宇宙（2007）

The Universe S05E06

Part 7 April 22, 2021, 1:50 p.m.

be ice, water.
冰和水
People are going to need ice to live and drink
人们需要用冰来取水饮用维持生命
and use in a practical sense.
还可以用在其它实际方面
The year is 2050, and a crew on its way to Mars
时间再次跳至2050年一队前往火星的人员
has just stopped at an asteroid
刚刚在一颗小行星上着落
for water and other supplies.
补给水与其它物资
The oxygen in the water can be separated
水中的氧气可以被分离出来
to refill the crew's breathing tanks.
填充队员的氧气罐
But there's even more that this rocky supply station
但是这座岩制补给站
has to offer.
可以提供更多
It's conceivable that with advanced technology,
可以想象到的是有了先进的技术
we could go to those asteroids, break down the water,
我们可以抵达那些小行星分解水分子
and use the hydrogen and oxygen as fuel
分解得到的氢和氧可以用作飞船的燃料
to take spacecraft even farther.
使它飞得更远
And there may even be priceless materials
那里甚至有一些地球上稀缺的
to bring back to earth,
极其珍贵的物质
elements so rare and critical to high-tech success
这些元素对于高科技的实现至关重要
that they could be the cause of future wars.
因此它们可能成为未来战争的导火索
Some asteroids have platinum and titanium
有些小行星蕴含着铂钛等
and rare earth elements that are important
稀土元素电子产品的方方面面
in many aspects of electronics,
都离不开它们
which are called rare earth elements for a reason,
这些元素之所以被称为稀土元素
because they're rare on the earth.
是因为它们在地球上很罕见
They might not be so rare
而在某些种小行星上
in certain kinds of asteroids.
它们也许常见得多
But the most important reason to investigate asteroids
但是研究小行星最主要的原因
remains their ability to instantly
还是因为它们能瞬间
kill millions of people
带走无数人的性命
or wipe out the human race altogether.
或灭绝全人类
To counter this threat,
为了削弱这种威胁
NASA launched the "Wise" Mission in December 2009.
NASA在2009年12月启动了"明智"计划
The wide field infrared survey explorer
广域红外探测器
has already found
已经发现了
25,000 asteroids and more than a dozen comets
25000颗小行星和12多颗彗星
that were too dark to find using visible light.
这些用以前的可见光无法侦测到
It's actually looking all around our solar system,
它在不停观测我们的太阳系
hopefully to look at 99% of the sky
希望能覆盖99%的天空
and try and map more
并努力定位更多
of these near-earth objects, these asteroids
我们之前没能发现的
that we haven't found in the past.
近地物体和小行星
And hopefully, that will help us in understanding
希望这能帮助我们弄清
if there are any that are in near-term
是否存在一些短期内可能与地球
collision courses with the earth.
发生碰撞的天体
And even though it doesn't usually make front page news,
尽管头版新闻不经常报道
there are already plenty of asteroids
但已有许多小行星
that pass close to earth.
近距离经过了地球
In April 2010, a 70-foot-wide asteroid passed
在2010年4月一颗70英尺宽的小行星
within 220,000 miles of earth,
从距离地球220000英里的地方经过
which is closer than the distance
这要小于地球
from the earth to the moon.
到月亮的距离
And a few months before that,
在这的几个月前
a 23-foot-wide asteroid came much closer.
一颗23英尺宽的小行星更加接近地球
In the winter of 2009, in November,
在2009年的冬天也就是11月的时候
there was an asteroid
一颗小行星
that passed so close to the earth,
简直是与地球擦肩而过
it was only 8,000-9,000 miles
它离地球最近时
away at its closest approach.
仅仅相隔8000到9000英里
And we didn't know about that
直到它离我们咫尺之遥时
until it got fairly close.
我们才意识到这一点
That's about the same distance as flying
这段距离相当于
from Los Angeles to Mumbai, India.
从洛杉矶飞至印度孟买♥♥的航程
And back in 1972, a tourist's camera
回到1972年在临近怀俄明州大提顿的地方
near the grand Tetons in Wyoming
一名旅客的摄像机
captured a much closer pass
捕捉到一个类似大小物体
by a similar-sized object.
以近得多的距离擦过地球
The 1972 event was about as close as
1972年的小行星几乎就撞上了地球
you can get to a collision without actually colliding.
当然最后没发生碰撞
On its way in, it was going to collide with the earth,
按照它行进的路线本该撞上地球的
but it skipped off of the atmosphere
但由于大气压力的作用
due to the pressure of the air,
它掠过了大气层
like a pebble being skipped off
就像打水漂一样
of the surface of a lake.
卵石掠过湖面
That was a really close call.
那可真是次亲密接触
Then, in October 2008, a small and seemingly
随后的2008年10月
uneventful impact occurred in a remote part
在非洲苏丹的偏远地区
of the African country of Sudan.
发生了一次看似无关痛痒的冲撞
But it actually represented a giant step forward
可它象征了人类在预测小行星撞击领域
in the science of predicting asteroid impacts.
跨出的一大步
A small asteroid was discovered
人们发现了一颗小行星
and it was predicted to land
并预测它会在第二天
in Sudan the next day, and it did.
在苏丹落地最后的确如此
Now, this is the first case we have of an object
这是我们第一次
that was discovered and then predicted to land
观测到一个物体并预测出它落地的
at a particular time and place.
详尽时间与地点
And in fact, fragments of this object were later found
事实上随后人们在沙漠中
over the desert.
发现了它的碎片
But that was only
可是
a small impact with a single day's notice.
这次只有一天预警的撞击不过是米粒之珠
Today, the jury is still out on whether we'll be able
如今我们到底有没有能力去
to identify and deflect something that could inflict
识别并避免一次毁灭地球的灾难
catastrophic damage on earth.
还尚无定论
Scientists believe there are still millions
科学家们相信
of unidentified asteroids out there
无数未知的小行星仍飘荡在宇宙中
capable of destroying a city...
它们可能摧毁一座城市
or worse.
或更糟
Will we be able to figure out
我们能找出
which ones will cross our path?
那些不速之客吗
And will we be able to prevent them from
我们能阻止它们
slamming into earth?
撞上地球吗
The stakes couldn't possibly be any higher.
我们承受不起如此之高的风险
Each new discovery in the world of asteroids
对小行星的每一点新发现
isn't just a scientific advance,
都不仅仅象征着科技的进步
but an opportunity to increase the survival chances
更意味着人类幸存下去的概率有可能
of mankind.
因此提升