如何建造戴森球——终极巨型建筑：英语精读讲义

Human history is told by the energy we use.

人类历史是一部能源使用史。

At first, 表達脈絡

起初，

we had to use our muscles.

我们只能使用肌肉力量。

Then we learned to control fire.

后来我们学会了控制火。

We industrialized the world using coal and oil

我们利用煤炭和石油实现了世界的工业化，

and entered the atomic age when we learned how to split a nucleus. 文化背景

并在掌握了原子核分裂技术后进入了原子时代。

At each step,

在每一个阶段，

we increased our energy harvest to a scale never seen before

我们对能源的获取都达到了前所未有的规模，

and advanced as a species.

并作为一个物种不断进步。

Currently,

如今，

we're slowly transitioning to renewables 用詞

我们正缓慢地向可再生能源过渡，

and if we're lucky,

如果运气好的话，

fusion energy will become viable in the future.

未来核聚变能源将会变得可行。

As humanity progresses further,

随着人类的进一步发展，

if we don't destroy ourselves or our habitat,

如果我们没有自我毁灭或破坏我们的栖息地，

we will likely gain complete control of our planet's resources.

我们很可能会完全掌控地球的资源。

At that stage,

到了那个阶段，

we'll probably begin to look outwards for new places to expand into. 短語搭配

我们可能会开始向外寻找新的扩张家园。

But space is hard

但探索太空很艰难，

and establishing a serious human presence in the solar system 短語搭配

要在太阳系中建立重要的人类基地

will require ungodly amounts of energy. 用詞

将需要极其庞大的能量。

Luckily,

幸运的是，

we know where to find it.

我们知道去哪里寻找。

The sun,

那就是太阳，

the ultimate source of energy. 用詞

终极的能量源。

A furnace 100 quintillion times more powerful 習語

它是一个比我们最高效的核反应堆

than our most efficient nuclear reactor.

强大10亿亿倍的火炉。

It shines with the energy of a trillion nuclear bombs per second.

它的辐射能量相当于每秒引爆一万亿颗核弹。

So,

那么，

how do we get this energy?

我们该如何获取这种能量？

Not some of it, 表達脈絡

不是获取一部分，

all of it.

而是全部。

If we want to collect the most energy physically possible,

如果我们想要收集物理上可能收集到的最大能量，

we'll have to build the largest,

我们就必须建造宇宙中最大的、

most ambitious structure in the universe,

最雄心勃勃的结构，

the Dyson sphere. 文化背景

戴森球。

A megastructure that encompasses a whole star

这是一种能包围整颗恒星的巨型结构，

to capture its power output.

用于捕获其输出的能量。

For an intelligent species,

对于一个智能物种来说，

building a Dyson sphere is a technological leap

建造戴森球在技术上的飞跃

on a par with the discovery of fire for our ancestors. 習語

堪比我们祖先对火的发现。

The transition from a planetary species

它是从行星物种

to an interstellar species.

向星际物种的过渡。

It would usher in an age of exploration and expansion 短語搭配

它将开启一个探索和扩张的新时代，

on a scale we can barely imagine. 短語搭配

其规模远远超出我们的想象。

So,

那么，

what would it look like?

戴森球究竟是什么样的？

A solid shell enveloping the sun

用一个实心外壳包裹住太阳，

is probably not the way to go. 習語

可能行不通。

A large rigid body like that

因为这样巨大的刚体

would be vulnerable to impacts, 短語搭配

极易受到撞击的影响，

possibly shattering.

可能发生碎裂。

It would be liable to drift 語法

它还容易发生漂移，

and could crash straight into the sun.

甚至直接坠入太阳。

A more viable design for a Dyson sphere might be a Dyson swarm, 文化背景

戴森球更可行的设计可能是戴森云，

an enormous set of orbiting panels

这是一组庞大的轨道面板群，

that collect the sun's power and beam it elsewhere. 用詞

收集太阳能并将其传输到其他地方。

Such a swarm would give humanity basically unlimited energy.

这样的云带基本能为人类提供无限的能源。

But building it won't be easy.

但是建造它并不容易。

The sun is very big,

太阳非常巨大，

so we need a lot of satellites.

所以我们需要大量的卫星。

If each satellite is a square kilometer,

如果每颗卫星是一平方公里，

we'd need around 30 quadrillion to surround the sun.

我们大约需要3亿亿颗卫星才能包围太阳。

Even if they're built as lightly as possible,

即使它们被建得尽可能轻，

we need about 100 quintillion tons of material.

我们也需要大约100亿亿吨的材料。

And then we need the energy to actually put the parts together

此外，我们还需要将这些部件组装起来

and deliver them to their positions around the sun.

并把它们送到环绕太阳指定位置的能量。

On top of all that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

we need to have a permanent infrastructure set up in space 短語動詞

我们需要在太空中建立永久的基础设施

to start building.

以开始建造。

Let's assume for the purposes of this video 表達脈絡

在本视频中我们暂且假设

that our descendants will take care of that 短語動詞

我们的后代会解决这个问题，

and want to create the megastructure.

并希望创造出这个巨型结构。

We can sort the challenges into three main categories: 短語搭配

我们可以将挑战分为三个主要类别：

materials,

材料、

design,

设计、

and energy.

和能源。

To get the vast amounts of raw materials required for our Dyson swarm, 短語搭配

为了获得戴森云所需的巨大数量的原材料，

we'll have to largely disassemble a whole planet.

我们将不得不在很大程度上拆解整颗行星。

Of the planets available,

在所有可用的行星中，

Mercury is the best candidate.

水星是最好的候选者。

It's the closest to the sun

它离太阳最近，

and very metal rich. 用詞

并且金属含量非常丰富。

Close to the sun

离太阳近

also means less moving stuff around.

也意味着减少了物资运输的距离。

And Mercury has no atmosphere

而且水星没有大气层，

and only about a third of the surface gravity of Earth,

表面引力只有地球的三分之一左右，

making it comparatively easy to launch material into space. 語法

这使得将材料发射到太空中相对容易。

Next,

接下来，

we should consider the design of our swarm.

我们应该考虑戴森云的设计。

Simpler is better. 語法

越简单越好。

Conventional solar panels are far too intricate 語法

传统的太阳能电池板太过复杂，

and short-lived. 用詞

且寿命较短。

Our satellites need to operate without repairs or intervention

我们的卫星需要在无维修或人为干预的情况下，

for astronomically long times 習語

运行一段极长的时间，

and they need to be cheap to produce.

并且生产成本必须低廉。

They're most likely going to be enormous mirrors,

它们很可能是巨大的镜子，

which refocus sunlight to central collecting stations,

将阳光重新聚焦到中央收集站，

like in concentrated solar power on Earth.

就像地球上的聚光太阳能发电一样。

To build and launch them efficiently,

为了高效地制造和发射它们，

they must be incredibly light,

它们必须极其轻盈，

made of little more than polished metal foil 短語搭配

只是用抛光金属箔

bound to some supports. 用詞

绑在某些支架上制成。

And last,

最后，

we need the energy to build and launch the swarm itself.

我们需要能量来建造和发射戴森云本身。

Taking apart a planet and launching things into space 短語動詞

拆解一颗行星并将物体发射到太空

requires an enormous amount of energy.

需要极其庞大的能量。

For example,

例如，

if we used all the fossil fuels and uranium on Earth

如果我们耗尽地球上所有的化石燃料和铀，

and we were perfectly efficient,

并且达到完美的效率，

we could only launch as much mass as Mount Everest into space. 語法

我们最多只能将相当于珠穆朗玛峰质量的物体发射到太空。

A rather meager accomplishment 表達脈絡

这点成就是相当微不足道的，

compared to planetary disassembly.

与拆解行星相比。

To get the energy needed to build a Dyson sphere,

为了获得建造戴森球所需的能量，

it's almost as if you're going to need the power output of a Dyson sphere. 語法

你几乎需要相当于一个戴森球的能量输出。

But that's okay.

但这没关系。

There's plenty of sunlight to be had on Mercury, 語法

水星上有充足的阳光，

so let's get to work. 短語搭配

让我们开工吧。

Humans are expensive to keep alive

维持人类生存的代价很高，

and are very sensitive to the environment.

并且对环境非常敏感。

So,

所以，

we'd want to automate as much as possible. 語法

我们希望尽可能实现自动化。

Ideally,

理想情况下，

we'd have a small crew of controllers

我们会有少量控制人员，

who oversee an army of autonomous machines 習語

监督一支自动机器大军

doing the actual work.

去执行实际的建造工作。

There are four major pieces of technology required:

这项工程需要四项主要技术：

solar collectors,

太阳能收集器、

miners,

采矿机、

refiners,

提炼设备、

and launch equipment.

和发射设备。

The solar collectors

太阳能收集器

are going to give us the energy

将为我们提供

we need to disassemble the planet.

拆解这颗行星所需的能量。

To start,

一开始，

maybe we deploy something like 1 square kilometer of them,

也许我们可以部署大约1平方公里的收集器，

either as mirrors

无论是作为反射镜

or as traditional solar panels.

还是传统的太阳能电池板。

They'll provide the energy to run our miners,

它们将为我们的采矿机提供运转的能源，

which strip mine the surface of the planet, 用詞

采矿机在地表进行露天开采，

and our refiners,

也为提炼设备提供能源，

which extract valuable elements

提炼出有价值的元素，

and fabricate them into our swarm satellites. 短語搭配

并将它们制造成我们的云卫星。

To get them into space,

为了将它们送入太空，

we need a creative and efficient solution.

我们需要一种有创意且高效的解决方案。

Rockets are too expensive

火箭太过昂贵，

and difficult to deorbit and reuse. 用詞

而且难以脱离轨道并重复使用。

Instead,

相反，

we'll want to use a sort of railgun, 語氣意圖

我们希望使用一种电磁轨道炮，

a long electromagnetic track,

这是一条长长的电磁轨道，

which launches our satellites at high speeds.

能以极高的速度发射我们的卫星。

Our swarm satellites would be packed tight for launch, 短語搭配

我们的云卫星在发射时会被紧紧打包，

unfurling like an enormous origami 習語

一旦进入轨道，就会像巨大的折纸一样展开。

once in orbit. 語法

就像展开的巨大折纸。

From this point, 表達脈絡

从此以后，

we can take advantage of exponential growth, 講解

我们就可以利用指数增长的优势，

using the energy of the existing parts of the swarm

利用已有戴森云部分的能量，

to build more infrastructure on Mercury

在水星上建设更多的基础设施，

and launch new panels faster and faster. 語法

并以越来越快的速度发射新面板。

Each panel provides the energy to build another.

每个面板都能提供建造另一个面板的能量。

Those two work together to build the next two.

两个面板协同工作以建造接下来的两个。

Four become eight,

4变8，

eight become 16,

8变16，

and so on. 表達脈絡

以此类推。

Within just about 60 doubling times, 用詞

在大约60次翻倍时间内，

the sun would be completely surrounded by solar panels.

太阳就会完全被太阳能电池板包围。

And this can happen quickly.

而且这可能会发生得非常快。

If a square kilometer of solar collectors takes a month to build,

如果一平方公里的太阳能收集器需要一个月来建造，

we could be done in a decade,

我们可能在十年内就能完成，

if only our infrastructure on the planet's surface

只要我们在该行星表面的基础设施

can keep up with the quickly growing budget of energy. 短語動詞

能跟上快速增长的能源预算即可。

Even collecting 1% of the sun's energy

即使只收集到太阳能量的1%，

is an unbelievable change in our species' energy budget. 用詞

对于我们这个物种的能源总量来说，也是不可思议的改变。

We could create the infrastructure to beam basically unlimited amounts of energy around the solar system for all sorts of projects:

我们可以建立向整个太阳系发送近乎无限能量的基础设施，用于各种项目：

colonies on other worlds,

在其他世界建立殖民地、

terraforming planets,

地球化改造行星、

constructing more megastructures,

建造更多巨型结构，

or even traveling to other stars.

甚至前往其他恒星的旅行。

It could be the start of an interstellar civilization.

这可能是星际文明的开端。

Based on physics alone, 表達脈絡

仅从物理学角度来看，

this is not just possible, 語法

这不仅仅是可能的，

but easy.

而且很容易。

It's such a simple process

这个过程是如此简单，

and such a necessary step for any species to expand beyond their home planet,

并且是任何物种向母星之外扩张的必经之路，

that many astronomers think

以至于许多天文学家认为

there are probably Dyson spheres already out there in the Milky Way.

银河系中可能已经存在戴森球了。

We haven't spotted any yet,

虽然我们还没发现任何一个，

but they could be there.

但它们可能就在那里。

It's far from certain that humanity will ever get to this point. 短語搭配

人类能否达到这一步还远未可知。

Our attention is too often focused on short-term political gains 短語搭配

我们的注意力往往过多地集中在短期的政治利益上，

and conflicts that will not matter in the long run. 習語

以及从长远来看无关紧要的冲突。

But if we survive the challenges we've set ourselves, 短語搭配

但如果我们能度过我们自己制造的挑战，

we could potentially become the first species in the universe

我们就有可能成为宇宙中第一个

to create a structure with the scope of a star.

创造出恒星级规模结构的物种。

If we do it,

如果我们做到了，

the only limitation left 表達脈絡

剩下的唯一限制

will be our own imagination.

将只有我们自己的想象力。