'Understanding how ocean life interacts with the atmosphere and the global climate is one of the secrets of the universe right here at home.'

“了解海洋生物如何與大氣和全球氣候相互作用是宇宙的秘密之一。”

NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite is set to depart Earth from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday (Feb. 7) at 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 GMT.) It will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

NASA 的浮游生物、氣溶膠、雲、海洋生態系統(PACE) 衛星定於美國東部時間週三（2 月7 日）凌晨1:33（格林威治標準時間0633）從卡納維拉爾角太空部隊站離開地球。它將在SpaceX Falcon 9 上發射火箭。

Launch had been planned for Tuesday (Feb. 6) at the same time, but bad weather forced a delay.

原計劃於週二（2 月 6 日）同時發射，但惡劣天氣迫使發射推遲。

Ahead of the launch, NASA and SpaceX experts gathered to discuss the impact the PACE mission will have on climate science as it monitors the interaction between Earth's oceans and atmosphere. 

在發射之前，NASA 和 SpaceX 的專家齊聚一堂，討論 PACE 任務對氣候科學的影響，因為它監測地球海洋和大氣之間的相互作用。

"Understanding how ocean life interacts with the atmosphere and the global climate is one of the secrets of the universe right here at home. Aerosols that cycle through the ocean and atmosphere are a factor in how clouds form and how weather systems behave," NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said at a press conference on Monday (Feb. 5). "But exactly how that process works is a scientific mystery. Unraveling it is one big goal of the PACE mission in line of course with NASA's charge to explore the unknown in air and space."

「了解海洋生物如何與大氣和全球氣候相互作用，是宇宙的秘密之一。在海洋和大氣中循環的氣溶膠是雲形成和天氣系統行為的一個因素，」美國太空總署副研究員行政長官Jim Free在周一（2 月5 日）的新聞發布會上說道。 「但這個過程到底是如何運作的仍然是一個科學謎團。解開這個謎團是 PACE 任務的一大目標，這與 NASA 探索空氣和太空未知事物的使命是一致的。”

Free added that PACE will join the two dozen NASA missions in orbit currently that collect vital data on Earth's land, ocean, atmosphere and ice. The mission's data will be used by scientists and policymakers to safeguard against the threat of global climate change.

Free 補充道，PACE 將加入 NASA 目前在軌道上執行的兩打任務，收集有關地球陸地、海洋、大氣和冰的重要數據。該任務的數據將被科學家和政​​策制定者用來防範全球氣候變遷的威脅。

PACE will study tiny things to make a big scientific impact

Also speaking at the press event, Director of NASA's Earth Science Division Karen St. Germain explained that PACE will use its vantage point to investigate tiny micro-organisms that play a huge role on Earth, microalgae called phytoplankton. 

PACE 將研究微小的事物以產生重大的科學影響美國宇航局地球科學部主任凱倫·聖熱爾曼也在新聞發布會上發表講話，解釋說PACE 將利用其優勢來研究對地球發揮巨大作用的微小微生物，即微藻。稱為浮游植物。

"Our Earth is a water planet. The surface of the Earth is covered 70% by oceans, and yet, in many ways, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about our own oceans," St. Germain said. "Phytoplankton are at the base of the marine food chain. They serve our fisheries and the health of the oceans. They are also responsible for absorbing a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and converting that into oxygen in the atmosphere.

「我們的地球是一個水星球。地球表面 70% 被海洋覆蓋，然而，在很多方面，我們對月球表面的了解比對我們自己的海洋的了解還要多，」聖熱爾曼說。 「浮游植物位於海洋食物鏈的基礎。它們為我們的漁業和海洋健康服務。它們還負責透過光合作用吸收大量二氧化碳並將其轉化為大氣中的氧氣。

"But they can also be toxic, and we need to know that, too."

“但它們也可能有毒，我們也需要知道這一點。”

St. Germain added that PACE won't just be looking at tiny organisms in the oceans. It will also study tiny particles in the atmosphere called aerosols.

St. Germain 補充說，PACE 不僅僅關注海洋中的微小生物。它還將研究大氣中稱為氣溶膠的微小顆粒。

"Aerosols play an enormous role in our weather, our air quality, and even our climate. They come from sources like dust flowing off the Sahara, wildfires, and even human activities, and they seed clouds that can grow into hurricanes coming across the Atlantic," St. Germain said. "But they also reflect a lot of the sun's energy. So, they play an important role in the long-term sustained stability of Earth's climate. Because we're measuring both of these things together, PACE will allow us to understand the strong interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean."

「氣溶膠對我們的天氣、空氣質量，甚至氣候起著巨大的作用。它們的來源包括撒哈拉沙漠的塵埃、野火，甚至人類活動，它們產生的雲可以發展成橫跨大西洋的颶風。 ，」聖日耳曼說。 「但它們也反射了大量的太陽能。因此，它們在地球氣候的長期持續穩定中發揮著重要作用。因為我們同時測量這兩件事，PACE將使我們能夠了解強烈的相互作用大氣層和海洋之間。”

The PACE launch will also be offering something a little bit different for typical NASA Cape Canaveral liftoffs.

PACE 發射也將為典型的 NASA 卡納維爾角發射提供一些不同的東西。

"PACE is the eighth NASA LSP mission to launch on a SpaceX rocket, and the first government mission to fly a polar trajectory from the Cape since November of 1960," NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) Director Tim Dunn said. "Now, SpaceX is well seasoned in flying this particular trajectory. They've done it 11 times commercially since 2020."

NASA 發射服務計畫(LSP) 主任 Tim Dunn 表示：「PACE 是NASA 使用SpaceX 火箭發射的第八個LSP 任務，也是自1960 年11 月以來第一個從好望​​角出發進行極地軌道飛行的政府任務。” 「現在，SpaceX 在這條特定軌道上的飛行經驗豐富。自 2020 年以來，他們已經進行了 11 次商業飛行。”

During the last Cape "polar launch," the blast-off of SOLRAD 2 and Transit 3A atop a Thor-Ablestar rocket on Nov. 30, 1960, a booster flew off course and rained debris over Cuba. After this, NASA's polar launches were moved to the Vandenberg Space Force, previously Vandenberg Air Force Base.

1960 年 11 月 30 日，在開普敦的最後一次「極地發射」中，SOLRAD 2 和 Transit 3A 在雷神索爾-Ablestar 火箭上升空，助推器飛離軌道，碎片如雨般落在古巴上空。此後，美國太空總署的極地發射被轉移到范登堡太空部隊，以前是范登堡空軍基地。

Plus, the launch of PACE has been a long time coming. The Trump administration proposed canceling PACE in all four of its NASA budget proposals, from fiscal years 2018 through 2021, but Congress kept the mission funded each year.

另外，PACE 的推出已經等了很久了。川普政府提議在 2018 財年至 2021 財年的所有四項 NASA 預算提案中取消 PACE，但國會每年都會為該任務提供資金。

The Falcon 9 rocket with PACE attached was rolled out to the launch pad and erected at around 4 a.m. EST (0900 GMT) on Monday morning. Final preparations should begin at 10 p.m. EST (0300 GMT) tonight, with propellants set to be loaded at around 12:50 a.m. EST (0450 GMT).

週一早上美國東部時間凌晨 4 點（格林尼治標準時間 0900）左右，附有 PACE 的獵鷹 9 號火箭被推出到發射台並豎立起來。最後的準備工作將於晚上 10 點開始。今晚美國東部時間（格林威治標準時間 0300），推進劑定於東部時間上午 12:50 左右（格林威治標準時間 0450）裝填。

The PACE launch was supposed to happen early Tuesday morning (Feb. 6), but the weather didn't cooperate. There's a 60% chance of good weather for Wednesday's opportunity, according to U.S. Space Force Weather Officer Brian Cizek.

PACE 發射原定於週二凌晨（2 月 6 日）進行，但天氣不配合。據美國太空部隊氣象官員布萊恩·西澤克 (Brian Cizek) 稱，週三的好天氣機率為 60%。

The weather issues aren't dampening spirits at NASA for this important launch, however. 

然而，天氣問題並沒有影響美國太空總署這次重要發射的熱情。

PACE's  "launch is not just a mission to space. It's a testament to our collective pursuit of knowledge, innovation, and the betterment of humanity for all Earthlings," Free concluded. "Go Falcon and go PACE."

Free 總結道：“PACE 的發射不僅僅是一次太空任務。它證明了我們對知識、創新和為所有地球人謀求人類福祉的集體追求。” “去獵鷹，去佩斯。”

You can watch the PACE launch live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the space agency's website

您可以在 Space.com 觀看由 NASA 提供的 PACE 發射現場直播，或直接透過航太局網站觀看

Editor's note: This story was updated at 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 6 with news of the launch delay to Feb. 7.

編者註：本文於 2 月 6 日凌晨 12:30 更新，發佈時間延至 2 月 7 日。