Adam Stelzner has spent years
亚当·施特尔茨纳花费数年
working out how to do it.
研究如何实现计划
He will take control of the rover
当火星车进入火星大气层后
as it begins to enter the Martian atmosphere.
将由他控制火星车
And he won't be able to rely
但让月球车
upon the systems that got the lunar rover down safely
安全降落在月球表面的系统
onto the surface of the moon.
无法满足他的要求
Mars is tough.
火星条件很恶劣
The moon,
而月球
where we've landed lunar modules on the moon before,
登月舱曾经在此成功降落
does not have any atmosphere
没有大气层
and it makes the process of getting down to the surface kind of simple.
这使降落到月面的过程相对容易
You take a rocket engine,
只要有个火箭发动机
you turn it on and you slow yourself down
让它自己减速
until you touch down on the surface.
直到你抵达月面
Unlike the lunar rovers,
与月球车不同
Curiosity will have to battle an unpredictable atmosphere.
好奇号将与无法预测的大气战斗
Historically,
一直以来
Mars has been evil.
火星都很难对付
You don't know what the weather's going to be like,
我们无法预知登陆时的天气
you don't know whether the
我们没法知道
atmosphere's going to be dense or diffuse.
那时的大气是密是疏
Will it be a hot day and not so dense,
是空气较稀薄的大热天呢
or a cold and dense day?
还是空气稠密的大冷天

重点解释：

1.take control of 控制

例句：If necessary, can you take control of a situation?
如果必要,是否能控制局面?

2.be able to 会； 能

例句：You'll be able to come, won't you?
你能来的，对吗?

3.touch down 航空着陆

例句：At last he touched down on the mainland.
最后他在大陆上着陆了。