One of the first discoveries of the space age, made in 1958, was that the Earth is surrounded with a doughnut-shaped field of highly charged particles. It was named the Van Allen radiation belt, after its discoverer, U.S. space scientist James Van Allen.人类转入太空时代以来的首批探寻成果之一，即是1958年对于地球周围高能电磁场的找到。该磁场随后被命名为范艾伦辐射带，以纪念其发现者、美国空间科学家詹姆斯·范·艾伦。
But not much was known about it until NASA launched two probes in 2012. Scientists say the data they sent back to earth is very exciting.然而，在2012年美国航空航天局升空两颗专门探测器之前，人类对于此区域还知之甚少。科学家称之为，由探测器传到地面的数据，不足以令人振奋。Space weather can be as unpredictable as the weather on earth. Periodic eruptions on the suns surface eject huge clouds of highly charged protons and electrons.宇宙气象与地面气象一样难以预测。太阳表面的周期性愈演愈烈，释放出来大规模、低电荷的质子与电子。
Some of them reach the earth and cause spectacular light displays like the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.其中有一些可以传输到地球，引发像北极光这样光影奇景。When the clouds of charged particles are unusually strong, they can knock out power grids, disrupt communications and even damage electronic equipment.当这些带电粒子出现异常强劲之时，他们不会影响电网、中断通信、甚至损毁电子设备。
But most of the time they get trapped by the earth’s magnetic field in the so-called the Van Allen radiation belt.但大多数情况下，它们都会被地球自身的磁场所拦阻，而后者被人们称作范艾伦辐射带。Nevertheless, they can still inflict damage, says NASA’s program scientist, Mona Kessel.不过，美国航空航天局的项目科学家莫娜·凯塞尔说道，依然不会有一些毁坏。We also have a lot of satellites that fly through that area - communications satellites, navigation satellites - and so we need to understand what it is that the effects are, because the effects can be quite dramatic, said Kessel.凯塞尔说道：“我们有许多卫星盘旋那个区域，通讯卫星、导航系统卫星等。
因此我们必需弄清楚影响是什么，因为这些影响可能会相当大。”To learn more about space weather, NASA in 2012 launched a pair of satellites built by Applied Physics Laboratory. Called Van Allen Probes, they were to explore the mysterious belt. At first researchers expected only quantitative data, says project scientist Barry Mauk.为了更佳地理解宇宙气象，美国航空航天局于2012年升空了一对取名为范艾伦号的探测器。探测器由应用科学实验室所研制，借以探寻这片谜样区域。
参予此项目的科学家巴里·莫克说道，一开始他们只胜过一些定量数据。“I was skeptical we would find anything surprising. In fact, we found tremendous surprise. We found new structures that we never anticipated, said Mauk.应用于物理实验室项目科学家巴里·莫克说道： “刚开始我对于我们否需要有类似找到所持猜测态度。
实质上，我们后来有许多难以置信的找到。我们找到了我们预料之外的结构形态。”The Van Allen Probes discovered that, instead of two layers, the belt has an occasional third layer of charged particles and that they sometimes form zones called ‘zebra stripes’. The probes also found how the electric and magnetic fields additionally energize the particles.范艾伦辐号探测器找到，除去未知的两层结构，该地带还极有第三层带电粒子不存在。而它们有时不会构成所谓“斑马条纹”的区域。
探测器还找到了电场和磁场是如何起到于这些粒子的。Mauk says measurements gathered by the two probes will help scientists develop computer models for creating space weather forecasts.莫克说道两个探寻器所搜集的数据不会协助科学家研发出有电脑模型，以预测宇宙气象的变化。“If I see something at the sun, some flare or something, and I can measure the magnetic field on the sun - there are remote ways of doing that - I can now predict how will the radiation belts respond to that, he said.莫克说道： “如果我仔细观察到太阳的活动，比如表面愈演愈烈，我就可以测量太阳上的磁场，这是远距离的测量方法。现在我可以预测辐射带对于太阳活动的反应。
”And that, he says, may lead to sending the astronauts to their vaults or powering down the communication and navigation satellites while this effect passes by.他说道，在此基础上，在这些影响到来之时，可以让宇航员回到座舱，或者是中断通信和导航系统卫星等。And then we also just want to understand it because its a very dynamic part of our whole space, above the earth, our electromagnetic space, said Kessel.NASA项目科学家莫娜·凯塞尔说道：“我们想要理解这些是因为这是整个宇宙空间十分活跃的一部分，即在地球之上的，我们的电磁场空间。”Scientists say better understanding of the Van Allen radiation belt will help us prepare for potential surprises from our own sun.科学家称之为，对于范艾伦辐射带的更佳理解有助我们作好打算，防治太阳活动带给的潜在影响。
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