NASA的新任務(wù)是在殺手小行星靠近我們之前發(fā)現(xiàn)它們

NASA的新任務(wù)將在殺手小行星靠近我們之前發(fā)現(xiàn)它們

Last July, an asteroid about the size of a football field careened closer to Earth than any celestial body has in the last century.

去年7月，一顆足球場大小的小行星傾斜著靠近地球，比上個世紀(jì)的任何天體都要近。

Just a hair closer — in the proportions of space, 40,400 miles is a pretty fine hair — and the space rock known as "2019 OK" would have delivered a devastating wake-up call.

再近一點(diǎn)——就太空的比例而言，40,400英里是一根相當(dāng)細(xì)的頭發(fā)——而被稱為“2019 OK”的太空巖石將會敲響毀滅性的警鐘。

NASA estimates asteroid Bennu has a 1‐in‐2,700 chance of hitting our planet during one of its close approaches in the late 22nd century. Bennu is about 1,650 feet wide. (Photo: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin)

Okay, so maybe it wouldn't have been the end of the world. The impact of an asteroid the size of 2019 OK would, according to NASA, level a roughly 50-square-mile area. In other words, it was a potential city killer.

好吧，也許這不是世界末日。據(jù)美國國家航空航天局稱，2019年OK大小的小行星的影響相當(dāng)于50平方英里的面積。換句話說，它是一個潛在的城市殺手。

Which is why NASA is taking is stepping up its asteroid-hunting strategy. The space agency is funding a new space-based telescope called the NEO Surveillance Mission designed to sniff out errant celestial bodies.

這就是為什么美國宇航局正在加快其小行星搜索戰(zhàn)略。美國宇航局正在資助一架新的天基望遠(yuǎn)鏡，名為“近地天體監(jiān)視任務(wù)”(NEO Surveillance Mission)，旨在探測出偏離軌道的天體。

Currently, NASA relies on ground-based observatories such as Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey and the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Maui. There's also the NEOWISE space mission, an orbiting telescope that began its survey back in 2010 -- although it was put into hibernation between 2010 and 2013.

目前，美國宇航局依賴于地面天文臺，如亞利桑那州的卡特琳娜巡天望遠(yuǎn)鏡和毛伊島的Pan-STARRS1望遠(yuǎn)鏡。還有NEOWISE太空任務(wù)，這是一架軌道望遠(yuǎn)鏡，從2010年開始進(jìn)行調(diào)查，盡管在2010年至2013年期間進(jìn)入休眠狀態(tài)。

Time to study up

是時候去關(guān)注研究了

Enter the NEO Surveillance Mission. The new eye in the sky aims to spot 90 percent of asteroids that are at least 140 meters in diameter — the size that could do real damage to the home world.

進(jìn)入NEO監(jiān)視任務(wù)。“天空之眼”的目標(biāo)是發(fā)現(xiàn)90%直徑至少為140米的小行星，這種大小可能對地球造成真正的破壞。

Yes, despite the occasional "sneaky" space rock, NASA already has a program in place to track asteroids and determine their threat level.

是的，盡管偶爾會有“鬼鬼祟祟”的太空巖石，NASA已經(jīng)有了一個跟蹤小行星并確定其威脅級別的計(jì)劃。

The thing is, we don't yet have the means to destroy a killer asteroid, and even NASA concedes "no known weapon system could stop the mass because of the velocity at which it travels, an average of 12 miles per second."

問題是，我們還沒有辦法摧毀一顆致命的小行星，甚至美國宇航局也承認(rèn)“沒有任何已知的武器系統(tǒng)可以阻止它的質(zhì)量，因?yàn)樗乃俣龋骄棵?2英里。”

Deflection, on the other hand, may be possible, if a bit dicey.

另一方面，如果有點(diǎn)冒險(xiǎn)，偏轉(zhuǎn)是可能的。

That strategy would involve "rapid-response NEO reconnaissance missions." Essentially, a spacecraft would be launched toward the potential harbinger of doom in the hopes of persuading it to even slightly alter its course. We're not sure exactly how the craft would make an asteroid flinch, but even the slightest redirection could end up in wide berth for our planet.

這一戰(zhàn)略將包括“快速反應(yīng)NEO偵察任務(wù)”。從本質(zhì)上講，一艘宇宙飛船將被發(fā)射到可能預(yù)示毀滅的地方，希望能說服它稍微改變一下路線。我們不確定這艘飛船將如何讓一顆小行星退縮，但即使是最輕微的改變方向，也會讓我們的星球遠(yuǎn)離我們。

Unfortunately, the Trump administration pulled the plug on NASA's plan to test its asteroid-shunting capabilities with the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) in 2021.

不幸的是，特朗普政府終止了NASA的計(jì)劃，即在2021年用小行星重定向任務(wù)(ARM)測試其小行星分流能力。

But when the NEO Surveillance Mission hits its stride, we will at least be able to plot the trajectory of far more unwelcome visitors. And maybe, if it comes down to it, brace for impact and still have time to cue up a classic Aerosmith song or two.

但當(dāng)近地天體監(jiān)視任務(wù)順利進(jìn)行時，我們至少能夠繪制出遠(yuǎn)比這更不受歡迎的訪客的軌跡。也許，如果真的要這么做，做好準(zhǔn)備迎接撞擊，還有時間聽一兩首史密斯飛船(Aerosmith)的經(jīng)典歌曲。