Two washing-machine-sized satellites recently went into orbit around the moon. In March, they’ll start to gather detailed data about the quirks of the moon’s gravity. The working names for the satellites have been GRAIL A and B, for Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory. But they just got new names—courtesy of fourth graders from Bozeman, Montana.

日前，有两个洗衣机大小的人造卫星被送入环月轨道。今年3月，这两颗卫星将开始收集有关月球引力弯曲方面的详细数据。执行这次名为“重力恢复与内部实验室”任务的这两颗卫星的名字分别叫做GRAIL A和GRAIL B。如今，它们有了两个新名字——是蒙大拿州博兹曼校区的四年级小学生给它们取的名字。



NASA invited U.S. students to submit essays with suggested names. The Bozeman entry was picked out of more than 900 schools representing 11,000 students. The winners impressed the judges with their careful research about the goal of the mission. Because the moon’s gravity gives us our tides, the kids suggested GRAIL A and B’s new handles: Ebb and Flow.

NASA（美国国家航空和航天管理局）邀请美国的学生们给这两颗卫星命名。最终，博兹曼校区从900座学校中脱颖而出，代表1,1000名学生给这两颗卫星命名。孩

子们是在对这两颗卫星的使命进行了仔细研究之后给它们取得名字——这给评判人员留下了很深的印象。因为月球引力使地球上出现潮汐现象，因此孩子们建议给GRAIL A和GRAIL B分别命名为“潮落”（Ebb）和“潮起”(Flow)。

The mission is NASA’s first with instruments aboard entirely dedicated to education. Each satellite has a small camera that middle school students can request be aimed at target areas on the moon for study.
这两颗卫星是NASA的第一个完全用于教育领域的太空仪器。每颗卫星装有一个小型相机，学生们可以请求观察和研究月球上的目标区域。
The winning essay writers said that what are now called Ebb and Flow are on a journey, just as the moon is on a journey around the Earth. And as the students have begun their own journey, of scientific exploration.
给这两颗卫星命名的学生们说，“潮落”和“潮起”已经开始了环月之旅——就像月亮绕着地球旋转一样。而这些孩子们，也由此开始了他们的科学探索之旅。

Two washing-machine-sized satellites recently went into orbit around the moon. In March, they’ll start to gather detailed data about the quirks of the moon’s gravity. The working names for the satellites have been GRAIL A and B, for Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory. But they just got new names—courtesy of fourth graders from Bozeman, Montana.

日前，有两个洗衣机大小的人造卫星被送入环月轨道。今年3月，这两颗卫星将开始收集有关月球引力弯曲方面的详细数据。执行这次名为“重力恢复与内部实验室”任务的这两颗卫星的名字分别叫做GRAIL A和GRAIL B。如今，它们有了两个新名字——是蒙大拿州博兹曼校区的四年级小学生给它们取的名字。



NASA invited U.S. students to submit essays with suggested names. The Bozeman entry was picked out of more than 900 schools representing 11,000 students. The winners impressed the judges with their careful research about the goal of the mission. Because the moon’s gravity gives us our tides, the kids suggested GRAIL A and B’s new handles: Ebb and Flow.

NASA（美国国家航空和航天管理局）邀请美国的学生们给这两颗卫星命名。最终，博兹曼校区从900座学校中脱颖而出，代表1,1000名学生给这两颗卫星命名。孩

子们是在对这两颗卫星的使命进行了仔细研究之后给它们取得名字——这给评判人员留下了很深的印象。因为月球引力使地球上出现潮汐现象，因此孩子们建议给GRAIL A和GRAIL B分别命名为“潮落”（Ebb）和“潮起”(Flow)。

The mission is NASA’s first with instruments aboard entirely dedicated to education. Each satellite has a small camera that middle school students can request be aimed at target areas on the moon for study.
这两颗卫星是NASA的第一个完全用于教育领域的太空仪器。每颗卫星装有一个小型相机，学生们可以请求观察和研究月球上的目标区域。
The winning essay writers said that what are now called Ebb and Flow are on a journey, just as the moon is on a journey around the Earth. And as the students have begun their own journey, of scientific exploration.
给这两颗卫星命名的学生们说，“潮落”和“潮起”已经开始了环月之旅——就像月亮绕着地球旋转一样。而这些孩子们，也由此开始了他们的科学探索之旅。