日本机器人探测器成功登陆小行星

Japan's space agency (JAXA) has made history by successfully landing two robotic explorers on the surface of an asteroid.

近日，日本航天局（JAXA）的机器人探测器在一座小行星表面成功登陆，创造了历史。

The two small "rovers", which were despatched from the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft last Friday, will move around the 1km-wide space rock known as Ryugu.

上周五从隼鸟二号航天器发射的两个小型“探测车”，将在这个宽为1公里、被称为“龙宫”的小行星上工作。

The asteroid's low gravity means they can hop across it, capturing temperatures and images of the surface.

该小行星上的低重力意味着探测器可以在上面跳跃，捕捉表面的温度和图像。

JAXA proudly tweeted pictures from the rovers, which reached Earth via the spaceship Hayabusa-2.

日本航天局自豪地发布了探测车的照片，这些照片是通过隼鸟2号飞船发回地球的。

Hayabusa-2 reached the asteroid Ryugu in June this year after a three-and-a-half-year journey.

经过三年半的旅程，隼鸟二号在今年六月到达了小行星“龙宫”。

While the European Space Agency had previously managed to land on an icy comet, this is the first spacecraft to place robot rovers on the surface of an asteroid.

虽然欧洲航天局以前设法在冰冷的彗星上降落，但这是第一个将机器人探测器成功降落在小行星表面的航天器。

Asteroids are essentially leftover building materials from the formation of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago. Ryugu is a particularly primitive variety, and studying it could shed light on the origin and evolution of our own planet.

小行星基本上是由46亿年前太阳系形成时的剩余物质材料构成。其中“龙宫”小行星是由一种特殊的原始材料构成的，通过研究它，有助于揭示我们自己星球的起源和演变。