追逐冥王星（2015）

This model is an actual size model of Alice.
艾丽斯是兰个紫外线光谱仪
Alice is an ultraviolet spectrometer.
它是一种望远镜
It's a telescope
可以把光线分解成七色光
that breaks up light into a rainbow.
每种化学元素都会以独一无二的方式
Every chemical element reflects and absorbs light
反射和吸收光线
in a unique way,
产生跟指纹一样独特的样式
creating a pattern as distinct as a fingerprint.
氢的“指纹”看起来像这样
Hydrogen's fingerprint looks like this,
氮的则是像这样
while nitrogen's looks like this.
强大的地面望远镜
Powerful Earth-based telescopes
已经在冥王星表面及它的大气层中
have already detected molecules of nitrogen,
探测出氮，甲烷和一氧化碳分子
methane and carbon monoxide on Pluto's surface and in its atmosphere.
我们推测，那里面有其他我们无法探测到的东西
We suspect it has a number of others that we simply can't detect.
由于这艘宇宙飞船
As the spacecraft
距离冥王星表面只有数千英里
flies just a few thousand miles above Pluto,
艾丽斯将致力找出那些指纹
Alice will search for those fingerprints.
飞越过程结束之际
Then,at the end of the flyby,
宇宙飞船将会转向
the spacecraft will turn around
让艾丽斯以前所未有的视野
to give Alice a one-of-a-kind view of Pluto's atmosphere,
透过太阳光观测冥王星的大气层
as seen through the light of the Sun.
我们可以将太阳用为我们的光源
We can use the Sun as our light source
藉以探测大气层
to probe the atmosphere
找出某些类型原子及分子的“指纹”
and look for those fingerprints of certain types of atoms and molecules.
艾丽斯探索冥王星大气层时
While Alice probes Pluto's atmosphere,
她的伴侣劳夫
her partner,Ralph,
也就是这个红外线光谱仪
an infrared spectrometer,
将致力搜寻
will be hard at work searching
冥王星表面的分子的化学指纹
for those chemical fingerprints of molecules on Pluto's surface.
我们想知道
We want to know
冥王星的明亮表面是怎么产生的
what's causing the very bright surfaces on Pluto,
我们认为可能是
which we think is
分子氮和甲烷形成的奇特雪花
exotic snowflakes of molecular nitrogen and methane.
但其他一些地区似乎没有这种雪花
But there are other regions that seem to be devoid of those snowflakes
可能是颜色比较红，比较暗的碳氢化合物沉积
and are probably much redder,darker hydrocarbon deposits.
劳夫最终将发现
Ralph will finally reveal
那些奇异的深色♥区♥域，是由什么组成
what these strange,dark regions are made of.
但如果想取得冥王星的贴身影像
But to get up-close and personal images of Pluto
必须拥有无与伦比的远距摄影镜头
requires an instrument with a one-of-a-kind telephoto lens.
新视野号♥上最大的成像器“萝莉”
The largest imager on board New Horizons, named LORRI,
将攫取冥王星表面的惊人影像
will capture extraordinary images of Pluto's surface.
萝莉将拍摄极为细致的影像
LORRI will take pictures so detailed
相当于在飞越纽约上空时
that if it was flying over New York City,
拍出哈德逊河，东河
you could see the Hudson River,the East River,
甚至中♥央♥公园
even Central Park.
以实轰比例对照说明
To put this in perspective,
这个纽约市的卫星影像
this image of the Big Apple was taken by a satellite
拍摄于地球上方4百英里处
traveling about 400 miles above Earth.
由于萝莉极为强大
LORRI is so powerful,
她可以从地球上空7千多英里
it could capture the same amount of detail
捕捉到同等的细节
from more than 7,000 miles above Earth.
但把拥有这种镜头的望远镜
But sending a telescope with a lens like this
送到古柏带的零下低温中
into the grueling subzero temperatures of the Kuiper Belt
是非常危险的事
is risky business.
当你有这种向太空开启的望远镜
When you have a telescope,it's opened to space,
低温会透过那个开口渗透进来
and so it's cooling through that opening.
这等于是把摄影机的一部分置于寒冷中
The result is that you're putting part of camera cold,
另一部分位于温暖中
part of it warm,
这会导致望远镜变形
and that changes the shape of the telescope
这样它就变得很容易失焦
and that tends to put it out of focus.
结果就可能出现这样的影像
And you can end up with pictures that look like this.
为了解决这个问题
To solve this problem...
他们找出一种防弹衣所使用的材料
...they turn to a material found in bulletproof vests.
防弹衣之所以这么坚固
What makes vests like this so strong
是因为它拥有一种称作碳化硅的化合物
is a compound called silicon carbide.
萝莉是用一种特殊的碳化硅制成
LORRI is made out of a special version of it
它既能承受温度变化
which is able to tolerate temperature gradients
又不会离变形
without distorting its shape.
而且它非常坚固又非常轻
But it's also very strong and very light.
可能出差错的情况很多
There's a lot of things that might go wrong,
我们设法预想所有这种情况
and we've tried to anticipate all those things
研究应变计划
and work out contingency plans,
并针对应变计划制定应变计划
and contingency plans for those contingency plans.
为了这项宇宙飞船计划
We've been working for years
我们努力了很多年
to get the spacecraft ready,
为所有你能想到的东西预做准备
prepare for everything you could think of.
最后，只是...最后就只能坐着等待
In the end,it just...You know,you just have to sit there and wait,
结果不是成功就是失败
and it just either works or it doesn't.
对新视野号♥的工作团队而言
For the New Horizons team,
最大的挑战可能就是最后这个等待
waiting to find out if all their hard
不知道他们的辛苦付出
work will pay off just may be the
是否能获得报赏
toughest challenge of all.
在“冥王星交会”期间
During the Pluto encounter,
宇宙飞船基本上会依据预先完成的设定
the spacecraft's basically pre-programmed
自行执行所有事项
to do everything on its own.
假如它遇到痲烦
If it gets into trouble,
我们帮不上忙
we can't help.
不可能打个电♥话♥给它说
We can't give it a call and say,
喂，你看错东西了
"Whoops,you're looking at the wrong thing.
把视线往左边调一点
Adjust your sights a little bit to the left."
这是因为当宇宙飞船飞越冥王星时
That's because when the spacecraft flies by Pluto,
传递无线电讯号♥到地球，需要四个半小时
it will take four-and-a-half hours for a radio signal to reach Earth
地球方面，把相关指示传给宇宙飞船
and another four-and-a-half hours for instructions
又要花四个半小时
to get back to the spacecraft.
如果出了什么差错
If something went wrong,
必须花九个小时以上
it would be more than nine hours
我们才能告诉它该怎么做
before we could tell it to do something.
最重要的科学探测部分
The most important science
其实就只有十二个小时左右
is happening really only over about a 12-hour period.
时间必须掌握的非常精准
The timing has to be precise because the onboard commands
因为船上的指令，都是预定的
all have a predetermined time
时间一到就会执行
that this is supposed to happen.
如果运行时间改变大多
If that time changes too much,
我们会得到一大堆黑暗太空的照片
we'll get a lot of pictures of black space
科学探测就失败了
and we'll miss the science.
2007年2月28日
February 28,2007.
新视野号♥已经上路一年多
New Horizons has been en route for a little over a year.
在约翰.霍普金斯
Back at mission operations
应用物理实验室的任务执行中心
at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory,
工作团队正在准备对宇宙飞船进行
the team prepares for the spacecraft's
发射后第一个真正的测试
first real test since launch.
新视野号♥接近木星时
As New Horizons nears Jupiter,
必须能进入一个5百英里宽的区域
it must hit a mark just 500 miles wide,
在那里，被拉进这座气态大行星的重力范围
where it will get pulled into the gas giant's gravity
然后再被抛射出来
and get flung out.
这时它的速度就变得更快了
At that point,it will be traveling a lot faster.
我们举飚速滑轮的例子
Think of it like a clever maneuver
有一种很聪明的动作，叫作“鞭策”
used in roller derby called "the whip."
一个人把另一个人往前拉
One skater pulls another,
使她获得更大的推进力
propelling her forward with greater velocity.
这就是我们希望木星的重力
That's what Jupiter's gravity will hopefully do
为新视野号♥做的事
for New Horizons.
任务执行中心处于紧绷状态
At mission operations,the tension is palpable,
其中最紧张的是任务执行经理
especially for the mission operations manager,
艾莉丝鲍曼，别号♥“妈咪”
Alice Bowman,also known as "MOM."
状态检查
Status check.
她为了这一刻，花了许多年的时间准备
She has spent years preparing for this moment,
她非常清楚这项操作如果失败
and she knows all too well what it means if this
会造成什么后果
maneuver should fail.
如果没有达成飞行加速
It would take years longer
前往冥王星会需要多好几年
to get to Pluto if you did not have that flyby.
如果你觉得九年时间已经很久