了解宇宙是如何运行的（2010）

How the Universe Works S11E04

Part 6 April 10, 2023, 10:20 a.m.

really, one of the
most emotional
最“情绪化”的东西之一
things that humans have
ever invented.
[里夫金]它们是我们工具箱里最强大的工具
[Rivkin] They are the most
powerful tool in our toolbox.
我们有一个锤子，这是一个非常大的锤子
We've got a hammer,
and it's a very big hammer,
但是有很多关于它们的担忧
but there are a lot of
concerns with them,
所以根据国际法
so they cannot be
tested in space,
它们不能在太空中测试
according to international law.
它们不能在太空中测试
according to international law.
由于无法在太空中试验核武器
[Rowe] Without being able
to test nukes in space,
人们认为这种风险太大
they were considered
too big a risk,
但纽约最后还有一个潜在的救世主
but New York had one final
potential savior,
那就是地球自己
the Earth itself.
2013年，俄♥罗♥斯♥车里雅宾斯克
2013, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
一颗小行星在大气层中爆♥炸♥了
An asteroid blew up
in the atmosphere.
一颗小行星在大气层中爆♥炸♥了
An asteroid blew up
in the atmosphere.
它没有砸到地表
It didn't make it all the way
to the surface,
车里雅宾斯克的人们因此非常幸运
and the people in Chelyabinsk
are very lucky because of that.
车里雅宾斯克宽60英尺的小行星
[Rowe] The 60-foot-wide
Chelyabinsk asteroid
和阿佩普一样是岩石
was rocky like Apep,
它的移♥动♥速度也差不多
and it moved
at a similar velocity,
大约每小时4万英里
around 40,000 miles an hour,
但当它进入地球大气层时遇到了对手
but it met its match when it
entered Earth's atmosphere.
地球的大气层看起来并不怎么样
Earth's atmosphere
doesn't look like much.
你也许会想，哦，这只是空气，没用
You think, oh, it's just air,
it doesn't matter,
你也许会想，哦，这只是空气，没用
You think, oh, it's just air,
it doesn't matter,
但所有这些分子实际上
but all of those molecules
actually exert pressure
都对小行星的前缘施加了压力
on the front edge
of the asteroid,
使其减速并使其升温
slowing it down
and heating it up.
岩石被加热
Rock heated up
在穿越过程中开始破碎和爆♥炸♥
and began to crumble and explode
as it came through.
这次半空中的爆♥炸♥被称为空爆
[Rowe] The midair explosion,
called an airburst,
释放的能量超过44万吨♥TNT炸♥药♥
released more energy
than 440,000 tons of TNT.
冲击波传播了100英里
The shockwave traveled
100 miles,
破坏了7000座建筑
damaging 7,000 buildings
造成1500人受伤
and injuring 1,500 people.
但如果是对城市地面
But a ground strike
hitting a city
发动打击会更糟糕
would have been a lot worse.
阿佩普2.0比车里雅宾斯克岩石大5倍
Apep 2.0 was five times larger
than the Chelyabinsk Rock.
它会在穿越大气层的
Would it break up during its
10秒钟内解体
10-second trip down
through the atmosphere,
还是会直接穿透大气层？
or would it pierce
right through?
还是会直接穿透大气层？
or would it pierce
right through?
行星防御小组进行了模拟
The planetary defense team
ran simulations.
当它穿过地球大气层时
As that comes through
Earth's atmosphere,
一些热空气会进入裂缝
some of that hot air can get
into the cracks.
摩擦和压力会将Apep 2.0的表面
[Rowe] Friction and pressure
would heat Apep 2.0's
加热到数千华氏度
surface to thousands of
degrees Fahrenheit.
在这样的温度下，连岩石都能燃烧
At those temperatures,
even rock burns.
我们会看到这个燃烧的死亡怪物
We would see this
flaming monster
我们会看到这个燃烧的死亡怪物
We would see this
flaming monster
穿过我们的大气层
of death coming racing
through our atmosphere.
会有碎片蒸发掉
There are gonna be pieces of
debris vaporizing
并掉出来
and coming off of it.
所以你会看到这些闪光
So you get these flashes of
light that happen
一个接一个地发生——砰砰，砰砰，砰砰，砰砰，砰砰，砰砰
one after another -- pop, pop,
pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,
就像这些东西在爆♥炸♥一样
as these things
are blowing up.
计算机模拟显示
[Rowe]
The computer simulations
Apep 2.0的额外体积将阻止它爆♥炸♥
showed that the extra bulk of
Apep 2.0的额外体积将阻止它爆♥炸♥
Apep 2.0 would stop it from
blowing up.
一些小行星会爆♥炸♥，
Some of the asteroid would
blast away,
但大部分太空岩石
but most of the space rock
会到达地球表面
would reach the
Earth's surface.
所以在接近实际撞击的时候
So that close to the
actual impact,
我们几乎只需要蹲下来接受它
we pretty much just had to
hunker down and take it.
纽约市的前景十分暗淡
[Rowe] The prospects for
New York City were grim.
它面临着毁灭
It was facing annihilation.
2029年10月
[Rowe] October 2029.
离撞击还有三周
Three weeks to impact.
对于纽约大都市区的市民来说
For the citizens of the New York
metropolitan area,
他们的目标只有一个——逃离枪林弹雨
there was only one goal --
Get out of the firing line.
现在我们必须
Now we had to have
制定疏散这些城市的计划
the plans in place
to evacuate these cities.
制定疏散这些城市的计划
the plans in place
to evacuate these cities.
这对纽约及其市民来说是一个重大紧急事件
It was a major emergency for
New York and its citizens.
是时候撤离了
Time to move out of the way.
为了确定哪些人应该撤离到哪里
[Rowe] To work out who
should evacuate and to where,
科学家们对潜在爆♥炸♥区域
Scientists ran detailed
projections
进行了详细的预测
of the potential blast area.
这里有一个椭圆，我们称之为危险椭圆
There's an ellipse there that
we call the hazard ellipse that
它表示这个区域的某个地方是小行星会撞击的地方
says somewhere in this area is
where the asteroid will hit.
这意味着还有一些回旋的余地
That means there's
a little wiggle room
以及一系列处于危险中的地区
and a range of areas
that are in danger.
以及一系列处于危险中的地区
and a range of areas
that are in danger.
根据危险椭圆预测
[Rowe] Based on the hazard
ellipse projections,
政♥府♥发布了三州地区的
the government issued
evacuation orders
疏散命令
for the tri-state area,
南至费城
and as far south
as Philadelphia.
这是美国历史上规模最大的一次疏散
It was the biggest evacuation
in US history.
数百万人流离失所
Millions were displaced.
这在物理上是可怕的
It was physically horrific.
我住在纽约大都市区
I live in the New York
metropolitan area.
这对我、我的家人和朋友来说太可怕了
It was horrible for me and my
family and my friends,
这对我、我的家人和朋友来说太可怕了
It was horrible for me and my
family and my friends,
但我们不能只是坐在这里，交叉手指
but we can't just sit here and
cross our fingers and hope that
希望我们不会被袭击
we don't get struck.