如果我們重新啟動航海家1號的相機，會發生什麼事？：英語精讀講義

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

這是由航海家1號拍攝的著名的「暗淡藍點」照片，

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

呈現了60億公里外我們的地球猶如一個微小像素的模樣。

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

這張照片是在你們許多人還沒出生前拍的，

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

但構成我們的所有元素和物質都包含在那個我們稱之為家的小藍點中。

But this date is significant.

但這個日期意義重大。

Just 34 minutes after this picture was taken,

就在這張照片拍完短短34分鐘後，

the cameras were switched off forever,

相機被永久關閉，

leaving Voyager 1 completely blind. 文法

讓航海家1號徹底失去了視覺。

Since then, 文法

從那時起，

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

這艘探測器就成了太空中最遠的人造物體。

Now,

現在，

at a point 24 billion km from Earth.

它距離地球已有240億公里。

But why were the cameras turned off?

但是為什麼要關掉相機呢？

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

如果要重新打開它們，又需要滿足什麼條件呢？

In this video,

在這支影片裡，

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

我們將探討航海家1號上的相機到底是怎樣運作的，

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

以及如果它們被重新打開，可能會看到什麼。

Also,

另外，

at the end of this video,

在本影片的最後，

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

我們將抽獎送出這套超棒的太空梭樂高積木。

So,

所以，

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

請看到最後，了解你怎樣才能中獎。

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

航海家號太空探測器在太空運行期間打破了許多紀錄。

Not only are they the farthest objects in space, 文法

它們不僅是太空中距離最遠的物體，

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

也是運作時間最長的人造物體，

over 45 years.

已經超過了45年。

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

令人難以置信的是，在經歷了太空嚴酷環境的漫長歲月後，

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

70年代在地球上設計製造的電腦和系統，現在居然還能運作。

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

航海家1號滿載著當時遠超時代的科技。

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機系統。

Voyager 1 has two vidicon cameras onboard,

航海家1號搭載了兩台光導攝影管相機，

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

它們本質上是極早期的、採用類比轉數位技術的電視攝影機。

They had an effective resolution of 800 x 800 pixels

它們的有效解析度為800 x 800像素，

and captured 8-bit images in grayscale.

並能拍攝8位元灰階影像。

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

其中一台配備了廣角鏡頭，用於在探測器近距離飛越行星時捕捉其全貌。

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

另一台則配備了窄角鏡頭，可以捕捉所觀測行星的更多細節，

and of course,

當然，

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

也包括回望我們逐漸在視界中縮小遠去的太陽系。

However,

然而，

before the light reached these cameras,

在光線到達這些相機之前，

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

會先經過一個能讓其形成彩色影像的光學系統。

This was a filter wheel that contained violet,

這是一個包含紫、

blue,

藍、

green,

綠、

and orange filters.

和橘色濾光片的濾光輪。

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

航海家號會使用每個濾光片對其目標拍攝多張影像。

As the light passed through the filter,

當光線穿過濾光片時，

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

它只允許該顏色的光線通過，

and other colors would be absorbed.

而其他顏色的光線則會被吸收。

The images were still taken in grayscale,

拍出的影像雖然仍然是灰階的，

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

但由於對不同顏色的感光差異，每張影像的不同區域會呈現不同亮度。

After these images were sent to Earth,

這些影像傳回地球後，

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

會用它們各自對應的濾光片顏色進行飽和處理，並合併成一張全彩影像。

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

這基本上就是人類眼睛的運作原理，

since our eyes have three color-sensing cones,

因為我們的眼睛有三種感色視錐細胞：

red,

紅色、

green,

綠色、

and blue,

和藍色，

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

它們結合在一起，為我們提供了色彩斑斕的視覺體驗。

But with Voyager 1,

但是對於航海家1號來說，

the real magic happens inside the vidicon tube. 慣用語

真正的奇蹟發生在光導攝影管內部。

After the light passes through the lens and filter wheel,

光線穿過鏡頭和濾光輪後，

it enters into the vidicon tube.

就會進入光導攝影管。

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

光子首先擊中的是由一層氧化錫製成的透明面板，

which has a photoconductive target plate just behind it.

它的正後方有一塊光電導靶板。

When the photons hit the target plate,

當光子撞擊靶板時，

free electrons are created.

就會產生自由電子。

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

任意給定點上的光強越高，

the more free electrons are created.

產生的自由電子就越多。

These free electrons are then attracted to the faceplate,

然後這些自由電子會被面板吸引，

leaving behind gaps on the target plate.

在靶板上留下空隙。

After this,

在此之後，

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

管子後部的陰極向靶板發射電子以掃描影像。

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

這些電子到達靶板並填補空隙，

creating an electric current.

從而產生電流。

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

這個訊號包含了影像資料，現在就可以傳回地球了。

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

但是從數十億公里外傳輸資料非常困難，

and many things could go wrong.

且很容易出錯。

That's where NordVPN came in. 表達脈絡

這就輪到 NordVPN 出場了。

Just kidding,

開個玩笑，

NordVPN weren't around back then.

那時候還沒有 NordVPN。

But they are now,

但現在有了，

and protecting your data is more important than ever.

而且保護你的資料比以往任何時候都重要。

NordVPN is the fastest VPN out there,

NordVPN 是市面上速度最快的 VPN，

and with just one click,

只需一鍵，

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

你就可以連線到全球 5000 台伺服器中的任意一台，獲得即時保護。

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

有多少次你想看 YouTube 影片或 Netflix 影集，

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

卻發現它無法觀看，甚至在你的國家都搜尋不到？

With NordVPN,

有了 NordVPN，

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

你只需要連線到其他國家的伺服器，

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

突然之間，你錯過的內容就能全都出現了。

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

但這不僅僅是讓你在虛擬世界裡環遊地球。

NordVPN also has a feature called threat protection,

NordVPN 還有一項叫做「威脅防護」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

它可以保護你免受煩人的彈出式廣告侵擾，並讓你遠離有害的網站或檔案。

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

它會掃描你造訪的每個網站的 URL 和你下載的每個檔案，以保護你免受危險。

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

NordVPN 支援所有主流平台，並且可以同時安裝在最多六台裝置上。

To get 4 months of NordVPN for free,

要免費獲得 4 個月的 NordVPN，

visit nordvpn.com/primalspace.

請造訪 nordvpn.com/primalspace。

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

我們已經了解了航海家號的相機是如何將光轉換為訊號的，

but what happens after that?

但這之後會發生什麼呢？

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

航海家號拍攝的每張影像大約會佔用 500 萬位元的資訊，

or just over half a megabyte.

也就是剛好超過半個百萬位元組 (MB)。

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

這在今天看來並不算多，

but when your spacecraft is billions of kilometers away,

但是當你的太空船在數十億公里之外時，

sending that data back is extremely difficult.

將資料傳回來就極度困難。

Back in the day, 慣用語

當年，

when Voyager 1 was much closer,

當航海家1號還離得比較近時，

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

它的最大資料傳輸速率約為每秒 115,000 位元。

At this rate, 片語搭配

按照這個速率，

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

將一張完整的影像傳回地球大約需要 43 秒。

Now,

現在，

the data rate is only around 160 bits per second,

資料傳輸速率只有每秒約 160 位元，

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

這意味著僅傳輸一張影像就需要超過 8 個小時。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

不僅如此，

Voyager 1 is now 23 billion km away.

航海家1號現在距離我們已有 230 億公里。

So,

因此，

that signal would actually take 21 hours to reach us.

那個訊號實際上需要 21 小時才能到達我們這裡。

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

由於相機產生影像的速度比傳輸資料的速度快得多，

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

因此來自光導攝影管相機的訊號會被儲存到磁帶上。

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

這些資料隨時間推移累積起來，並在航海家1號與地球有良好通訊線路時傳輸。

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

但是，為什麼航海家號的相機在超過 30 年的時間裡都沒有開機過呢？

To answer this, 表達脈絡

要回答這個問題，

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

我們需要看看航海家1號拍下最後一張照片時所處的位置。

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

那張著名的「暗淡藍點」照片是從距離地球 60 億公里的太空拍下的。

At this point,

在此時，

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

太空船距離地球如此遙遠，以至於一切都顯得如同微小的光點。

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. 文法

這艘探測器也正航向一條注定使其成為首個離開太陽系、進入星際空間的太空船的軌道。

So,

所以，

in order to know when this happened,

為了知道這究竟何時發生，

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

團隊希望優先使用能探測到星際電漿的儀器，

a sign that Voyager 1 had left our solar system.

因為那是航海家1號離開太陽系的標誌。

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

但在那時，航海家1號已經運作了 13 年，

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

而它還需要幾十年才能到達星際空間。

So,

所以，

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

為了能在那個時候依然與探測器保持聯繫，

the engineers needed to extend its lifetime drastically.

工程師們需要大幅延長它的使用壽命。

Like many spacecraft,

和許多太空船一樣，

Voyager 1 is powered by an RTG, 文化背景

航海家1號由 RTG（放射性同位素熱電機）供電，

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

它將放射性物質釋放的熱量轉化為電能。

Every year,

每年，

the power output decays by about 4 W, 用詞

其功率輸出都會下降約 4 瓦，

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

而現在航海家1號產生的電力只有它最初功率輸出的 57%。

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

光是相機系統就需要消耗超過 40 瓦的電力。

And so,

因此，

to buy the spacecraft more time, 慣用語

為了給太空船爭取更多時間，

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

團隊開始關閉航海家號上的各種儀器，以降低其功耗。

To save memory,

為了節省記憶體，

the team also removed the software onboard Voyager,

團隊還刪除了航海家號上的軟體，

which was responsible for operating the camera.

負責操作相機的那部分軟體。

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

當年地球上用來分析這些影像的電腦和軟體現在甚至都已不復存在。

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

此外，由於相機及其加熱器在極度惡劣的太空環境中暴露了幾十年，

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

它們很可能已經無法再運作了。

But assuming the cameras were still in good condition, 文法

但假設相機依然狀況良好，

what would they see if they were turned back on?

如果重新打開它們，它們會看到什麼呢？

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

很多人以為航海家1號距離太陽非常遙遠，肯定會處於徹底的黑暗中，

but this is not true.

但這並不是真的。

Despite now being 23 billion kilometers away, 文法

儘管它現在已遠在230億公里之外，

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

那裡太陽的光線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. 文法

在航海家號周圍，並沒有什麼有趣或足夠大的東西值得相機去捕捉。

If Voyager took an image today, 文法

如果航海家號今天拍下一張照片，

it would be dark,

畫面會很暗，

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

但你依然能看到太陽和一些行星像微弱的小像素一樣。

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

也許最不可思議的是，儘管飛行了 230 億公里，

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

我們天空中的星座看起來仍然一模一樣。

If Voyager wanted a different perspective of our galaxy,

如果航海家號想要換一個角度看我們的星系，

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

它需要飛行數千光年，才能看到星空發生輕微的位移。

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

航海家1號最終將在我們消失數百萬年後實現這個目標，

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

那是我們與這艘太空探測器失聯很久之後的事了。

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

如果你想支持本頻道並讓這些影片得以製作，

consider becoming a patron,

可以考慮成為贊助者，

where you can give your input on each video

你可以在那裡對每支影片提出你的建議，

and get exclusive access to our Discord server.

並獲得我們 Discord 伺服器的專屬存取權限。

And now time for something really special.

現在，到了特別環節。

In the next video,

在下一支影片中，

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

我們將抽獎送出這套超棒的太空梭樂高積木。

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

你只需點擊下方連結註冊，

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

並留下一則關於你最喜歡的太空時刻的留言。

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

我們將在下個月的影片中宣布獲勝者。

Thank you very much for watching,

非常感謝你的收看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

下支影片再見。