评论
打印
Astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun.
天文学家已经发现了数以千计的行星绕着各自的恒星旋转。
They come in all sizes, at different orbital distances from their stars.
他们有大有小，轨道距离各不相同。
The closest of them are trillions of miles away,
即使最近的一个也远在数兆英里之外，
and even the largest are just fuzzy patches in the fields of high-powered telescopes.
最大的，用高倍数的望远镜观看，也不过像是模糊的补缀而已。
But if one of these planets is close in size to the Earth and orbits not too close and too far away from its parent star,
如果其中有颗行星的大小类似地球，轨道离它的恒星不远也不近，
it could be rocky and warm enough to have oceans and perhaps life.
地形高低起伏，够温暖，有海洋，也可能有生物。
Astronomers discover these potentially habitable planets, and their eyes get big and wide.
一旦天文学家发现这些潜在适合居住的行星，他们便睁大了眼睛。
Could one of these distant worlds carry the building blocks of life?
或许这些遥远的世界里存在着涵养生命的元素？
Or even a living, breathing, civilization?
甚至有个活生生的文明？
Is the question, "Are we alone in the universe?" about to be answered?
“我们是独有的生命体吗？”这问题是不是就快被解答了？
But wait. Maybe we should ask a different question first.
且慢。也许我们应该先问另一个的问题。
Should we try to find out if we're alone in the universe?
我们真的应该在宇宙里寻找其他的生命体吗？
If we do find the atmospheric fingerprints of life on one of these small, distant worlds,
若我们发现大气层有生命的迹象存在于那遥远的某个小世界里，
should we try to contact any beings who may live there? Is that wise?
我们应该跟住在那边的生命联络吗？这样明智吗？
Three decades ago, NASA decided the answer was yes.
30年前，美国太空总署持肯定的态度。
Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977 to explore the giant planets in the solar system.
航海家1号和2号于1977年发射，去探索太阳系的大行星。
Each spacecraft carried a golden phonograph record,
两艘宇宙飞船各自携带一张镀金光盘，
a time capsule of sorts that included clues and messages meant to convey the story of human civilization.
类似时光胶囊，内含传达人类文明故事的线索和信息。
The contents of these gold-plated copper disks were chosen by a committee chaired by American astronomer and author Carl Sagan.
由一委员会挑选镀金光盘的内容，该委员会的主席是美国天文学家卡尔·萨根。
They included over 100 images, and a range of sounds from the natural world:
光盘中有100多幅照片；一系列自然界的声音：
ocean waves, thunder, the sounds of birds and whales.
海浪声、雷声、鸟鸣、鲸鱼声。
The records also included music from many different time periods and cultures,
还有不同时代的音乐和文化，
greetings in 55 languages, and messages from the President of the United States, and the UN Secretary General.
55种语言的问候语，美国总统和联合国秘书长的信息。
They also included a map.
其中还包括一张地图。
Each golden record displays the location of our solar system with respect to fourteen pulsars.
镀金光盘的地图显示我们太阳系相对于14个脉冲星的位置。
Their precise, unique frequencies were indicated
所标示的脉冲星具有精确、独一的频率，
so that intelligent, extraterrestrial lifeforms could use them to find the Earth.
让外星智慧生物可以用来找到地球。
Many years later, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said
多年后，著名物理学家霍金说，
that it was a mistake to give an alien species a roadmap to our planet.
把航向地球的地图给外星生物是错的。
Hawking suspected that any extraterrestrial life probably wasn't any more complex than microbes,
霍金认为，虽然外星生物多半看来会是不复杂的微生物，
but he warned that if an advanced alien species did visit Earth,
但他警告，如果先进的外来生物来到地球，
it could be as catastrophic as Christopher Columbus's arrival was for the Native Americans.
可能就如同当年哥伦布登陆美洲，对原住民而言是个大灾难。
Meanwhile, the golden records continue their journeys.
与此同时，镀金光盘继续前行。
In 1990, both Voyager spacecraft passed beyond the orbit of Pluto.
1990年，这两艘航海家宇宙飞船飞过了冥王星的轨道。
Voyager 1 entered interstellar space in 2012, and will reach the nearest stellar systemin 40,000 years.
2012年，航海家1号进入星际，四万年后将会抵达最近的恒星系统。
If either spacecraft is discovered by extraterrestrial life,
如果外星生命发现了任一航海家号，
there's a possibility that they could decipher the clues from the golden record and one day reach our planet.
他们可能会译码镀金光盘上的线索，于某一天抵达地球。
That's particularly true if theirs is a much more technologically advanced civilization.
如果他们是个更先进的文明，可能性就更大。
That life could be benevolent, as we would hope to be if humans are one day able to achieve interstellar travel.
他们可能是和睦的生物，如同我们所希望人类实现星际旅行后展现的那样。
Or it could be hostile. Searching for planets that might have life means staring into a great abyss.
但他们也有可能怀着敌意。紧盯着太空虚无寻找可能有生物的行星。
We'll likely have no clear knowledge of the evolutionary stage, sentience, character, or intentions of the first form of life we discover.
我们很可能不清楚最先碰到的生物的进化阶段、知觉、字符或意图。
So it's a risk to turn our eyes outwards. We risk our very way of life.
这是把眼睛向外看的风险：置我们的生活于险地。
But it may be a greater risk not to look, to deny the very pioneering spirits that help shape our own species.
但不去看的风险可能更大，等同是否定了有助塑造我们物种的拓荒者精神。
We are all born curious about the world and the universe.
我们生而具有对世界和宇宙的好奇心。
Pursuing that curiosity is one of humankind's greatest achievements.
追寻那好奇心是人类最伟大的成就之一。
Perhaps there is room to push the frontiers of science,
或许仍有把科学疆界往外推的空间，
provided that we cradle alongside our fervor another of humankind's greatest assets: hope.
只要我们并肩呵护我们的热情，另一个人类最伟大的资产：希望。
