太空电梯——科幻小说还是人类的未来？：英语精读讲义

It's hard to get to space.

去太空很困难。

As much as we all wish there were an easy and affordable way 講解

尽管我们都希望有一种简单又实惠的方法

to see our planet floating in the dark.

去看看我们这颗漂浮在黑暗中的星球。

Right now,

但现在，

the only way is to become an astronaut or a billionaire.

唯一的办法就是成为宇航员或者亿万富翁。

But there is a concept that might make it possible 語法

但有一个概念或许能让其成为现实，

while serving as the starting point for the exploration of the universe, 短語搭配

同时作为探索宇宙的起点，

the space elevator.

那就是太空电梯。

How exactly does it work?

它是如何运作的呢？

To understand how a space elevator will get us into space,

要想弄懂太空电梯如何把我们送入太空，

we must first understand what an orbit is. 語法

我们必须先了解什么是轨道。

Being in orbit basically means falling towards something 用詞

处于轨道中基本上意味着向某物坠落

but moving fast enough to miss. 語法

但移动速度够快从而错过它。

If you throw a ball on Earth,

如果你在地球上扔一个球，

it makes an arc through the air and then hits the ground.

它会在空中划出一道弧线，然后落地。

In space,

在太空中，

gravity makes you move much the same way, 短語搭配

引力会让你以基本相同的方式运动，

but if you move sideways fast enough,

但如果你横向移动的速度够快，

the curvature of the Earth makes the ground fall away beneath you

地球的曲率会让地面在你下方退去，

as fast as gravity pulls you towards it.

退去的速度和你被引力拉向地面的速度一样快。

So, to enter Earth's orbit,

所以，要进入地球轨道，

rockets have to go up and sideways fast.

火箭必须快速向上并横向飞行。

By contrast, 表達脈絡

相比之下，

a space elevator taps into energy from the Earth's rotation 短語動詞

太空电梯利用地球自转的能量

to get the cargo going fast. 語法

让货物快速移动。

Imagine a child spinning a toy on a rope

想象一个孩子正在旋转一根拴着玩具的绳子，

with an ant on the child's hand.

孩子手上有一只蚂蚁。

As the ant climbs out along the rope,

当蚂蚁顺着绳子往外爬时，

it starts to move faster and faster as it ascends. 語法

随着它的攀升，它的移动速度会越来越快。

Compared to rockets with cargo launched on an elevator, 表達脈絡

相比火箭，对于在电梯上发射的货物，

you only need to provide the energy to go up.

你只需要提供向上的能量。

Fast sideways movement comes free with the Earth's rotation. 短語搭配

快速的横向运动由地球自转免费提供。

But a space elevator would, without a doubt, 短語搭配

但毫无疑问，太空电梯将是

be the single largest and most expensive structure

最庞大、最昂贵的单一结构

ever built by humans. 語法

在人类建造史上。

So, is it worth it? 短語搭配

那么，这值得吗？

It all comes down to costs. 短語動詞

这都归结于成本。

Rockets burn a huge amount of rocket fuel 短語搭配

火箭消耗了大量的火箭燃料

just to get a small amount of cargo into space.

只为了把少量的货物送入太空。

At current prices, 短語搭配

按现在的价格计算，

it costs about $20,000 to put 1 kg of payload into space. 語法

将1公斤的有效载荷送入太空大约需要2万美元。

That's $1.3 million for the average human,

对于普通人的体重来说就是130万美元，

$40 million for your car,

对于你的车来说是4000万美元，

billions for an International Space Station.

建造一个国际空间站则需要数十亿美元。

This immense cost is one of the major limitations of human space flight.

这种巨大的成本是人类太空飞行的主要限制之一。

Even with advancing technology,

即使技术不断进步，

this cost isn't likely to be comparable

这种成本不太可能

with the price of an airline ticket anytime soon. 短語搭配

在短期内降到和机票价格相提并论的水平。

A space elevator would solve this problem.

太空电梯就能解决这个问题。

After construction,

建成后，

a space elevator is projected to reduce the cost 100-fold 講解

太空电梯预计将把成本降低100倍

to $200 per kilogram.

降至每公斤200美元。

If an inexpensive space elevator costs $20 billion,

如果一部廉价的太空电梯耗资200亿美元，

then we'll recoup our losses after launching only 1,000 tons. 短語搭配

那么我们只需发射1000吨货物就能收回成本。

Close to the weight of two International Space Stations.

这接近两个国际空间站的重量。

So, what would a space elevator look like in real life?

那么，现实生活中的太空电梯会是什么样子的？

A space elevator has four major components:

太空电梯有四个主要部分：

the tether,

缆绳、

anchor,

锚点、

counterweight,

配重

and climber.

和攀爬器。

The elevator part of the space elevator

太空电梯的电梯部分

is the tether and the climber.

是缆绳和攀爬器。

It extends from the surface of the Earth to space.

它从地球表面延伸到太空。

The climber is like a conventional elevator carriage,

攀爬器就像传统的电梯轿厢，

a chamber that works its way up and down the tether. 習語

是一个在缆绳上上下运行的舱室。

At the base would be an anchor, 語法

底部是一个锚点，

pinning the tether to the Earth,

把缆绳固定在地球上，

along with a port for climbers.

还会有一个供攀爬器使用的港口。

At the top is the counterweight,

顶部是配重，

which holds up the tether. 短語動詞

它支撑着缆绳。

The tether is held tight like a rope

缆绳像绳子一样被绷紧，

and supported from above by the tension from the counterweight,

并在上方由配重的张力支撑着，

located higher than 36,000 km above the Earth's surface.

位于距地球表面超过3万6千公里的高空。

At the counterweight could be a space station,

在配重处可能有一个空间站，

a launching point for all missions from the spaceport elevator.

作为所有从太空港电梯出发任务的发射点。

But can we actually build one?

但我们真的能建一个吗？

It's hard to say.

这很难说。

The biggest challenge is the tether.

最大的挑战是缆绳。

It needs to be light,

它需要轻巧、

affordable,

价格实惠，

and more stable than any material we can produce right now.

并且比我们目前能生产的任何材料都要稳固。

There are promising materials like graphene and diamond nanothreads, 文化背景

有像石墨烯和钻石纳米线这样有前景的材料，

but even they may not be strong enough. 語法

但即使是它们可能也不够坚固。

And aside from being incredibly strong, 短語搭配

而且除了要极其坚固之外，

the tether would also have to withstand atmospheric corrosion,

缆绳还得承受大气腐蚀、

radiation,

辐射，

and micrometeorite and debris

以及微陨石和碎片的

impacts.

撞击。

Additionally,

此外，

it takes several days to climb the elevator. 語法

乘坐电梯爬升需要好几天时间。

How do we power the climber?

我们如何为攀爬器提供动力呢？

It requires a lot of energy to go up.

向上爬升需要大量能量。

Do we need a nuclear reactor on our elevator carriage?

我们需要在电梯轿厢里装个核反应堆吗？

Or do we beam it power from the ground with a superpowered laser? 用詞

还是用超强功率激光从地面发射能量给它？

And where do we get the raw materials for a 36,000 km long tether?

还有我们去哪里找长达3万6千公里缆绳的原材料呢？

Do we make it on Earth and launch it into space,

我们是在地球上制造然后发射到太空，

or do we make it in space and lower it down to the Earth?

还是在太空中制造然后垂降到地球上？

Could asteroid mining be the answer?

小行星采矿会是答案吗？

Put simply, 表達脈絡

简而言之，

there are still some major technological hurdles to overcome. 習語

仍然有一些重大的技术障碍需要克服。

And a space elevator is not without risk. 習語

而且太空电梯也不是没有风险的。

Should the tether break, 語法

如果缆绳断裂，

it would collapse in spectacular style.

它的崩塌过程将会无比惊心动魄。

If it breaks near the anchor,

如果在锚点附近断裂，

the force exerted by the counterweight will cause the entire elevator to rise up, 語法

配重施加的力量会拉着整个电梯上升，

ascending into space.

飞向太空。

Should it break near the counterweight,

如果在配重附近断裂，

the tether will fall,

缆绳就会掉落，

wrapping around the world

缠绕在地球上，

and whipping the end off.

并把末端甩飞。

The resulting debris in orbit could pose serious problems to future spaceflight.

由此产生的轨道碎片可能会对未来的太空飞行造成严重问题。

If we build a space elevator on Earth,

如果在地球上建造太空电梯，

we have to do it right the first time. 短語搭配

第一次就必须做到万无一失。

For these reasons, 表達脈絡

出于这些原因，

some experts have proposed first building a space elevator on the Moon. 語法

一些专家建议先在月球上建太空电梯。

The Moon's gravity is much weaker than the Earth's, 語法

月球的引力比地球弱得多，

so a flimsier but existing material like Kevlar could serve as a tether. 短語搭配

所以像凯夫拉这样相对脆弱但现成的材料就能充当缆绳。

Even with all these challenges, 表達脈絡

尽管面临这些挑战，

the payoff of having a working space elevator would be immense.

拥有一部运作正常的太空电梯带来的回报是巨大的。

It might be the first step 語法

这可能成为我们

to truly becoming a spacefaring civilization.

真正成为星际航行文明的第一步。

Maybe we will never build a space elevator,

也许我们永远也建不成太空电梯，

but in trying to do so, 語法

但在尝试建造的过程中，

we might learn an awful lot. 用詞

我们可能会学到非常多东西。

And when it comes to the exploration of the universe, 表達脈絡

而在探索宇宙这方面，

there can't be too many dreams of a glorious future. 語法

对于辉煌未来的梦想，再多也不嫌多。