A group of aerospace¹ engineers in NASA has made a persuasive² pitch for an unexpected space-exploration option: Venus.

近日，美国国家航空航天局的一群航天工程师，使令人意想不到的太空探索地金星，变得极具说服力。

The team has sketched³ out plans for and conducted small-scale tests of a blimp-like airship that would ferry a crew of two on a month-long expedition⁴ above the Venusian cloudtops.

据悉，该团队已制定了计划，并对一艘飞艇式飞船进行小规模测试，这艘飞船将载着两名宇航员在金星云层上进行为期一个月的探险。

They point out that Venus is the closest, most accessible planet in the solar system. It's nearly identical to Earth in size and mass, making it an excellent place to learn about the prospects⁵ for life on other Earth-like worlds.

他们指出，金星是太阳系中距离最近且最易登陆的行星，它的大小和质量几乎与地球一模一样，使其成为了解其他类地行星生命前景的绝佳地点。

And as Chris Jones, a mission analyst⁶ at NASA Langley and leader of the High-Altitude Venus Operational Concept team, says, "The atmosphere of Venus is one of the more hospitable⁷ locations in space."

正如NASA兰利的任务分析师、高空金星操作设计团队负责人克里斯·琼斯所说：“金星的大气层是太空中较适宜人类的地点之一。”

That statement might raise a few eyebrows⁸. Day or night, temperatures on Venus hover⁹ around 850 degrees Fahrenheit¹⁰, and the atmospheric¹¹ pressure at the surface is a crushing 1,300 pounds per square inch. The silvery clouds that enshroud the planet consist of sulfuric acid.

这一言论可能会令人侧目。无论是白天还是黑夜，金星上的温度都在850华氏度左右，表面的气压是每平方英寸1300磅。笼罩在金星上的银色云层由硫酸组成。

But go 30 miles above the Venusian surface, and the story is very different. Temperatures are a more tolerable 170 degrees F, and atmospheric pressure is similar to that on Earth. The corrosive¹² clouds are tucked safely below, so there's ample solar energy shining down from above.

但是在距离金星地表30英里的地方，情形就完全不一样了。温度是人类更容易忍受的170华氏度，而大气压力与地球上相似。腐蚀性的云层处于下方对于人类非常安全，有充足的太阳光可以从上面照射。