研究人員正在創建先進的模擬，這些模擬將對火星的氣候歷史有更深入的了解，並有助於確定它曾經能夠維持生命。

一個國際研究人員正在開發火星進化的模型，該模型可以解鎖其長期以來的秘密

An international team of researchers is developing a model of Mars’s evolution that could unlock some of its long-held secrets, including whether it once harboured life.

一支國際研究人員正在開發火星進化的模型，該模型可以釋放其一些長期以來的秘密，包括它是否曾經擁有生活。

The work is being coordinated at the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris by François Forget, a space scientist at the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute.

Pierre Simon Laplace Institute的太空科學家FrançoisLossed在法國國家科學研究中心在法國國家科學研究中心進行了協調。

The six-year initiative, named Mars through time and supported by EU funding, is aiming to piece together different periods of the planet’s history to answer the question that has long perplexed scientists: was Mars once habitable?

這項為期六年的倡議，隨著時間的流逝而命名為火星，並得到歐盟資金的支持，旨在將地球歷史的不同時期拼湊在一起，以回答長期困擾科學家的問題：火星曾經居住嗎？

«Mars was a place where life could have emerged, so it’s very fascinating,» said François, the principal investigator of Mars through time.

“火星是生活可能出現的地方，所以這非常令人著迷。”

The researchers are trying to piece together different periods of the planet’s history. Credit: NASA

研究人員正在嘗試將地球歷史的不同時期拼湊在一起。學分：NASA

The team is working to create simulations that will provide a deeper understanding of Mars’s climatic history and help to determine whether it was once able to sustain life.

該團隊正在努力創建模擬，以更深入地了解火星的氣候歷史，並有助於確定它是否能夠維持生命。

«We are trying to invent a new model, to build a virtual planet that evolves through time. It’s a super ambitious project,» said François.

«我們正在嘗試發明一個新模型，以建立一個隨著時間的流逝而發展的虛擬星球。弗朗索瓦說，這是一個超級雄心勃勃的項目。

The work to develop this model has been ongoing since 2019 and proved more difficult to realize than initially thought – in part because of the large amount of computing power needed. But the end is in sight.

自2019年以來，開發該模型的工作一直在進行，事實證明比最初想像的更難實現 - 部分原因是所需的大量計算能力。但是目前的結局。

«Now I know it’s possible. I’m convinced that soon we will have a very nice tool available to the community.»

«現在我知道這是可能的。我堅信很快我們將為社區提供一個非常好的工具。»

This means we may soon be able to use this virtual time machine to transport ourselves to different periods of Martian history and understand exactly what happened to the planet and when.

這意味著我們可能很快就可以使用這台虛擬時光機將自己運送到火星曆史的不同時期，並確切地了解地球發生了什麼以及何時發生的事情。

Like Earth, Mars was born at the dawn of our solar system, 4.5 billion years ago. It is about half the size of our own planet and is farther from the Sun than we are. At this distance, it receives less solar radiation than Earth does.

像地球一樣，火星出生於45億年前的太陽系黎明。它大約是我們自己星球的大小的一半，與太陽更遠。在此距離處，它收到的太陽輻射比地球少。

However, evidence increasingly suggests that early in its life, Mars was a warm and wet planet much like our own.

但是，證據越來越多地表明，在其生命的早期，火星是一個像我們自己一樣的溫暖而濕的星球。

Geological and mineralogical evidence shows that Mars once possessed a thicker atmosphere than the planet has today. Even more intriguingly, we can also see remnants of ancient lakes and seas on its surface.

地質和礦物學證據表明，火星曾經擁有比今天的地球更厚的氣氛。更有趣的是，我們還可以在其表面看到古代湖泊和海洋的殘餘物。

Two of these are currently being explored by the NASA rovers Curiosity and Perseverance.

NASA Rovers的好奇心和毅力目前正在探索其中的兩個。

At some point 3 to 4 billion years ago, Mars lost its atmosphere for reasons not yet fully understood, and with it, the temperate conditions that allowed liquid water to exist on its surface.

在3至40億年前的某個點，火星由於尚未完全理解的原因而失去了大氣，因此，溫帶條件允許液態水在其表面存在。

Today the planet is barren and dry, except for water thought to be trapped under its surface, and ice that we can see frozen at its poles.

如今，該星球貧瘠而乾燥，除了被認為被困在其表面下的水以及我們可以在其桿子上凍結的冰。

When exactly the planet was warm and wet is still an open question.

當地球確切地溫暖而濕時，仍然是一個懸而未決的問題。

«We do not understand the climate process that allowed that,’ said François, and points out a crucial issue to be explored: «liquid water means there was a possibility of the emergence of life at the same time life emerged on Earth.»

弗朗索瓦說：“我們不了解允許這一允許的氣候過程，並指出一個至關重要的問題：«液態水意味著在地球上出現生命的同時生命的可能性。

Mars is also thought to have gone through periods of vast glaciation, carving valleys on its surface, when the atmosphere temporarily disappeared.

人們還認為，當大氣暫時消失時，火星經歷了巨大的冰川，在其表面上雕刻山谷的時期。

The model is hoping to give insight into when these periods occurred. It will be able to do that with a precision unlike any previous Mars climate models. The current models provide just a snapshot of the climate at any given moment.

該模型希望深入了解這些時期何時發生。與以前的火星氣候模型不同，它將能夠精確地做到這一點。當前的模型在任何給定時刻都提供了氣候的快照。

«We’re trying to have a new model that can simulate the evolution of Mars for thousands or millions of years. When we do that, we can simulate the evolution of glaciers and lakes.»

«我們正在嘗試建立一個可以模擬數千年或數百萬年的火星演變的新模型。當我們這樣做時，我們可以模擬冰川和湖泊的演變。

To develop the model, François and his team take known information about Mars and use powerful computers to simulate the conditions on its surface that this might have led to.

為了開發模型，François和他的團隊採用有關火星的已知信息，並使用強大的計算機模擬其表面上可能導致的條件。

For example, one known major changing factor on Mars has been its obliquity, the tilt of the planet as it orbits the Sun.

例如，火星上的一個已知的重大變化因素是它的傾斜度，即繞太陽繞著地球的傾斜。

Currently, it is about 25 degrees, similar to Earth, but it has varied throughout its history from almost zero degrees to more than 60 degrees, said François. This has caused large swings in the amount of heat on Mars’s surface.

弗朗索瓦說，目前，它大約是25度，類似於地球，但在整個歷史上從幾乎零度到60度以上。這引起了火星表面上的熱量大量波動。

The thickness and composition of the Martian atmosphere over time is also an open question. Today the planet’s atmosphere is about 1% of the Earth’s volume, with 95% of it made up of CO2.

隨著時間的流逝，火星大氣的厚度和組成也是一個懸而未決的問題。如今，地球的大氣約佔地球體積的1％，其中95％由二氧化碳組成。

«We used to think that if you add enough CO2, you will have a warm climate. But that is not sufficient. There is something else that allowed a warm climate.»

«我們曾經認為，如果您添加足夠的二氧化碳，您將有一個溫暖的氣候。但這還不夠。還有其他允許溫暖氣候的東西。»

The current thinking is that ancient volcanism on Mars expelled a considerable amount of hydrogen into the atmosphere, which, combined with CO2, could make a sufficient greenhouse effect. «But it’s very speculative. There is a mystery there.»

當前的思想是，火星上的古代火山將大量的氫驅逐到大氣中，與二氧化碳結合使用，可以產生足夠的溫室作用。 «但是這非常投機。那裡有一個謎。»

Large impacts, like collisions with asteroids or comets, could also have influenced Mars’s climate. «With our tools, we can model that.» Evidence of those impacts is visible today as craters on the planet’s surface.

巨大的影響，例如與小行星或彗星的碰撞，也可能影響火星的氣候。 «借助我們的工具，我們可以對此進行建模。»如今，作為地球表面的隕石坑，這些影響的證據是可見的。

While Mars is barren today, it has shown many faces in the past

雖然今天的火星貧瘠，但過去顯示了許多面孔