追逐冥王星（2015）

一直以来
The truth is,
人类只能在数十亿英里之外
Pluto and its moons have only been
观察冥王星及它的月球
observed from billions of miles away.
即使是最好的影像
Our best images,
也是一团模糊
nothing more than a blur.
世界上最强大的哈伯太空望远镜
In fact,one of the biggest,baddest space telescopes
能够锁定遥远的巨大银河系
in our arsenal,the Hubble,
拍下惊人影像
which takes stunning
但哈伯只能捕捉到这些
images of enormous distant galaxies,
彷佛经过马赛克处理的冥王星影像
can only capture these pixelated images of Pluto,
因为冥王星不只遥远
because not only is it far away,
而且非常小
it's really small.
不过即使分辨率这么低
But even at this resolution,
这些影像依然引人遐思
they suggest something intriguing.
透过这些宝贵的像素
Using these precious pixels,
计算机合成出的影像
a computer-generated image reveals
显示冥王星表面具有惊人的多元风貌
Pluto has a surprisingly varied surface.
亮的部分可能是辽阔的冰原
The light areas could be miles and miles of ice.
冰是最显而易见的特征
The ices are the most obvious signature that you see,
但我们也可以辨识出一些其他东西
but you can discern that there's other components there as well.
只是不知道那是什么成分
We just don't know exactly what they're made of.
但我们知道一件事
But here's what we do know:
太阳系中，具有多样化表面的行星很少
one of the few planets in the solar system
地球是其中之一
with such a varied surface is planet Earth.
我们也知道
We also know that
冥王星拥有相当奇特的大气层
Pluto has a rather bizarre atmosphere.
在248年的轨道周期中
During its 248-year orbit,
当冥王星比较接近太阳
as Pluto gets closer to the Sun,
它的冰冻表面会开始融化
its frozen surface starts to thaw
大气层慢慢形成
and its atmosphere slowly emerges.
这个大气层所含的气体
What we see in the atmosphere
来自冥王星表面
is gases that are coming off the surface,
可能是一个暂时性的大气层
creating a temporary atmosphere,perhaps.
冥王星拥有非常独特的大气层
Pluto has a unique type of atmosphere
这个太阳系的边缘地带
in this outer part of the solar system
是过去我们不曾研究过的
that we've never studied before.
这个区域遥远而难以捉摸
An area so distant and elusive
一直要等到1990年代
we knew almost nothing about it until the 1990s,
透过强大的新型望远镜
when powerful new telescopes
我们才发现寂寞的冥王星
discovered lonely little Pluto
其实并不那么寂寞
wasn't so lonely after all.
冥王星位于海王星轨道之外的
It's part of a region in the outer solar system
太阳系边缘地带
beyond the orbit of Neptune
称为古柏带
called the Kuiper Belt.
这是一个巨大区域
And it is enormous.
距离太阳数十亿英里
Billions of miles from the Sun,
古柏带拥有数十万颗结冰物体
the Kuiper Belt is filled with hundreds of thousands of icy objects.
虽然它们看起来
While they may look like asteroids,
像岩石和金属组成的小行星
which are made of rock and metal,
但这些深藏在太阳系冰冻边疆的物体
these objects,hidden in the solar system's deep freeze,
是由岩石和冰所组成
are made of a mixture of rock and ice.
这些物体基本上是
These are basically frozen remnants
太阳系初期的冰冻残余物
of the early part of the solar system
依然保存在这座大冰库里
that are still in the freezer.
研究这些物体就像解读
You can start to read this fossil record
太阳系演化过程的化石记录
of how the solar system evolved by looking at these objects.
我们无法说新视野号♥到了那里，任务就达成了
You can't say for the New Horizons mission,
因为任务还没有达成
"Been there,done that," because it hasn't.
我们探索过地球这个行星区域
We've already explored the terrestrial
探索过几个巨大行星的区域
planet region,the giant planet region.
现在我们要探索太阳系的全新区域
Now we're exploring a completely new portion of the solar system
这是过去不曾碰过的部分
that's never been touched before.
我们不知道能找到什么
We don't know what we're
让它能够顺利完成30亿英里旅程
going to find,we really don't.
我认为这个计划，因此更令人兴奋
And I think that that's what really makes this so exciting.
要怎么设计出一艘宇宙飞船
How do you design a spacecraft that can survive
让它顺利完成30亿英里的未知旅程？
a three-billion-mile journey to parts unknown?
探索任何新事物
Any time you explore something new,
必然带有某种风险
there's always a little risk.
新视野号♥的任务面临为数众多的挑战
The New Horizons mission faced a huge number of challenges.
我们要前往太阳系边缘地带
We're going to the outskirts of the solar system,you know,
那里离太阳的距离比地球离太阳远三十倍
30 times farther from the Sun than the Earth.
因此为求在合理时间范围内抵达那里
And so in order to get there in a reasonable amount of time
我们必须尽一切可能使宇宙飞船轻巧
we had to build the lightest possible spacecraft that we could,
给它安装最大的火箭发射器
put it on the largest rocket we could.
由于阳光太微弱
There was no opportunity to fly big solar arrays
不可能靠太阳射线提供航行动力
because the sunlight is just too faint,
因此必须让它有核动力源
so we carry a nuclear-powered source.
我们有一系列仪器
We have a suite of instruments,
七种仪器分别做非常不同的事
seven instruments to do very different things.
它们全部加起来
And they weigh less than
总重不到70英磅
about 70 pounds,all of them together.
七台科学仪器合起来
Seven scientific instruments
只比平台钢琴大一些
not much bigger than a grand piano
名称则相当奇特 如“百事可乐”“交换”
with whimsical names like Pepsi,Swap,
以及一个天线叫“雷克斯”
and an antenna named Rex.
还有两台仪器取的名字是
Two are named after the lead characters
1950年代影集“蜜月夫妻档”的主角
in the 1950s television show The Honeymooners,
“劳夫”和“艾丽斯”
Ralph and Alice.
这些仪器将一起分♥析♥冥王星的表面及地质
All of these instruments will analyze Pluto's surface
揭开它的神秘大气层的秘密
and geology,and reveal secrets about its mysterious atmosphere.
1980年代
Back in the 1980s,
观测冥王星大气层的最佳方法之一
one of the best ways to observe Pluto's atmosphere
是靠这个
was with this,
一架C141货机
a C-141 cargo plane
侧边搭载简易观测台
with a makeshift observatory on its side.
“古柏机载观测台”绝对称不上头等舱旅行
The Kuiper Airborne Observatory was not what you'd call a first-class ride.
古柏机载观测台不讲求舒适
The Kuiper Airborne Observatory is not built for comfort.
你整天都得戴着耳机
You're on headsets the whole time.
里面噪音很大，也很冷
It's very loud,it's very cold.
望远镜位于飞机中♥央♥
The telescope,it's in the middle of an airplane.
会不断跳动
It bounces around.
但望远镜来到大气层之上以后
But by flying a telescope above the weather,
就有机会捕捉到一个罕见现象
they had a chance to capture a rare event
称为“恒星掩星”
called a stellar occultation.
这时某个像冥王星之类的物体
During this event,an object,like Pluto,
在一颗明亮的行星前方通过
passes in front of a bright star
遮蔽了它的光线
blocking its light.
如果这个物体具有大气层
If the object has an atmosphere,
行星的光线会逐渐变暗
the light gradually fades out,
然后又慢慢重新出现
then slowly fades back up again.
但如果没有大气层
But if it doesn't,
光线就会忽然消失
the light abruptly disappears,
然后迅速重新重现
and then quickly reappears.
这是古柏机载观测站的实况录音
This is a recording of what happened onboard the Kuiper Airborne Observatory
时间是1988年6月9日
the night of June 9,1988,
当时一群研究人员决心查明
when a group of researchers were determined to find
冥王星是否有大气层
out if Pluto has an atmosphere.
我想它在逐渐变暗
是逐渐变暗
不对 喔对
在追踪器上变淡了
对，这里也变淡了
各位，我认为那玩意有大气层
对，大气层
冥王星后方的光线渐渐转暗
The light behind Pluto slowly faded,
研究团队缔造了历史
and the crew made history.
我非常幸运能参与那项计划
I was fortunate enough to be involved.
我把它视为我的天文学家生涯起点
I would call that the beginning of my being an astronomer,
那是个非常棒的起点
and it's a pretty good beginning.
新视野号♥上有一个仪器
One of the instruments onboard New Horizons
它的设计目的是研究冥王星难以捉摸的大气层
that's designed to study Pluto's elusive atmosphere
它叫“艾丽斯”
is Alice.
这个模型相当于艾丽斯的实际规格