A Chinese rover has made tracks in the Moon’s soft dust, the latest step in Beijing’s goal for a manned landing by 2025, writes Lucy Hornby in Beijing.
一辆中国探测器已在月球表面尘土上留下印记，这是北京方面朝着2025年前载人登月目标迈出的最新一步。The arrival of the Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, on Saturday made China the third nation to complete the controlled landing of a spacecraft on the satellite, joining the US and the former Soviet Union in a feat of technological strength and national pride.
“玉兔号”(Jade Rabbit)月球车上周六到达月球，使中国成为继美国和前苏联之后第三个实现航天器受控登陆月球的国家，彰显技术实力和民族自豪。Chang’e 3, the lunar lander that carried the vehicle, made the first “soft landing” since 1976, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The craft, named after a lunar goddess, then opened to release the remote-controlled rover, which will conduct geological surveys.
官方的新华社报道称，搭载“玉兔号”月球车的“嫦娥三号”着陆器实现了自1976年以来人类对月球的首次“软着陆”。该着陆器随后打开，释放出遥控探测器，由其进行地质勘探。“嫦娥”是一位居住在月球的神话人物。（编者注：新华社快讯，嫦娥三号任务已取得完满成功。）
China has trumpeted the rapid advance of its space programme as a symbol of pride and as a sign that it is joining the ranks of the most powerful and advanced nations. However, the scientific pay-off from the programme has been less obvious.
中国大力宣扬其航天计划取得的飞速进步，作为民族自豪的象征，并标志着中国正进入全球最强大、最先进国家行列。然而，该航天计划的科学成果并非特别明显。The Soviet Union achieved the first orbit and first soft landing on the Moon, in 1966, but the US is the only nation to land a person on the satellite, in 1969. The European Space Agency, Japan and India have all deliberately crashed probes into the lunar surface.
苏联早在1966年就实现了人类首次环月飞行和软着陆，而美国在1969年实现了载人登月，是迄今唯一有此成就的国家。欧洲空间局(European Space Agency)、日本和印度都曾发射了以撞击月球表面告终的硬着陆式探测器。The prospect of Chinese taikonauts reaching the Moon, even after a four-decade gap, is likely to increase US anxiety over the power of the most populous nation.
不过，即便中国航天员在美国同行登月的40年后登上月球，也可能使美国更加担心全球人口最多国家的实力。