers refer to the side we always see from Earth as the “near side” and the side we can never see as the “far side.”

天文學(xué)家把人們總是從地球上看到的月球一面稱為“近側(cè)”，而把人們永遠(yuǎn)無法看到的一面稱為“遠(yuǎn)側(cè)”。

While the far side can never be seen from Earth, it is still illuminated by the sun. There is no permanently “dark side” of the moon, although it has been described this way in popular culture to refer to the moon’s unknown side.

雖然從地球上永遠(yuǎn)看不到遠(yuǎn)處的一面，但太陽仍然可以照到那里。月球不存在永久的“黑暗面”，盡管在通俗文化中通常會用“黑暗面（dark side）”描述月球未知的一面。

美國太空新聞網(wǎng)站報道稱：

“嫦娥四號”成功著陸月球背面，標(biāo)志著中國在月球探索的道路上又邁出了一大步。

This is “absolutely a significant step,” James Head, a planetary scientist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, told SpaceNews.

布朗大學(xué)行星科學(xué)家詹姆斯·海德說“這是絕對重要的一步。”布朗大學(xué)位于美國羅德島普羅維登斯。

Chang’e-4 is akin to Columbus’ voyages to the New World,” according to Head.

他說：“‘嫦娥四號’著陸月球背面的意義不亞于哥倫布發(fā)現(xiàn)新大陸”。

This groundbreaking exploration will inform and shape our understanding of not only the Moon but the entire solar system as well.

這一開創(chuàng)性的探索將不僅打開人類了解月球的大門，而且將重塑人類對整個太陽系的認(rèn)知。

“The Moon is a cornerstone for understanding the other terrestrial planets and understanding the generally unexplored lunar farside can only help in our understanding of the history and evolution of Mercury, Venus, Mars and our home planet, Earth,” Head said.

他說：“因?yàn)樵虑蚴抢斫馄渌惖匦行堑幕坏┤祟惲私饬藦奈幢惶剿鬟^的月球背面，將能夠進(jìn)一步掌握水星、金星、火星和地球的歷史和進(jìn)化?！?/p>

terrestrial[t?'restr??l]：adj.地球的；陸地的

美國《天文學(xué)》雜志網(wǎng)站指出：

A first in the history of space exploration, this landing will also represent a significant accomplishment for the Chinese space program and should give researchers around the world a treasure trove of new data about an unexplored region of the Moon.

“嫦娥四號”登陸月球背面，既是人類空間探測史上的首次，也是中國探月工程的一項(xiàng)重大成就，將為世界各國的研究人員提供一個有關(guān)月球上未知區(qū)域的新的數(shù)據(jù)寶庫。

While this mission is historically significant, it will also collect unique data that could inform our understanding of the early solar system, and perhaps even the early universe.

“嫦娥四號”登陸月球背面不僅具有重要的歷史意義，還將獲得月球背面的一手?jǐn)?shù)據(jù)，這些數(shù)據(jù)將有助于人類了解早期的太陽系甚至早期的宇宙。

英國《每日電訊報》網(wǎng)站報道稱：

Previous spacecraft have photographed the far side of the moon, but none has ever landed on it.

以前人類發(fā)射的航天器曾拍到過月球的遠(yuǎn)端，但還沒有一艘航天器或探測器在月球背面著陸過。

Andrew Coates, professor of physics at UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey, added that the information gleaned from the mission "will be hugely valuable in understanding the formation of the Moon".

英國薩里郡馬拉德空間科學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室物理學(xué)教授安德魯?科特斯補(bǔ)充說，“嫦娥四號”未來從月球背面帶回的信息“價值重大，將有助于人類更深入地了解月球的形成”。

英國廣播公司報道稱：

It is carrying instruments to analyse the unexplored region's geology, as well to conduct biological experiments.

“嫦娥四號”攜帶儀器分析月球背面未被探索過的地質(zhì)構(gòu)造，還將開展生物學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)。

The landing is being seen as a major milestone in space exploration.

“嫦娥四號”著陸月背是空間探索中的里程碑事件。

Previous Moon missions have landed on the Earth-facing side, but this is the first time any craft has landed successfully on the unexplored and rugged far side.

之前的月球探測器都是在月球正面著陸，月球背面從未被探查，且表面崎嶇不平，“嫦娥四號”是首個在月球背面著陸的探測器。

The lander also carried a container with six live species from Earth - cotton, rapeseed, potato, fruit fly, yeast and arabidopsis (a flowering plant) - to try to form a mini biosphere.

“嫦娥四號”還把地球上的六種生物帶上了月球，分別是棉花、油菜籽、土豆、果蠅、酵母和擬芥藍(lán)，并嘗試建立微型生物圈。

The arabidopsis plant may produce the first flower on the Moon.

擬芥藍(lán)可能開出月球上的第一朵花。

英國《衛(wèi)報》報道稱：

A Chinese spacecraft has become the first to land on the far side of the moon in a historic moment for human space exploration.

中國的“嫦娥四號”成為首個在月球背面著陸的探測器，這是人類太空探索中的重要?dú)v史時刻。

The successful touch down was hailed as a major technical feat and is seen as a important step towards China’s wider ambitions in space.

“嫦娥四號”成功著陸是人類科技取得的一次重大勝利，是中國實(shí)現(xiàn)太空雄心的重要一步。

Spacecraft have taken pictures of the moon’s far side before, but no lander has ever touched down there.

“嫦娥四號”已經(jīng)拍攝了月球背面的圖像，之前從未有探測器在月背著陸。

Scientists are still trying to understand why there are differences between the two faces of the moon, but think that these probably date back to the moon’s origin.

科學(xué)家們?nèi)栽谔剿鳛楹卧虑虻恼婧捅趁嬗袇^(qū)別，他們認(rèn)為這可能與月球的起源有關(guān)。

外國網(wǎng)友們也在臉書、推特等社交媒體平臺上展開了討論，對中國取得的成就表示祝賀。

美國國家航空航天局局長吉姆·布里登斯廷(Jim Bridenstine)也發(fā)推特表示：“祝賀中國嫦娥四號團(tuán)隊成功登陸月球背面。這是人類的第一次，也是令人印象深刻的成就！”

網(wǎng)友Tim Seabrook：“成功著陸月球背面，是一項(xiàng)里程碑式的成就?！?/p>

網(wǎng)友ddurrringmachine：“這對于全人類來說都是一個偉大的成就，（中國）做得好?！?/p>

網(wǎng)友Alec Griffiths：“太棒了！我簡直不敢相信我見證了這一刻。”

網(wǎng)友Ben Thompson：“祝賀！我希望中國在太空探索領(lǐng)域繼續(xù)取得成功?！?/p>

網(wǎng)友Raylan Thompson：“哇！科技真的很發(fā)達(dá)。中國干得漂亮！”

還有網(wǎng)友留言提到Pink Floyd的著名歌曲稱，“這真的是‘月之暗面’了”。

對這項(xiàng)舉世矚目的成就，必須豎起大拇指！

來源：每日電訊報、太空新聞網(wǎng)站、《天文學(xué)》雜志網(wǎng)站、紐約時報、CNBC、BBC、衛(wèi)報、國際在線、參考消息網(wǎng)、海外網(wǎng)

翻譯&編審：yaning