新星：回到月球（2011）

Fifty years after humans first set foot on the moon,
人类首次登上月球50年之后，
it may finally be time to go back.
是时候再回去看看了
We have seen a literal explosion of interest
我们已经看到了一大♥波♥有意向的月球任务
in the last five years or so.
在过去的五年之内
Now it's not just one or two countries.
现在不仅仅是一两个国家
It's the whole world interested in going.
全世界都有兴趣去
This time it's different.
这次不一样了
This time we want to stick around.
这次我们想留下来
Now has come the time for us to make the next giant leap.
现在是我们实现下一次飞跃的时候了
NASA hopes it will become
美国宇航局希望能够
an enabler for lots of different activity on the moon.
在月球上促成许多不同类型的行动
But how would we do that?
我们该怎么做呢？
And why?
为什么要去？
What's changed since the 1970s?
20世纪70年代以来发生了什么变化？
We discovered that the moon is rich in metal deposits,
我们发现月球上有丰富的金属矿床，
large amounts of titanium and iron.
大量的钛和铁
Spaces resources will be the next great
太空资源将是下一场伟大的
economic revolution for humankind.
人类的经济变革机遇
And a critical life-supporting resource.
还有关键的生命支持所需的资源
We think we have found ice.
我们认为我们找到了冰
If we do find water in space,
如果我们在太空中找到了水，
that's pretty much the most significant discovery
这可以说是最重要的发现
that we could have.
我们所做到的
This is an indication that living on the moon
这表明在月球上生活
might be possible.
更具可能性
But is it a game changer?
但这能改变游戏规则吗？
Could we actually live off the moon's resources
我们真的能靠月球资源生活吗
and build a self-sufficient human presence beyond Earth?
在地球之外建立一个自给自足的人类基地？
Are we about to pioneer a new frontier,
我们要开拓一个新的领域
taking the next giant leap for humankind?
人类的下一次巨大飞跃？
There's only one way to find out.
只有一种方法可以找到答案
It's "Back to the Moon,"
就是“重返月球”
right now,on "NOVA"!
现在，在“NOVA”！
Major funding for "NOVA" is provided by the following:
“NOVA”的主要资金来源如下：
December 14,1972.
1972年12月14日
The final Apollo mission prepares to return to Earth.
最后一次阿波罗任务准备返回地球
are you ready for me to go to the...?
准备好了让我去……？
当我在月表踏出人类的最后一步时，
未来的一段时间里，我们相信不久的将来，
我相信美国今天的挑战
铸就了人类明天的命运
As the last man ever to walk on the moon leaves,
作为最后一个在月球上行走的人，
Gene Cernan dreams of a future when people will return.
吉恩·塞尔南曾梦想着人们会回来
我们来了，走了
按神的旨意我们会回来，
为全人类带来和平与希望
But that hope fails to materialize.
但这种愿望未能实现
Years become decades,and there is no return.
几年拖成了几十年，没有再重返
Now,50 years later,that may be about to change.
50年后的今天，这种情况可能即将改变
Humanity has its sights set on the lunar surface once more.
人类再次将目光投向月球表面
In January 2019,
2019年1月，
China's Chang'e 4 mission
中国的嫦娥四号♥任务
becomes the first spacecraft to soft land
成为第一个软着陆的航♥天♥器
on the moon's far side.
在月球的背面
And a few months later,
几个月后，
Israel attempts to become the fourth nation
以色列试图成为第四个国家
to soft land a robotic probe on the moon.
让机器人探测器在月球上软着陆
The idea that a small country
这种想法，一个小国可以
could land on the surface of the moon
实现在月球表面着陆
is a very audacious goal.
是一个非常大胆的目标
And missions to return people to the moon are also taking shape.
使人们重返月球的计划也正在成形
NASA has a plan to build something called
美国宇航局计划建造一个叫做
the Lunar Gateway,
“月球门户”空间站，
which will orbit the moon as a spacecraft
作为太空船环绕月球运行
and allow astronauts to shuttle back up and down
可以让宇航员往返于
from the surface.
月球的表面
There's a real sense of hope in the community
社会中流传着一个愿景
that we are within ten years
我们在十年之内
of putting people back there.
让人重返月球
But why go back now?
为什么现在要回去？
What's changed since the end of the Cold War moon race?
冷战结束后月球竞赛有什么变化？
Recent discoveries suggest there's much more to the moon
最近的发现表明月球上还有更多资源
than meets the eye.
比已经发现的还要多
There are large metal deposits,
有大量的金属沉积物，
large amounts of titanium and iron.
大量的钛和铁
Spaces resources will be the next
太空资源将是下一个
great economic revolution for humankind.
人类伟大的经济革命
Such resources on the moon could kickstart a new space economy.
月球上的这些资源可能会开创新的太空经济
Now it's the private sector,
现在是私营公♥司♥，
they want to see if they have a valid business case
他们想看看是否有一个可行的商业路线
of economic activity that can happen on the moon.
月球上可以运转的经济活动
But with this new economic interest come new questions.
但随着这种新的经济利益带来了新的问题
Is it even possible to exploit resources
可以开♥发♥资源吗
without ownership rights?
在没有所有权的情况下？
Still,at least nine private companies
不过，至少有9家私营公♥司♥
are forging ahead...
正在努力…
banking on a future that includes
寄希望于未来，包括
regular traffic to the moon.
定期去月球的航♥班♥
But getting there is still costly and hard to achieve;
但要去月球仍然需要付出高昂的代价，很难实现；
staying there even harder.
呆在那里更是艰难
So what would it take to establish humanity's
怎样才能建立人类
first foothold on another world?
在另一个世界的第一个立足点？
BACK TO THE MOON
重返月球
The moon is inspiring because it is so real to people.
月亮之所以令人振奋，因为它对人们来说是真实存在
It's something that we see from our houses every night.
我们每天晚上从家里就可以看到
The moon is this gorgeous record of solar system history
月球是太阳系历史上最华美的乐章
and just a few days away waiting for us to go explore.
就在几天之外等着我们去探索
Brett Denevi is in charge of the high resolution cameras
Brett Denevi负责高分辨率摄像机
on NASA's latest moon mapping mission--
美国宇航局最新的月球测绘任务--
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,
月球勘测轨道器，
or LRO.
简称LRO
LRO's mission was to
LRO的任务是
Essentially scout the surface of the moon
基本上就是探测月球表面
for future human exploration.
为未来的人类探索做准备
LRO was called for in 2004
LRO任务于2004年被发起
by President George W.Bush
布♥什♥总统任内
as part of his initiative
作为他的计划的一部分
to return humans to the lunar surface.
把人类送回月球表面
Beginning no later than 2008,
不晚于2008年就开始实施
we will send a series of robotic missions
我们将派出一系列机器人任务
to the lunar surface to research and prepare
去月球表面研究和准备
for future human exploration.
为未来的人类探索
Launched in 2009,
2009年发射，
part of LRO's mission
LRO任务的一部分
is to survey the surface of the moon.
就是勘测月球表面
The moon really preserves
月球真的保存了
a complete geologic record
完整的地质记录
back to nearly the formation of the solar system.
差不多从太阳系的形成开始
LRO is offering new insights
LRO提供了新的方向
into the moon's complete geological history,
研究月球完整的地质历史，
from a point almost as tall as Everest
几乎和珠穆朗玛峰一样高的山峰
to giant Mare basins half the size of continents,
到半个欧洲大♥陆♥大小的巨型月海盆地，
and strange topography unlike anything on Earth.
奇怪的地形和地球上任何表面都不一样
And this is our first look at how the moon's surface
这是我们第一次看到月球表面
is still changing today.
今天仍在持续改变的过程
We can actually map the entire moon every month.
我们每个月都可以扫描整个月球表面
We're detecting the formation of new impact craters
我们正在勘查新撞击坑的形成
that have formed since we've been in orbit.
我们进入轨道后才发生的
So,that's really the reason
所以，这才是真正的原因
why we need these very high-resolution images
为什么我们需要这些高分辨率的图像
that we get from the LRO,
我们从LRO那里得到的，
to pick out scientifically interesting landing sites
挑选科学有趣的着陆地点
to enable future human exploration.
使未来的人类探索成为可能
Dreams of living and working on the moon go back a long way.