日本宇航局表示，一艘日本宇宙飞船周四成功地在一颗小行星上着陆，并且采集了该小行星地表下的物质。
The Hyabusa2 spacecraft landed briefly inside a small crater on the asteroid Ryugu. The space agency reported that it rose safely from the surface after collecting dust and rock samples.
隼鸟2号宇宙飞船短暂地降落在小行星“龙宫”上的一个小陨石坑中。日本宇航局报告称，该宇宙飞船在采集了灰尘和岩石样本后从地面安全升空。
Space scientists hope that tests of the material will provide information about the formation of our solar system.
太空科学家希望这些物质能够提供有关太阳系起源的信息。
Officials with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA, excitedly announced the results. They said data confirmed that the spacecraft had landed on Ryugu and returned to a position above the surface.
日本宇宙航空研究开发机构（JAXA）的官员兴奋地宣布了这一成果。他们表示，数据证实该宇宙飞船降落到了“龙宫”上，并且返回到地面上空的某个位置。
After the operation was completed, everyone in the command center stood up and cheered.
这次任务完成后，指挥中心的每个人都站起来欢呼。
"It was a success, a big success," said Takashi Kubota, a project member. He added that the operation had been successful in all its planned activities.
项目成员久保田隆表示：“这是一项巨大的成功。“他还说，这次任务的原定计划全部成功完成。
A complex project
一项复杂的计划
In April, Hyabusa2 fired a two kilogram object into the surface, creating a crater on the asteroid. On Thursday, the spacecraft returned to the same area, where it landed for only a few seconds. The goal was was to collect rock and dust samples from beneath the surface. The spacecraft shot a small object into the soil and used a tube to gather the material.
今年4月，隼鸟2号向地表发射了一个2千克的物体，在这颗小行星表面形成了一个陨石坑。周四，这艘宇宙飞船回到同一地点，它在该地点只降落了几秒钟。目的是采集地表以下的岩石和灰尘样本。该宇宙飞船将一个小物体射入土壤中，然后使用一个管子采集物质。
Getting to rocks and other material below the surface is important, scientists say, because it is unaffected by radiation from space and other influences.
科学家表示，得到地表以下的岩石和其它物质非常重要，因为这些没有受到空间辐射和其它因素的影响。
JAXA said the samples have been safely placed in a container which will be moved to a capsule for safe storage.
日本宇宙航空研究开发机构表示，这些样本已经安全地放入容器当中，这个容器被移至太空舱中安全储存。
The operation is the most important experiment yet by Hyabusa2. Its next project is to return safely to Earth with the soil samples.
这次任务是隼鸟2号迄今为止最为重要的实验。它的下一个计划是带着这些土壤样本安全返回地球。
Project manager Yuichi Tsuda said that an experiment like this has never been attempted before. "Nobody has collected and brought home underground materials from anywhere further than the moon," he added.
该计划的负责人津田雄一表示，以前从未尝试过这类实验。他还说：“没人从月球以外的任何地方采集和带回地表下物质。”
Remains of solar system formation
太阳系起源的遗迹
Asteroids are the rocky objects left over from when Earth and the rest of the solar system were forming.
小行星是地球和太阳系起源时留下的岩石物体。
The asteroid Ryugu is named after the undersea home of a dragon in a traditional Japanese story. It is only about 900 meters across. The asteroid has a rocky surface that scientists believe holds carbon-based substances.
小行星“龙宫”是以日本传统故事中龙的海底宫殿命名。它的直径只有900米左右。这颗小行星表面是岩石，科学家们认为它含有碳基物质。
Seiichiro Watanabe is a scientist with Japan's space agency. He noted that Hyabusa2 had now taken samples from two different areas on the asteroid. He said early pictures of the recent sample show that the material is of different colors and sizes.
渡边诚一郎是日本宇航局的科学家。他指出，隼鸟2号现在从这颗小行星的不同区域采集了样本。他说，最近采集到的这些样本的早期图片表明，该物质具有不同颜色和大小。
Watanabe said being able to compare material from the surface and from underground was very important.
渡边诚一郎表示，能够比较地表和地表以下的物质是非常重要的。
"I'm so excited about finding out about all these unknowns," he said.
他说：“我很高兴能找出所有这些未知数。”
The Hyabusa2 is the first spacecraft to collect samples from under the surface of an asteroid. The United States space agency NASA plans a similar mission to an asteroid called Bennu.
隼鸟2号是第一艘从小行星表面采集样本的宇宙飞船。美国宇航局计划对一颗名为贝努的小行星进行类似的任务。
Hyabusa2 will continue to take pictures of Ryugu until it begins its 300 million kilometer trip back to Earth. It is expected to return home in late 2020.
隼鸟2号将继续拍摄龙宫的照片，直到它开始返回3亿公里以外的地球。预计它将在2020年底回到地球。
I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
我是小马里奥·里特。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)