了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S11E04

Part 4 April 10, 2023, 10:20 a.m.

10的19次方焦耳
10 to the 19th
joules of energy,
1后面跟着19个0
a one followed by 19 zeros.
1.8乘以10的19次方焦耳等于5000兆吨♥
1.8 times 10 to the 19 joules
is equivalent to 5,000 megatons.
1.8乘以10的19次方焦耳等于5000兆吨♥
1.8 times 10 to the 19 joules
is equivalent to 5,000 megatons.
好比是一个100万吨♥级的核武器
Take a one megaton nuke,
一个实质性的核武器，然后炸毁5000个
a substantial nuclear weapon,
and then blow up 5,000 of them.
这大约相当于地球上
That is roughly the same
amount as all the nuclear
所有核武器
weapons on Earth,
一次爆♥炸♥的当量
detonating all at once.
这么大的打击会影响到整个地球
[Rowe] A strike this large would
affect the whole planet.
[萨特]这将产生全球性影响
[Sutter] This would have
global impacts.
我们将不得不面对后果
We would have to deal with
the fallout,
我们将不得不面对后果
We would have to deal with
the fallout,
这个事件的后果
the literal fallout
from this event for --
可能会持续1000年
for potentially
1,000 years.
2023年春天,
[Rowe] Spring, 2023.
我们有两个选择——
We had two choices --
什么都不做，坦然面对一场改变地球的灾难
do nothing and face
a planet-changing catastrophe,
或者反击
or fight back.
我们选择了反击阿佩普
We chose to take on Apep.
这是人类历史上第一次
It was the first time
in human history
我们有能力阻止自然灾害的
that we might actually be able
to prevent a natural disaster
我们有能力阻止自然灾害的
that we might actually be able
to prevent a natural disaster
发生
from happening.
我们可以计划并启动一个救援任务
We could plan and launch
a response mission,
这样我们就不必躲开
so we don't have
to get out of the way.
让它别挡道
Make it get
out of the way instead.
这次任务的目标很简单——
[Rowe] The mission's objective
was simple --
阻止小行星撞击，拯救世界
stop the asteroid,
and save the world.
我们无法将地震断层强力粘合
We can't superglue
an earthquake fault shut.
我们无法封堵火山
We can't cork volcanoes,
但为小行星撞击做计划
but planning
for an asteroid impact
但为小行星撞击做计划
but planning
for an asteroid impact
我们真的可以做到
is something
we really could do.
2023年6月
[Rowe] June 2023.
一颗巨大的小行星正朝地球撞来
A large asteroid
was headed towards Earth.
预计它将于2029年11月4日袭击地球
It was predicted to strike on
November 4, 2029.
为了保护我们的星球
To protect our planet,
一组科学家计划使小行星偏转
A team of scientists plan to
deflect the asteroid.
一组科学家计划使小行星偏转
A team of scientists plan to
deflect the asteroid.
一颗1800英尺宽的小行星
[Sutter]
An 1,800-foot wide asteroid
正朝地球撞来
was headed towards the Earth.
我们需要它向任何其他方向飞去
We needed it to go in
literally any other direction.
那我们怎么才能让阿佩普偏离轨道呢？
[Rowe] So how could we
push Apep off course?
科学家们在小行星带发现了一条线索
Scientists found a clue in
the asteroid belt.
有时候太空碎片块会碰撞
Sometimes the lumps
of space debris collide
有时候太空碎片块会碰撞
Sometimes the lumps
of space debris collide
并改变其轨迹
and change their trajectory.
也许我们可以如法炮制，转移阿佩普的方向
Maybe we could replicate this
and deflect Apep.
我们可以试着让小行星偏转，改变它的轨道
We could try to deflect the
asteroid and change its orbit
让它远离地球
so that it actually
misses the Earth.
[萨特]如果你做得足够早
[Sutter]
If you do it early enough,
可能不需要偏转太多，每秒不到半毫米
it may not be much, less than
half a millimeter per second,
但这就足够了
but that is enough.
这些小行星要运行数百万英里
These asteroids travel for
millions of miles, and so over
所以在几天，几周
the course of days, weeks,
所以在几天，几周
the course of days, weeks,
几个月，几年的过程中，它会有一个完全不同的轨道
months, and years, it will have
a radically different orbit.
听起来很简单
[Rowe] Sounds simple.
发射一枚装有机器人太空探测器的火箭
Send up a rocket with
a robotic space probe,
飞行数百万英里，把阿佩普撞离地球
travel millions of miles,
and knock Apep away from Earth.
小菜一碟
Piece of cake.
在电影中
In the movies,
当发现有威胁的小行星时
when there's a threatening
asteroid that's found,
总会有一枚火箭在发射台上准备发射
there's always a rocket on
the pad ready to go after that,
而现实生活中并非如此
and it's not the case
in real life.
而现实生活中并非如此
and it's not the case
in real life.
设计任务、建造卫星、发射卫星
It takes years
to design the mission,
需要数年时间
to build the satellite,
to launch it,
然后它必须到达那里
and then it has to get there,
而那里可能距离地球数百万英里
and that might be millions
of miles away from Earth.
幸运的是，地球领先一步
[Rowe] Fortunately,
Earth had a head start.
我们很早就发现了阿佩普
We detected Apep early,
我们已经建造了一个小行星偏转器
and we'd already built
an asteroid deflector called
叫做双小行星重定向测试
the Double Asteroid
Redirection Test,
简称 DART
or DART for short.
2021年，我们将 DART 发射到680万英里外
In 2021 we sent DART
6.8 million miles
与一颗名为 Didymos 的小行星会合
to rendezvous with
an asteroid called Didymos.
Didymos 对地球没有威胁
Didymos posed
no threat to Earth,
但让我们得以测试这项技术
but allowed us
to test the technology.
[塔勒尔]这颗名为 Didymos 的小行星
[Thaller]
The asteroid called Didymos
周围有一颗小的卫星小行星
has a small moon asteroid
going around it.
DART任务的重点
The point of the DART mission
是向这个小卫星发射一个撞击器
was to send an impactor
into this little moon
看看我们能把它从轨道上推多远
and see how much we nudge
it off the orbit that it's in.
从DART任务中吸取经验
[Rowe] Lessons learned
from DART
将激发新的任务
would inspire a new mission.
2025年11月
November 2025.
我们启动了DAAFE任务
We launched
the DAAFE mission --
让阿佩普偏离地球
deflect Apep
away from Earth.
这不是对安全小行星的测试
This wasn't a test run to
a safe asteroid.
这是真正的任务，拯救我们的星球
This was the real deal,
a mission to save our planet.
这是一个巨大的技术挑战
It was an enormous
technical challenge,
我们不知道它是否可行
and we had no idea
if it would work.
我们不知道这是否可行
and we had no idea
if it would work.
当你想象一艘宇宙飞船从数百万英里外的地球出发