如果我们重新打开旅行者1号的相机，会发生什么？：英语精读讲义

This is the famous pale blue dot image taken by Voyager 1, 文化背景

这是由旅行者1号拍摄的著名的“暗淡蓝点”照片，

showing our Earth as a tiny pixel 6 billion km away.

展示了60亿公里外我们将地球看作一个小像素的样子。

This image was taken before many of you were even born,

这张照片是在你们很多人还没出生前拍的，

but the elements and materials that made us are all contained in that tiny blue dot we call home.

但构成我们的所有元素和物质都包含在那个我们称之为家的小蓝点中。

But this date is significant.

但这个日期意义重大。

Just 34 minutes after this picture was taken,

就在这张照片拍完仅仅34分钟后，

the cameras were switched off forever,

相机被永久关闭，

leaving Voyager 1 completely blind. 語法

让旅行者1号彻底失去了视觉。

Since then, 語法

从那时起，

the spacecraft has become the farthest man-made object in space.

这艘探测器就成了太空中最远的人造物体。

Now,

现在，

at a point 24 billion km from Earth.

它距离地球已有240亿公里。

But why were the cameras turned off?

但是为什么要关掉相机呢？

And what would it take to turn them back on? 語法

如果要重新打开它们，又需要满足什么条件呢？

In this video,

在这个视频里，

we're going to look at how the cameras on Voyager 1 actually worked,

我们将探讨旅行者1号上的相机到底是怎样工作的，

and what they might see if they were turned back on.

以及如果它们被重新打开，可能会看到什么。

Also,

另外，

at the end of this video,

在本视频的最后，

we'll be doing a giveaway of this awesome space shuttle LEGO set.

我们将抽奖赠送这套超赞的航天飞机乐高套装。

So,

所以，

stick around and see how you could win. 短語動詞

请看到最后，了解你怎样才能中奖。

The Voyager space probes have broken so many records during their time in space.

旅行者号太空探测器在太空运行期间打破了许多记录。

Not only are they the farthest objects in space, 語法

它们不仅是太空中距离最远的物体，

but they've also been operating for the longest amount of time,

也是运行时间最长的人造物体，

over 45 years.

已经超过了45年。

It's incredible to think that after all that time spent in the harsh environment of space,

令人难以置信的是，在经历了太空严酷环境的漫长岁月后，

the computers and systems that were designed here on Earth in the '70s are still functioning.

70年代在地球上设计制造的计算机和系统，现在居然还能运转。

Voyager 1 was filled with technology that was way ahead of its time. 習語

旅行者1号满载着当时远超时代的科技。

And a perfect example of that is the camera system. 表達脈絡

其中最完美的例子就是它的相机系统。

Voyager 1 has two vidicon cameras onboard,

旅行者1号搭载了两台光导摄像管相机，

which are essentially very early television cameras using analog to digital technology.

它们本质上是极早期的、采用模拟转数字技术的电视摄像机。

They had an effective resolution of 800 x 800 pixels

它们的有效分辨率为800 x 800像素，

and captured 8-bit images in grayscale.

并能拍摄8位灰度图像。

One had a wide-angle lens for capturing the planets in full detail as the probe passed close by.

其中一台配备了广角镜头，用于在探测器近距离飞越行星时捕捉其全貌。

The other had a narrow-angle lens and could capture the smaller details of each planet it observed

另一台则配备了窄角镜头，可以捕捉所观测行星的更多细节，

and of course,

当然，

look back at our solar system as it grew smaller and smaller on the horizon. 語法

也包括回望我们逐渐在视界中缩小远去的太阳系。

However,

然而，

before the light reached these cameras,

在光线到达这些相机之前，

it went through an optics system that allowed it to form colored images.

会先经过一个能让其形成彩色图像的光学系统。

This was a filter wheel that contained violet,

这是一个包含紫、

blue,

蓝、

green,

绿、

and orange filters.

和橙色滤光片的滤光轮。

Voyager would take multiple images of its subject using each of its filters.

旅行者号会使用每个滤光片对其目标拍摄多张图像。

As the light passed through the filter,

当光线穿过滤光片时，

it would only allow light from that color to pass through,

它只允许该颜色的光线通过，

and other colors would be absorbed.

而其他颜色的光线则会被吸收。

The images were still taken in grayscale,

拍出的图像虽然仍然是灰度的，

but each image would have areas with different amounts of brightness where the light was more sensitive to a certain color.

但由于对不同颜色的感光差异，每张图像的不同区域会呈现不同亮度。

After these images were sent to Earth,

这些图像传回地球后，

they were saturated with their respective filter color and combined to form a full-color image. 用詞

会用它们各自对应的滤光片颜色进行饱和处理，并合并成一张全彩图像。

This is essentially how the human eye works, 表達脈絡

这基本上就是人类眼睛的工作原理，

since our eyes have three color-sensing cones,

因为我们的眼睛有三种感色视锥细胞：

red,

红色、

green,

绿色、

and blue,

和蓝色，

which are combined to give us vision with a range of colors.

它们结合在一起，为我们提供了色彩斑斓的视觉体验。

But with Voyager 1,

但是对于旅行者1号来说，

the real magic happens inside the vidicon tube. 習語

真正的奇迹发生在光导摄像管内部。

After the light passes through the lens and filter wheel,

光线穿过镜头和滤光轮后，

it enters into the vidicon tube.

就会进入光导摄像管。

The first thing the photons hit is a see-through faceplate made from a layer of tin oxide,

光子首先击中的是由一层氧化锡制成的透明面板，

which has a photoconductive target plate just behind it.

它的正后方有一块光电导靶板。

When the photons hit the target plate,

当光子撞击靶板时，

free electrons are created.

就会产生自由电子。

The higher the intensity of light on any given point, 語法

任意给定点上的光强越高，

the more free electrons are created.

产生的自由电子就越多。

These free electrons are then attracted to the faceplate,

然后这些自由电子会被面板吸引，

leaving behind gaps on the target plate.

在靶板上留下空隙。

After this,

在此之后，

a cathode at the back of the tube fires electrons towards the target plate to scan the image.

管子后部的阴极向靶板发射电子以扫描图像。

These electrons reach the target plate and fill in the gaps, 短語動詞

这些电子到达靶板并填补空隙，

creating an electric current.

从而产生电流。

This signal contains the image data and can now be transmitted back to Earth.

这个信号包含了图像数据，现在就可以传回地球了。

But transmitting the data from billions of kilometers away is very difficult,

但是从数十亿公里外传输数据非常困难，

and many things could go wrong.

且很容易出错。

That's where NordVPN came in. 表達脈絡

这就轮到 NordVPN 出场了。

Just kidding,

开个玩笑，

NordVPN weren't around back then.

那时候还没有 NordVPN。

But they are now,

但现在有了，

and protecting your data is more important than ever.

而且保护你的数据比以往任何时候都重要。

NordVPN is the fastest VPN out there,

NordVPN 是市面上速度最快的 VPN，

and with just one click,

只需一键，

you can connect to any one of the 5,000 servers around the world and get instant protection.

你就可以连接到全球 5000 台服务器中的任意一台，获得即时保护。

How many times have you gone to watch a YouTube video or Netflix series,

有多少次你想看 YouTube 视频或 Netflix 剧集，

only to find it's not available and doesn't even appear in your country? 語法

却发现它不可看，甚至在你的国家都搜不到？

With NordVPN,

有了 NordVPN，

all you need to do is connect to a server in a different country, 語法

你只需要连接到其他国家的服务器，

and suddenly all the content you've been missing will be revealed.

突然之间，你错过的内容就能全都出现了。

But it's not just about virtually hopping around the world.

但这不仅仅是让你在虚拟世界里环游地球。

NordVPN also has a feature called threat protection,

NordVPN 还有一项叫做“威胁防护”的功能，

which protects you from those annoying ads that pop up and steers you away from any harmful websites or files. 講解

它可以保护你免受烦人的弹窗广告侵扰，并让你远离有害的网站或文件。

It scans URLs of every site you enter and every file you download to protect you from danger.

它会扫描你访问的每个网站的 URL 和你下载的每个文件，以保护你免受危险。

NordVPN works on every major platform and can be installed on up to six devices at one time.

NordVPN 支持所有主流平台，并且可以同时安装在最多六台设备上。

To get 4 months of NordVPN for free,

要免费获得 4 个月的 NordVPN，

visit nordvpn.com/primalspace.

请访问 nordvpn.com/primalspace。

We've seen how Voyager's cameras convert the light into a signal,

我们已经了解了旅行者号的相机是如何将光转换为信号的，

but what happens after that?

但这之后会发生什么呢？

Each image that Voyager captured would take up around 5 million bits of information, 短語動詞

旅行者号拍摄的每张图像大约会占用 500 万比特的信息，

or just over half a megabyte.

也就是刚好超过半个兆字节（MB）。

This doesn't sound like a lot by today's standards, 短語搭配

这在今天看来并不算多，

but when your spacecraft is billions of kilometers away,

但是当你的航天器在数十亿公里之外时，

sending that data back is extremely difficult.

将数据传回来就极度困难。

Back in the day, 習語

当年，

when Voyager 1 was much closer,

当旅行者1号还离得比较近时，

it had a maximum data rate of around 115,000 bits per second.

它的最大数据传输速率约为每秒 115,000 比特。

At this rate, 短語搭配

按照这个速率，

it would take about 43 seconds to send an entire image back to Earth.

将一张完整的图像传回地球大约需要 43 秒。

Now,

现在，

the data rate is only around 160 bits per second,

数据传输速率只有每秒约 160 比特，

meaning it would take over 8 hours just to transmit one image.

这意味着仅传输一张图像就需要超过 8 个小时。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

不仅如此，

Voyager 1 is now 23 billion km away.

旅行者1号现在距离我们已有 230 亿公里。

So,

因此，

that signal would actually take 21 hours to reach us.

那个信号实际上需要 21 小时才能到达我们这里。

Since the camera can produce an image much faster than it can transmit the data,

由于相机生成图像的速度比传输数据的速度快得多，

the signal from the vidicon camera is stored onto magnetic tape.

因此来自光导摄像管相机的信号会被存储到磁带上。

This data builds up over time and can be transmitted whenever Voyager 1 has a good line of communication with Earth. 講解

这些数据随时间推移积累起来，并在旅行者1号与地球有良好通信线路时传输。

But why hasn't Voyager's camera been turned on in over 30 years?

但是，为什么旅行者号的相机在超过 30 年的时间里都没有开过机呢？

To answer this, 表達脈絡

要回答这个问题，

we need to look at where Voyager 1 was when it took its last picture.

我们需要看看旅行者1号拍下最后一张照片时所处的位置。

The famous pale blue dot image was taken from a point in space 6 billion km from Earth.

那张著名的“暗淡蓝点”照片是从距离地球 60 亿公里的太空拍下的。

At this point,

在这一点上，

the spacecraft was so far away that everything appeared as a tiny dot. 語法

航天器距离地球如此遥远，以至于一切都显得如同微小的光点。

The spacecraft was also headed on a path that would eventually make it the first spacecraft to leave the solar system and reach interstellar space. 語法

这艘探测器也驶向了一条注定使其成为首个离开太阳系、进入星际空间的航天器的轨道。

So,

所以，

in order to know when this happened,

为了知道这究竟何时发生，

the team wanted to prioritize the instruments that would detect interstellar plasma,

团队希望优先使用能探测到星际等离子体的仪器，

a sign that Voyager 1 had left our solar system.

因为那是旅行者1号离开太阳系的标志。

But Voyager 1 was already 13 years old at this point,

但在那时，旅行者1号已经运行了 13 年，

and it still had decades to go before reaching interstellar space. 短語搭配

而它还需要几十年才能到达星际空间。

So,

所以，

in order to still be talking with the spacecraft at that point,

为了能在那个时候依然与探测器保持联系，

the engineers needed to extend its lifetime drastically.

工程师们需要大幅延长它的使用寿命。

Like many spacecraft,

和许多航天器一样，

Voyager 1 is powered by an RTG, 文化背景

旅行者1号由 RTG（放射性同位素热电机）供电，

which takes the heat from a radioactive material and turns it into electricity.

它将放射性物质释放的热量转化为电能。

Every year,

每年，

the power output decays by about 4 W, 用詞

其功率输出都会下降约 4 瓦，

and now Voyager 1 is only producing 57% of its initial power output.

而现在旅行者1号产生的电力只有它最初功率输出的 57%。

The camera system alone uses just over 40 W of power.

仅仅相机系统就需要消耗超过 40 瓦的电力。

And so,

因此，

to buy the spacecraft more time, 習語

为了给航天器争取更多时间，

the team began shutting down various instruments onboard Voyager to reduce its power consumption. 短語動詞

团队开始关闭旅行者号上的各种仪器，以降低其功耗。

To save memory,

为了节省内存，

the team also removed the software onboard Voyager,

团队还删除了旅行者号上的软件，

which was responsible for operating the camera.

负责操作相机的那部分软件。

The computers and software here on Earth that were used to analyze the images don't even exist anymore.

当年地球上用来分析这些图像的计算机和软件现在甚至都已不复存在。

And due to the cameras and their heaters being exposed to the harsh conditions of outer space for several decades, 語法

此外，由于相机及其加热器在极度恶劣的太空环境中暴露了几十年，

it's likely that they wouldn't be able to function anymore.

它们很可能已经无法再运作了。

But assuming the cameras were still in good condition, 語法

但假设相机依然状况良好，

what would they see if they were turned back on?

如果重新打开它们，它们会看到什么呢？

Many think that Voyager 1 is so far from the Sun that it will be in complete darkness,

很多人以为旅行者1号距离太阳非常遥远，肯定会处于彻底的黑暗中，

but this is not true.

但这并不是真的。

Despite now being 23 billion kilometers away, 語法

尽管它现在已远在230亿公里之外，

the light from the Sun is still 16 times brighter than the moonlight here on Earth.

那里太阳的光线仍然比地球上的月光亮 16 倍。

However,

然而，

there just isn't anything interesting or big enough around Voyager to capture on camera. 語法

在旅行者号周围，并没有什么有趣或足够大的东西值得相机去捕捉。

If Voyager took an image today, 語法

如果旅行者号今天拍下一张照片，

it would be dark,

画面会很暗，

but you would still see the Sun and some planets as tiny faint pixels.

但你依然能看到太阳和一些行星像微弱的小像素一样。

Perhaps the most incredible thing is that despite traveling 23 billion kilometers, 表達脈絡

也许最不可思议的是，尽管飞行了 230 亿公里，

the star constellations in our sky would look exactly the same.

我们天空中的星座看起来仍然一模一样。

If Voyager wanted a different perspective of our galaxy,

如果旅行者号想要换一个角度看我们的星系，

it would need to travel thousands of light-years just to see a slight shift in the stars.

它需要飞行数千光年，才能看到星空发生轻微的位移。

Voyager 1 will eventually achieve this millions of years after we are gone

旅行者1号最终将在我们消失数百万年后实现这一目标，

and long after we have lost contact with the space probe.

那是我们与这艘太空探测器失联很久之后的事了。

If you'd like to support the channel and make these videos possible, 語氣意圖

如果你想支持本频道并让这些视频得以制作，

consider becoming a patron,

可以考虑成为赞助者，

where you can give your input on each video

你可以在那里对每个视频提出你的建议，

and get exclusive access to our Discord server.

并获得我们 Discord 服务器的专属访问权限。

And now time for something really special.

现在，到了特别环节。

In the next video,

在下一期视频中，

we'll be giving away this awesome space shuttle LEGO set.

我们将抽奖送出这套超赞的航天飞机乐高套装。

All you have to do is sign up at the link below

你只需点击下方链接注册，

and leave a comment about your favorite space moment of all time.

并留下一条关于你最喜欢的太空时刻的评论。

We will announce the winner in next month's video.

我们将在下个月的视频中宣布获胜者。

Thank you very much for watching,

非常感谢你的观看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

下期视频再见。