It’s Hard to Dust in Space
宇宙尘埃，难辩其源
星尘号飞船从宇宙捎回了七颗星际尘埃，科学家们却愁眉不展，他们不仅无法通过化学分析得出这些尘埃的确切来源，还陷入了一种巧妇对米粒的渴望中。为了搜集更多这样的尘埃，他们竟然固执到不让清洁工打扫卫生的地步。
撰文/播音 克拉拉•莫斯科维茨（Clara Moskowitz）
翻译 南洋小学生
审校 李轩
Dust is a major annoyance for most of us, but to scientists it can be precious. Over the summer researchers identified seven specks of dust returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft, which spent 12 years in space and tried to collect samples from the wake of a comet. The seven dust motes may come from interstellar space. Determining their true origin, however, has proven problematic.
我们大多数人都厌恶灰尘，但科学家却对它视若珍宝。过去这个夏天，研究者鉴定了7颗由星尘号 捎回地球的尘埃斑点，该船在太空徘徊了12年，试图收集彗星尾流样本。我们只知道这7颗尘粒可能来自星际空间，却很难确定它们的实际来源。
Three of the microscopic grains are locked in a foam material called aerogel, from the outside covering of Stardust. Aerogel is great at catching the particles, but scientists have not yet figured out a good way to extract the grains without damaging them. For now, the grains, and the researchers, are stuck.
其中三颗微粒被锁在星尘号外层覆盖的一种叫气凝胶的泡沫材料里。气凝胶非常善于捕获微粒，但科学家还没有想出更好的方法来无损提取这些颗粒。如今，颗粒困在了内，研究者困在了外。
The other four interstellar dust candidates were found in the grid of aluminum foil that held the aerogel. When the grains hit, the foil melted and formed miniature craters. Scientists chemically analyzed two of these craters, but the findings are inconclusive.
另外四颗星际尘埃在支撑气凝胶的铝箔网里被发现。在尘粒轰击下，铝箔熔化形成了微型弧坑。科学家化验了其中的两个弧坑，但依旧无果。
The impactors might come from interstellar space, or they could be local. Unfortunately, the analysis destroyed those two grains. And the other two foil-embedded candidates were lost while being transported between labs.
撞击粒子或许来自星际空间，也可能来自附近。不幸的是，化学分析毁坏了那两颗尘埃。另外两颗嵌入铝箔的尘埃在实验室的相互传递中丢失。
Scientists hope to find still more microscopic particles in the Stardust collector. And they have keep NASA cleaning crews from doing any dusting.
科学家希望在星尘采集器里找到更多微粒。为此，他们一直不让美国国家航空和航天管理局（NASA）的清洁工做任何除尘工作。
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