追逐冥王星（2015）

在全世界最强大的射击场之一
at one of the most powerful shooting galleries in the world.
美国航♥天♥总署的超高速射击炮
NASA's hypervelocity gun
能够将最微小的子弹
can shoot the tiniest of pellets
以1万7千英里时速射击出去
up to 17,000 miles per hour.
新视野号♥可能遭遇的尘埃微粒
The dust particles New Horizons might run into
大的可能像大头针的头
range from the size of the head of a pin
小的可能像沙粒
down to the size of a grain of sand.
这些微小物体，看起来可能不危险
These little objects may not look very dangerous,
但假使发生一场极端猛烈的沙尘暴
but imagine a sandstorm with winds so strong
连一颗沙粒都足以致人于死
that just one grain of sand could kill you.
射击炮已经装填子弹
The gun is loaded.
射击场已经净空
The room is cleared.
威力惊人的射击炮，导致金属在撞击中粉碎
This gun is so powerful,metal is pulverized from the impact.
子弹从这个120英尺长的炮管被推送出去
A pellet is propelled down this 120-foot-long barrel
射向目标
to a target made of the materials
目标的材质与宇宙飞船相同
used in the construction of the spacecraft.
第一层是金质隔热层
The first layer is the gold thermal blanket
包覆住整艘新视野号♥
that covers New Horizons.
第二层相当于宇宙飞船的墙体
The second layer is the spacecraft's wall.
第三层是一片薄金属板
The third layer,a thin metal plate,
它是宇宙飞船的核心部分
represents the heart of the spacecraft:
电子设备和科学仪器都在这里
the electronics and scientific instruments.
测试多次执行
Test after test is conducted,
小小的子弹以闪电般速度撞击目标
tiny pellets slammed into the target at lightning speeds.
结果各有不同
The results are mixed.
多数子弹穿透金质隔热层
Most of the pellets penetrate the gold thermal blanket
但被宇宙飞船的墙体挡下
but are stopped by the wall of the spacecraft.
但并非全部是如此
But not all.
有些子弹会像这样完全穿透
In fact,some,like this one,punch a hole right through it.
只要多几个这样的洞
A few more holes like this
就可能立即而猛烈地使探测任务终止
could put a quick and violent end to the mission.
发现新的月亮之后
The potential for a debris impact that came out
碎片撞击的潜在可能
through the detection of the newer moons
确实为飞越任务加入另一个复杂因素
does add another layer of complexity to the flyby.
新发现号♥的工作团队，为宇宙飞船研拟出
The New Horizons team had to come up
替代性飞航计划，即飞行轨迹
with alternate flight plans,or trajectories,for the spacecraft to travel.
这是他们希望实现的理想轨迹
This is the ideal trajectory they are hoping for.
我们一共可以运用四条不同飞航轨道
There are actually four different trajectories that we could potentially go on,
我们要等到几个星期以后，才能知道
and we may not know until a couple of weeks
哪条轨道被实际用上了
out which one we're going to be on.
最糟糕的可能情况是
The worst possible scenario is
宇宙飞船飞进冥王星系统，开始摄影
it comes into the system,it starts taking images,
结果因为某个物体冲击而遭到摧毁
it gets destroyed by some impact,
这样我们就永远看不到那些影像
and we'll never see the images,
那真是太伤脑筋了
which is pretty nerve-wracking.
我很想看到结果
I want to see the results.
我很高兴我不是必须等着接收数据那个人
I'm glad I'm not the person waiting for that data to come.
我们计划在接近目标时，进行观察
On the approach,we have planned observations
寻找任何其他类型的碎片
to look for any other debris,
或者我们现在称为“危害”的物体
or we're calling them hazard now
不是月球，而是危害
not moons,hazards.
这些变化真的很妙
It's funny how things change.
所有人一定会在心里问这个恼人的问题
There'll always be a little nagging question,
到底有没有顺利通过?
you know,"Did we make it through?"
所以当第一个灯号♥显示，我们顺利通过了
So that first beacon that says we made it through,
大家一定会
everybody is just going to...
大家会大松一口气
They'll breathe a sigh of relief
然后互相看着说“我早就知道会成功”
and then they'll look at each other and go,"Oh,I knew it all along."
2014年8月25日
August 25,2014.
新视野号♥抵达海王星轨道
New Horizons reaches Neptune's orbit
适逢航海家二号♥接近海王星25周年
on the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2's encounter.
该项计划原来的任务
The original mission was designed
只是研究木星、土星及它们的月球
to study only Jupiter,Saturn,and their moons,
但航海家二号♥后来继续飞行
but Voyager 2 went on to
拍下天王星的惊人影像
take stunning images of Uranus,
海王星
Neptune,
以及它的月球“特莱顿”(海卫一)
and its moon Triton.
在1960、70和80年代
In the '60s and the '70s
我们不断初次探索行星
and the '80s we were exploring new planets all the time.
初次到火星，初次到金星，初次到水星
First to Mars,first to Venus,first to Mercury,
初次到木星，初次到土星
first to Jupiter,first to Saturn.
这一系列探索在1989年
That came to an end
航海家飞越海王星之后结束
in 1989 with Voyager.
至今已经25年
It's been 25 years,
现在我们正在进行下一个“初次探索”
and now we're doing the next first mission.
这是划时代的事
That's epic.
2014年12月6日
December 6,2014.
在休眠好几年之后
After years in hibernation,
宇宙飞船苏醒了
the spacecraft is waking up.
旅程的最后阶段即将展开
The final leg of its journey is about to begin.
今晚我们将结束休眠
Tonight,we're ending hibernation.
宇宙飞船在穿越太阳系的30亿英里旅途中
We have been hibernating the spacecraft for most of the three-billion-mile
大都处于休眠状态
journey across the solar system.
现在休眠结束
That's over now.
这真是历史性的一天
It's really quite a historic day.
宇宙飞船确认所有系统运作正常之后
Once the spacecraft has checked that all systems are up and running,
会立刻传送报告回来给妈咪
it will send a report back to MOM.
当我们收到宇宙飞船的讯号♥
So when we receive a signal from the spacecraft,
那其实是它在四个半小时以前发出的
it's data that the spacecraft sent four-and-a-half hours earlier.
必须要有一个特殊的无线电天线网络
And it requires a special network of radio
才能接收到这个讯号♥
antennas to receive it.
这些巨大的天线，分布在地表各处
Theses enormous antennas are spaced across the globe
所以当地球自转时
so as the Earth rotates,
工作人员可以跟宇宙飞船保持联♥系♥
the team can stay in touch with
24小时全年无休
the spacecraft 24/7.
宇宙飞船有一个10瓦的发射器
The spacecraft has a ten-watt transmitter.
而我们可以在地球上收到讯号♥
That we can pick that signal up on Earth
非常不可思议
is incredible.
相较之下，一般广播电台
In comparison,your average radio station
是用5万瓦的功率发射讯号♥
uses 50,000 watts to transmit a signal.
这是一项惊人成就
It is an amazing accomplishment,
一大部分要归功于那些通信站的技术
and a lot of that's due to the technology that's at the stations,
“深空网络”那些惊人的天线设备
at the Deep Space Network,these amazing antennas.
好戏即将登场
Getting ready for showtime here.
几位工作人员已经聚在隔壁房♥间
A few members of the team have gathered in the room next door,
等着大肆庆祝
hoping to celebrate.
但所有人都还必须稍安勿躁
But that moment will only arrive when
妈咪如坐针毡
a very tense MOM
等待美国航♥天♥总署的“深空网络”告知
gets word from NASA's Deep Space Network
他们已经开始收到新视野号♥的讯号♥
that they are starting to receive a signal from New Horizons.
她的屏幕上开始显示数据
Data begins to show up on her screen.
有了，来了
Did we get it？We got it.
但在她可以松一口气之前
But before she can breathe easy,
任务执行团队全体人员
all members of the Mission Ops team
必须确认所有系统运作正常
must verify that all systems are in working order.
冥王星一号♥妈咪，射频状态检查
RF,MOM on Pluto One.Status Check?
射频显示绿灯
RF is green.
动力状态？
Power status?
动力系统显示绿灯
MAN: Power system is green.
推进状态?
Propulsion status?
推进系统显示绿灯
Propulsion is green.
那就上路了
Oh,there we go!
新视野号♥已经正常苏醒
We have a nominal wake-up of the New Horizons
继续航向冥王星
spacecraft on our way to Pluto.
工作团队准备进入下一阶段旅程
The team is ready for the next leg of our journey.
快要交会了，是啊
We've got an encounter coming.Yeah!
不错吧?
Yeah,how about that?
有些时候真的就跟时钟一样顺
Some days,it just goes like clockwork.
恭喜 干啦
Here we go,cheers.
我们都可以深呼吸一口气
We're just gonna all take a big breath now.