NASA的巨型金屬球：英語精讀講義

This is Echo,

這是Echo，

a giant metal balloon launched by NASA in the 1960s.

一個由NASA在1960年代發射的巨大金屬氣球。

Known as the most beautiful satellite ever launched, 文法

它被稱為有史以來發射過的最美麗衛星，

it had no electronics

它沒有任何電子設備，

and simply bounced radio signals around the world using its reflective surface.

僅僅透過其反射面在世界各地反射無線電訊號。

Despite its simplicity, 文法

儘管它非常簡單，

it worked extremely well.

它的運作效果卻極好。

Soon after it launched,

在它發射後不久，

President Eisenhower sent a voice message from California to New Jersey.

艾森豪總統發送了一條從加利福尼亞到紐澤西的語音訊息。

This is President Eisenhower speaking.

這裡是艾森豪總統。

It is a great personal satisfaction

我個人感到非常滿足，

to participate in this first experiment in communications.

能夠參與這次通訊領域的首次實驗。

Up until this point, 表達脈絡

在此之前，

all communication around the world

世界各地的所有通訊，

had to be done using a crazy maze of undersea cables. 文法

都必須使用錯綜複雜的海底電纜網路來完成。

So the idea of satellite communication was mind-blowing. 用詞

所以衛星通訊的想法在當時簡直是令人震撼的。

But not everyone thought it would work. 文法

但並非所有人都認為它會奏效。

Some engineers thought that the Earth's ionosphere

一些工程師認為地球的電離層，

would block any radio waves trying to pass through.

會阻擋任何試圖穿過的無線電波。

So before Echo was ever launched,

因此在Echo發射之前，

NASA had to prove that satellite communication would work.

NASA必須證明衛星通訊是可行的。

That's when they realized they already had a satellite that could reflect signals, 表達脈絡

這時他們意識到他們已經有一顆可以反射訊號的衛星，

the moon.

那就是月球。

And so in a series of tests,

於是在一系列測試中，

they successfully used the moon as a giant reflector 文法

他們成功地利用月球作為巨大的反射器，

to send voice signals from New Jersey to California.

將語音訊號從紐澤西發送到了加利福尼亞。

But how did this actually work?

但這到底是怎麼運作的呢？

In the same way that light bounces off a mirror, 表達脈絡

就像光線會被鏡子反射一樣，

radio waves can also be reflected.

無線電波也可以被反射。

As the signal is bounced off the surface, 片語動詞

當訊號從表面彈開時，

it spreads out in every direction. 片語動詞

它會向四面八方擴散。

A small portion of the signal will make its way back to Earth 慣用語

訊號的一小部分將返回地球，

where it can be picked up by a receiver in a different location. 片語動詞

在那裡它可以被位於不同位置的接收器捕捉到。

A larger reflector will return a stronger and more focused signal.

更大的反射器會傳回更強、更集中的訊號。

And so in order for these balloons to work, 文法

所以為了讓這些氣球發揮作用，

they had to be absolutely massive.

它們必須非常巨大。

Echo 1 was made from a giant sheet of Mylar plastic,

Echo 1是由一大張Mylar塑膠製成的，

1/10 the thickness of a human hair. 文法

厚度僅為人類頭髮的十分之一。

The sheet was cut up into over 100 gores,

這張塑膠布被裁剪成100多塊拼接片，

which were each covered in a thin layer of aluminum to give the balloon its shiny surface. 片語搭配

每一塊都覆蓋著一層薄薄的鋁，賦予氣球閃亮的表面。

The gores were glued together to create the final sphere.

這些拼接片被黏合在一起，最終形成了球體。

On Earth,

在地球上，

the balloon needed an entire 18 tons of air to keep it inflated.

這個氣球需要整整18噸的空氣來保持充氣狀態。

In space,

但在太空中，

only a few kilograms were needed.

只需要幾公斤就夠了。

This is because on Earth,

這是因為在地球上，

our atmosphere pushes against the balloon,

我們的大氣層會擠壓氣球，

and so more air is needed to counteract this.

所以需要更多的空氣來抵消這種壓力。

In space,

而在太空中，

there is no atmosphere and only a tiny amount of air is needed to fill the balloon.

沒有大氣層，只需要極少量的空氣就能填滿氣球。

Once it was complete,

一旦完工，

NASA inflated Echo for the first time,

NASA第一次給Echo充了氣，

and in 1958,

而在1958年，

this giant balloon came to life. 慣用語

這個巨大的氣球煥發了生機。

This would be by far the biggest thing ever launched into space, 文法

這將是迄今為止發射到太空中最大的物體，

and the only way it would get there was by packing it down and inflating it once it was in orbit. 文法

讓它上天的唯一方法是將其打包，等到了軌道再充氣。

But this proved to be a massive challenge. 片語搭配

但這被證明是一項巨大的挑戰。

Without its own air supply, 表達脈絡

沒有自己的空氣供應，

how did Echo actually inflate itself?

Echo到底是怎麼自行充氣的呢？

Well,

那麼，

a fresh supply of air was carried up to the balloon every month using the Starship Enterprise. 文化背景

每個月都有新鮮的空氣透過Starship Enterprise運送給氣球。

Just kidding.

開玩笑的。

No Starship Enterprise was used in Project Echo,

在Project Echo中沒有使用Starship Enterprise，

but they were used in the sponsor of today's video,

但它們出現在今天影片的贊助商中，

Paradox, with their new game,

Paradox和他們的新遊戲，

Star Trek Infinite,

Star Trek Infinite，

a strategy game that puts you in charge of colonizing and exploring other civilizations within the Star Trek universe.

這是一款策略遊戲，讓你在Star Trek宇宙中負責殖民和探索其他文明。

As the head of your civilization,

作為你文明的首領，

you can choose to play as one of the four main civilizations

你可以選擇扮演四個主要文明之一，

and take on iconic captains and officers like Picard, Janeway, Sisko, and Data.

並與Picard、Janeway、Sisko和Data等標誌性艦長和軍官並肩作戰。

There is no single way of playing.

沒有單一的玩法。

You can deal with other civilizations peacefully

你可以與其他文明和平共處，

or take them over using all-out warfare. 片語動詞

或者透過全面戰爭來接管它們。

You are in command.

一切由你指揮。

The game offers a wide range of starships from the Star Trek fleet,

遊戲提供了Star Trek艦隊中各種各樣的星艦，

all of which can be modified and upgraded to make your civilization ready for anything.

所有星艦都可以改裝和升級，讓你的文明為任何情況做好準備。

Get the game today and create your own Star Trek story by visiting the link in the description.

立即獲取遊戲，點擊資訊欄中的連結，創造你自己的Star Trek故事。

In order to turn Echo from this into this,

為了讓Echo從這個變成這個，

it needed to inflate itself in space.

它需要在太空中自行充氣。

Instead of carrying its own air, 文法

氣球並沒有攜帶自己的空氣，

the balloon had small canisters of benzoic acid,

而是裝有裝著苯甲酸的小罐子，

a special powder that turns straight from a solid into a gas when exposed to heat. 文法

這是一種特殊的粉末，遇熱直接從固態變成氣態。

And so when the balloon was released into space,

因此當氣球被釋放到太空中時，

the heat from the sun would quickly turn it into gas,

太陽的熱量會迅速將其轉化為氣體，

causing it to expand inside the balloon. 文法

使其在氣球內部膨脹。

In just a matter of seconds, 片語搭配

僅僅幾秒鐘的時間，

this enormous balloon would be fully inflated.

這個巨大的氣球就會完全膨脹起來。

But having such a massive object in space made it a target for micrometeorites.

但在太空中擁有如此巨大的物體，使它成為微隕石的靶子。

To combat any small punctures to its skin, 文法

為了應對表面可能出現的任何小孔，

Echo 1 carried extra supplies of benzoic acid

Echo 1攜帶了額外的苯甲酸儲備，

that could be released to maintain the balloon's pressure. 片語搭配

可以釋放出來以維持氣球的壓力。

Echo 2, on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，Echo 2

had a better solution.

有一個更好的解決方案。

Its skin was also made of Mylar,

它的外皮也是由Mylar製成的，

but it was sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum foil. 用詞

但它被夾在兩層鋁箔之間。

When the balloon was pressurized,

當氣球加壓時，

the foil would get stretched,

鋁箔會被拉伸，

causing it to stiffen up and harden in place.

導致其變得僵硬並固定成型。

This made the balloon rigid.

這使得氣球變得堅硬。

Even if micrometeorites hit the balloon, 文法

即使微隕石擊中氣球，

it would maintain its shape.

它也會保持其形狀。

Of course, these giant shiny balloons ended up being extremely visible. 片語動詞

當然，這些閃亮的巨大氣球最終變得極其醒目。

For an entire decade,

在整整十年的時間裡，

they were some of the brightest objects in the night sky,

它們是夜空中最亮的物體之一，

even brighter than the North Star. 文法

甚至比北極星還要亮。

But this brightness was actually a key feature.

但這種亮度實際上是一個關鍵特徵。

In order to actually send and receive signals,

為了真正發送和接收訊號，

the ground stations had to be able to track and lock onto the balloon 講解

地面站必須能夠追蹤並鎖定氣球，

as it moved across the sky.

隨著它在天空中移動。

And so the easiest way was to simply point the antenna dish

因此，最簡單的方法就是在氣球可見時，

directly at the balloon when it was visible.

直接將天線罩對準氣球。

Of course, this was only possible when the balloon happened to be over that part of the Earth, 文法

當然，這只有在氣球碰巧在地球這片區域上方時才有可能，

and only during twilight hours

並且只有在黃昏時分，

when the sun was illuminating the balloons.

當太陽照亮氣球時才能做到。

If the balloons couldn't be seen with the naked eye, 片語搭配

如果肉眼無法看到氣球，

they could rely on NASA's tracking network,

他們可以依靠NASA的追蹤網路，

which did its best to predict the orbits of satellites. 片語搭配

該網路盡力預測衛星的軌道。

On Echo 2,

在Echo 2上，

they included a tracking beacon,

他們包含了一個追蹤信標，

which sent out a pulse

它可以發出脈衝訊號，

and made the balloon much easier to track during the day.

使氣球在白天更容易被追蹤。

Most of Echo's communication was done between purpose-built ground stations in California and New Jersey. 用詞

Echo的大部分通訊都是在加利福尼亞和紐澤西專門建造的地面站之間進行的。

But Project Echo was a global experiment.

但Project Echo是一個全球性實驗。

Thanks to its polar orbit, 表達脈絡

得益於其極地軌道，

the balloons passed over every part of the world,

這些氣球飛越了世界各個角落，

allowing transmissions to be done by anyone that had the equipment.

讓任何擁有相關設備的人都能進行訊號傳輸。

Transmissions were even done between the US and the Soviet Union,

甚至在美國和蘇聯之間也進行了訊號傳輸，

who nicknamed the balloon the friendly Sputnik. 文化背景

蘇聯給這顆氣球起名叫友好的Sputnik。

But the balloons weren't just useful for sending signals around the world. 文法

但這些氣球不僅在向世界各地發送訊號方面很有用。

They were also used to accurately measure the size and shape of Earth.

它們還被用來精確測量地球的大小和形狀。

At the time,

在當時，

our most accurate measurements relied on star triangulation,

我們最精確的測量依賴於恆星三角測量法，

which meant that the actual distances between continents and cities

這意味著大陸和城市之間的實際距離，

could be off by over 100 km. 用詞

可能會有超過100公里的誤差。

And so scientists used Echo to map the exact location of various points all around Earth.

因此科學家們利用Echo繪製了地球周圍各個點的精確位置。

First,

首先，

they measured the signal travel time from two different locations,

他們測量了來自兩個不同位置的訊號傳播時間，

which would give them the distance to Echo.

這將給出它們到Echo的距離。

Then,

然後，

by measuring the angle that Echo appeared in the sky, 文法

透過測量Echo出現在天空中的角度，

the scientists could form a triangle.

科學家們可以構成一個三角形。

With this,

藉此，

the distance between both points could be calculated to within a few meters. 片語搭配

兩點之間的距離可以被計算到幾米以內。

This made our measurements of the Earth around 10 times more accurate. 文法

這使我們對地球的測量精確了約10倍。

But the science didn't stop there with Echo. 慣用語

但關於Echo的科學研究並沒有就此止步。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

NASA was only a couple years old at the time,

當時NASA才成立幾年，

and very little was known about the long-term effects that satellites would experience in space. 文法

人們對於衛星在太空中會經歷的長期影響知之甚少。

One of the biggest unknowns was atmospheric drag.

其中最大的未知數之一是大氣阻力。

Even at an altitude of 1,500 km,

即使在1500公里的高度，

there are tiny traces of atmosphere that will slow down objects in orbit. 片語動詞

仍有微量的大氣會使軌道上的物體減速。

And with such a large surface area,

而且由於表面積如此之大，

these balloons felt the effect more than any other satellite.

這些氣球受到的影響比任何其他衛星都要大。

Thanks to Echo 1,

多虧了Echo 1，

NASA were able to track how its orbit changed over several years. 用詞

NASA能夠追蹤其軌道在幾年內的變化情況。

As it turned out, 表達脈絡

結果證明，

it changed a lot.

它發生了很大的變化。

Surprisingly,

令人驚訝的是，

atmospheric drag had nothing to do with this. 慣用語

大氣阻力與此毫無關係。

Instead,

相反，

the solar wind,

太陽風，

which radiates out from the sun,

即從太陽輻射出的粒子流，

was pushing Echo 1 towards Earth.

正在將Echo 1推向地球。

These two balloons continued to work perfectly throughout the '60s,

這兩顆氣球在整個60年代都繼續完美運作，

and they proved that a global communication system in space was a good idea.

它們證明了在太空中建立全球通訊系統是個好主意。

During their time in space,

在它們處於太空的時間裡，

these iconic balloons taught NASA more than they could ever have imagined. 文法

這些標誌性的氣球教會了NASA超出他們想像的知識。

The receiver that was used to detect Echo's signal

用於探測Echo訊號的接收器，

went on to discover the Big Bang. 片語動詞

後來接著發現了宇宙大爆炸（微波背景輻射）。

The materials developed for Echo are still used in spacecraft to this day. 片語搭配

為Echo開發的材料，至今仍用於太空船。

Although these types of satellites never caught on, 講解

儘管這類衛星從未流行起來，

their legacy as the first leap into space communications

但它們作為向太空通訊邁出第一步的遺產，

will live on forever. 片語動詞

將永遠長存。

And Echo 1 and 2 will go down as the most beautiful satellites ever made. 片語動詞

而Echo 1和2將作為有史以來製造的最美麗衛星被載入史冊。

And now time for the Primal Space giveaway.

現在是Primal Space的抽獎時間。

The winner of the previous giveaway is Harrison.

上次抽獎的獲勝者是Harrison。

Congratulations.

恭喜。

In the next video,

在下個影片中，

we'll be giving away this awesome space shuttle poster to one lucky winner.

我們將把這張超讚的太空梭海報送給一位幸運的獲勝者。

All you need to do is sign up at the link below,

你需要做的就是在下方的連結註冊，

like the video,

點讚這個影片，

and leave a comment talking about the first satellite you ever saw in the sky.

並留下一條評論，談談你在天空中看到的第一顆衛星。

Thank you very much for watching

非常感謝您的觀看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我們下個影片再見。