宇宙（2007）

The Universe S01E03

Part 2 April 22, 2021, 8:11 p.m.

靠着望远技术,
NASA's Spaceguard Survey has detected over 90% of all NEOs deemed harmful.
NASA的防卫监测已经探测到90%以上的疑似有害的近地天体.
These frightening objects could strike the Earth with the energy
这些令人恐惧的天体会撞击地球,
greater than all the nuclear weapons on our planet today.
其能量超过地球上现有的核武器.
Such an impact could trigger mass extinction.
这样的撞击会引发毁灭.
We wouldn't expect one to hit about,
我们无法预料数百,
every several hundred, thousand or millions of years,
数千或者数百万年里会发生一次,
but if one did it, it could wipe out different fraction of the population.
但一旦发生,就会消灭不同的人种.
So there are very low probability events but high consequence events.
所以是个概率很低但后果严重的事件.
If they hit the Earth they would have global effects.
如果撞击地球就是全球性的事情.
They not only would you wipe out a continent with really heavy shockwaves,
真的发生沉重的打击不仅会抹去大♥陆♥,
but the ejected would be thrown up in the air
还会把陆地抛进大气层,
and come down all around the planet,
然后掉下来覆盖地球,
the atmosphere itself would get to a thousand degrees or so...
大气层温度会达到大约1000度...
And all the vegetation all over the world where that happens
所有地面上的植被
would flash into flames.
会瞬间燃烧.
Cataclysms could also occur with smaller objects,
较小的物体也会引发灾难,
so Congress now asks NASA to locate all NEOs 500 feet in diameter,
所以国会要求NASA定位所有直径500英尺的近地天体,
as wide as the roman Colosseum.
象罗马大剧场那么宽.
An object that big could decimate a metropolitan area or even a small state.
大的天体会消灭首都甚至小的州.
And what worries scientists most is not the asteroids they've discovered,
科学家最担忧的不是已经发现的小行星,
but the ones they have not yet found.
而是还没有被发现的那些.
Well, at the given time there's about 2000 objects
那个,在给定的时间里还有大约2000个天体
for which we can't yet rule out an Earth impact.
我们还无法排除其对地球的影响.
Former astronaut Schweickart has taken the threat of NEOs one step further.
前宇航员Schweickart更进一步地看到了近地天体的威胁.
He's up here before Congress
他来到国会前,
to request a special government agency be responsible
要求政♥府♥委派专员负责
for protecting the public from space rocks.
保护公众,对付太空石块.
Today we have the technology to stop
现在我们已经具备技术终止
Near Earth Objects from impacting the Earth
近地天体在今后撞击地球.
for the rest of history.
I mean, we can literally now
我的意思是,我们现在能够
begin to reshape the local solar system,
开始逐步局部地改造太阳系,
so that our survival is enhanced.
这样我们的生存机会就会得到提高.
The question is: will we or will we go the way of the dinosaurs?
问题是:我们会是或我们会步恐龙的后尘吗?
But Schweickart isn't waiting for NASA or Congress to solve the problem.
但是Schweickart没有等待NASA或国会解决问题.
He has his own plans to save the planet from the next asteroid impact.
他有自己的方案,在下一个小行星撞击时解救地球.
It's hard to believe the Earth has survived over 4.5 billion years,
难以相信地球已经幸存了45亿年,
because since its infancy the planet has taken a beating.
自从在地球幼年是发生过一次撞击后.
Like a boxer, our world is under constant assault
象个拳击师,地球处在小行星
from asteroids that enter our orbit each year,
闯入地球轨道持续的打击下,
but in the future Earth could be knocked out.
在将来,地球也会遭遇打击.
Former Apollo 9 astronaut, Rusty Schweickart refuses
前阿波罗9号♥宇航员Rusty Schweickart
to be bullied by asteroids,
拒绝小行星的威胁,
and now he's ready to defend Earth against these harmful rocks.
现在他准备为地球对抗有害的小行星进行辩护.
We've discovered that there are these Near Earth Objects
我们发现这些近地天体
flying by us all the time,
时刻都在飞近我们,
and we've got more and more capability to modify our environment to
我们已经有了越来越多的能力来改造
enhance our survival.
我们的生存环境.
Schweickart is particularly concerned about an asteroid named 2004MN4,
Schweickart特别关注编号♥为2004MN4的小行星,
better known as Apophis.
更熟悉的名字叫阿波菲斯.
This pockmarked rock, approximately 750 feet in diameter,
这是一个长着痘痘的石头,有近750英尺的直径,
swept near Earth in 2004.
在2004年掠过地球.
Now it's scheduled to pass dangerously close to our planet again,
现在预计会再次危险地经过地球附近,
on Friday, the 13th in April 2029.
会在2029年4月13日,星期五.
So in 2029...
因此在2029年...So in 2029...
Apophis will come closer to us
阿波菲斯将会靠近我们,
than our roam communication satellites orbiting the Earth.
比地球的同步轨道卫星更近.
It will be so close that people who are in the right place will be able to see
它是如此的接近,适当的地方的人们将会肉眼看到
Apophis go by the Earth with your naked eye.
阿波菲斯来到地球.
You won't even have to have binocular,
你甚至可以闭上你的双眼,
that's how close that asteroid is gonna come.
想象那个小行星将会多么的近.
Apophis has an over 99% chance of missing the Earth in 2029,
在2029年,阿波菲斯有99%的机会错开地球,
but if Apophis passes the Earth at a distance of exactly 18,893 miles,
但是如果阿波菲斯在离地球精确的距离,18893英里的地方经过,
it may pass through a gravitational keyhole,
可能会通过一个引力眼,
a narrow region in space, a half mile wide.
这是一个太空的狭窄区域,有半英里宽.
If this happens, the Earth's gravity could upset Apophis,
如果这发生,地球的引力会干扰阿波菲斯,
and change its trajectory.
改变它的轨道.
It could cause it to return, and hit Earth seven years later,
会引起它返回,在7年后撞击地球,
on April 13th, 2036.
在2036年4月13日.
The gravitational effect of the Earth, would cause it to bend,
地球引力的作用,会征服它,
cause the Apophis' orbit to enlarge to precisely the size, which
造成阿波菲斯的轨道扩大到正好在
7年后回到并撞击地球.
seven years later it will come around and hit the Earth.
At the present time, Apophis has 1 in 45.000 chance
现在,阿波菲斯有1:45的机会,
of delivering a deadly blow in 2036.
在2036年给地球致命的一击.
But even these odds have scientists placing bets.
然而甚至这些机会都是科学家的打赌.
It's one thing to know that there is maybe 1 chance on 45.000,
这是一件已经知道可能是45分之一的机会的事情,
that it's gonna hit the Earth, but what you'd like to know is
将会撞击地球,但是你不会愿意去知晓,
if there is one chance in a hundred, if there is one chance in ten,
如果是百分之一,十分之一,
if there is a probability one that it's gonna hit the Earth.
如果就是百分之百将会撞击地球.
Schweickart believes we must regard Apophis
Schweickart认为我们必须关注阿波菲斯,
as we would any natural disaster.
就象对待其它自然灾害一样.
He's even mapped out where Apophis might strike.
他甚至绘制了阿波菲斯可能撞击的地图.
You have the date of the impact, the time of the impact,
你有撞击的数据,撞击的时间,
the orbital inclination, and you can make a map.
轨道的倾角,你就可以绘制地图了.
And what that map shows, is what I have called a "path of risk".
那张地图表明,这就是我称之为的"冒险小路".
It goes all the way across the planet,
它将给出越过地球的所有路经,
and I look at this and I see a high probability of impact and I say...
我看到这,看到碰撞的高机会,我说...
Wow! You know, where might it hit?
哇!你看,会撞击哪里?
According to Schweickart,
按照Schweickart的说法,
Apophis could impact any point along this "path of risk".
阿波菲斯撞击点会沿着"冒险小路".
It begins in Western Siberia,
开始在西西泊利亚,
cuts across and down the Pacific Ocean, near California,
削过太平洋降下,在加利福尼亚附近,
then it traverses Central America and finishes in Western Africa.
接着它横穿美国中部,结束在西非.
Schweickart proposes a chilling scenario of where Apophis might strike.
Schweickart提出了一个阿波菲斯可能击中之地的令人恐惧的假设.
The asteroid could land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California,
小行星会在太平洋尽头的加利福尼亚海滩登陆,
with a force of over one million megatons of TNT.
能量超过一百万兆吨♥TNT.
Such an impact would create
这样一个撞击会在水里造成
5英里宽,9000英尺深的弹坑,
a 5 mile wide, 9,000 foot deep crater in the water,
which would unleash tsunamis,
会引起海啸,
50英尺高的海浪将拍打海岸线,
with reckless 50 foot waves would pound the coast line,
resulting in unimaginable human loss.
造成不计其数的人员死亡.
An asteroid a thousand feet in diameter,
一颗1000英尺直径的小行星,
having it hitting the ocean is not a good deal.
撞击海洋不是件好事.
Hundreds of billions of dollars of damage. For something like that.
上千亿美元的损失.事情就是这样.
Scientists are presently working on technologies
科学家目前做的事是靠技术
to pre-empt such a cosmic strike.
对这样的宇宙打击提前行动.
One idea involves blowing up an asteroid.
一个想法是介入炸毁小行星.
But some feel this could compound the problem,
然而感到会把问题搞得复杂化,
sending several chunks of the asteroid in our direction instead of just one.
小行星碎成几大块替代它在地球的前面.
Consequently, Schweickart's new mission
因此Schweickart的新主意
is to change the orbit of asteroids that could impact Earth.
是改变小行星可能撞击地球的轨道.
What you wanna do is basically
你想要做的是
change the asteroid's orbit very, very slightly.
非常非常细微地改变小行星的基本轨道.
Change its velocity by a ten thousand of a mile per hour,
把它的速度由每小时一万英里改变为一英里,
so that it will miss the Earth instead of hitting it.
这样它将与地球擦肩而过,不会撞击地球.
Rusty's colleagues have drafted a conceptual design
Rusty的同僚已经构思了太空船的概念设计,
of a spacecraft that could deflect asteroids. Particularly Apophis.
用来偏转小行星.独特的阿波菲斯.
One would tow armful asteroids away from Earth.
它将把小行星拖离地球.
But instead of lassoing the rock like a bull at a Rodeo,
不是象牛崽表演套牛那样套住小行星,
the tractor will hover in front of it, and use gravity as a tow line.
而是盘旋在小行星前面,用地球引力作为拖绳.
If you park in front of an asteroid for a long enough period of time,
如果你停在小行星前面足够长的时间,
and you stay close enough to it, but not touching it,
充分地靠近它,但不接触它,
you're going to increase its velocity, or, if you park behind it,
你就会增加它的速度,否则,如果你在它的背后停留,
while it's moving along, you're going to slow it down very slightly.
当它往前跑的时候,就会很细微地让它慢下来.
We can change the orbit of an asteroid,
我们可以改变一颗小行星的轨道,
if we know about it far enough ahead of time.
只要我们有足够的时间提前掌握它.
Although a space probe has landed on an asteroid in the past,
尽管太空探测器已经在过去登陆过小行星,
the most challenging idea is launching a manned mission.
最具挑战性的想法是发射载人飞船.
Once landing on the rock, astronauts could mount a radio transponder,
宇航员在登陆过的小行星上装上无线电传送器,
to track its whereabouts.
来跟踪它的行踪.