Six months ago,

六個月前。

I watched with bated breath

我目不轉睛地看著

as NASA's InSight lander descended towards the surface of Mars.

當美國宇航局'的InSight登陸器向火星表面下降時。

Two hundred meters,

兩百米

80 meters,

80米

60, 40, 20, 17 meters.

60、40、20、17米。

Receiving confirmation of successful touchdown

接收成功觸地的確認

was one of the most ecstatic moments of my life.

是我一生中最狂喜的時刻之一。

And hearing that news was possible because of two small cube sets

而能聽到這個消息，是因為有兩套小方塊的緣故

that went along to Mars with InSight.

和InSight一起去火星的。

Those two cube sets essentially livestreamed InSight's telemetry

這兩套立方體基本上是直播InSight'的遙測。

back to Earth,

回到地球。

so that we could watch in near-real time

這樣我們就可以近乎實時地觀看

as that InSight lander went screaming towards the surface of the red planet,

當InSight登陸器尖叫著衝向紅色星球表面時

hitting the atmosphere of Mars

撞擊火星大氣層

at a top speed of about 12,000 miles per hour.

以最高時速約12000英里的速度。

Now, that event was livestreamed to us

現在，那個事件被直播到我們這裡來了。

from over 90 million miles away.

從九千多萬里外。

It was livestreamed from Mars.

它是在火星上直播的。

Meanwhile,

同時。

the two Voyager spacecraft --

兩個旅行者號航天器 -- --

now, these are these two almost unbelievably intrepid explorers.

現在，這就是這兩位幾乎不可思議的無畏探險家。

They were launched

它們已啟動

the same year that all of us here were being introduced to Han Solo

同年，我們在座的所有人都被介紹給了漢-索羅

for the first time.

第一次。

And they are still sending back data from interstellar space

而且他們還在從星際空間傳回數據。

over 40 years later.

40多年後。

We are sending more spacecraft further into deep space

我們正在將更多的航天器送入深空。

than ever before.

比以往任何時候都要。

But every one of those spacecraft out there

但每一個在那裡的航天器

depends on its navigation being performed

取決於其導航的執行情況

right here at Earth

就在地球

to tell it where it is and, far more importantly,

來告訴它在哪裡，更重要的是。

where it is going.

它要去哪裡。

And we have to do that navigation here on Earth for one simple reason:

我們必須在地球上做這種導航，原因很簡單。

spacecraft are really bad at telling the time.

航天器真的不擅長判斷時間。

But if we can change that,

但如果我們能改變這一點。

we can revolutionize the way we explore deep space.

我們可以徹底改變我們探索深空的方式。

Now, I am a deep space navigator,

現在，我是一名深空導航員。

and I know you're probably thinking, "What is that job?"

我知道你可能在想，"那是什麼工作？"

Well, it is an extremely unique and also very fun job.

嗯，這是一份極其獨特，也非常有趣的工作。

I steer spacecraft,

我負責駕駛太空梭

from the moment they separate from their launch vehicle

從它們與運載火箭分離的那一刻起

to when they reach their destination in space.

到他們到達太空的目的地時。

And these destinations -- say Mars for example, or Jupiter --

而這些目的地 -- 比如說火星，或者木星 -- --

they are really far away.

他們真的很遠。

To put my job in context for you:

為了讓你瞭解我的工作情況。

it's like me standing here in Los Angeles and shooting an arrow,

它'就像我站在洛杉磯這裡射箭一樣。

and with that arrow, I hit a target that's the size of a quarter,

和那支箭，我打了一個目標，&#39；四分之一的大小。

and that target the size of a quarter is sitting in Times Square, New York.

而那個四分之一大小的目標正坐在紐約時代廣場上。

Now, I have the opportunity to adjust the course of my spacecraft

現在，我有機會調整我的航天器的航向。

a few times along that trajectory,

沿著這條軌跡走了幾遍。

but in order to do that, I need to know where it is.

但為了做到這一點，我需要知道它在哪裡。

And tracking a spacecraft as it travels through deep space

並在航天器穿越深空時進行跟蹤。

is fundamentally a problem of measuring time.

從根本上講是一個測量時間的問題。

You see, I can't just pull out my ruler and measure how far away my spacecraft is.

你看，我不能隨便拿出我的尺子，測量我的飛船有多遠。

But I can measure

但我可以測量

how long it takes a signal to get there and back again.

需要多長時間才能得到一個信號，然後再回來。

And the concept is exactly the same as an echo.

而這個概念和回聲完全一樣。

If I stand in front of a mountain and I shout,

如果我站在山前，我喊。

the longer it takes for me to hear my echo back at me,

我聽到我的回聲的時間就越長。

the further away that mountain is.

那座山越遠。

So we measure that signal time very, very accurately,

所以我們非常非常準確地測量了這個信號時間。

because getting it wrong by just a tiny fraction of a second

因為只差一丁點的時間，就會出錯。

might mean the difference between your spacecraft safely and gently landing

可能意味著你的航天器安全和平穩著陸之間的區別。

on the surface of another planet

在外星上

or creating yet another crater on that surface.

或在該地表上製造另一個隕石坑。

Just a tiny fraction of a second,

只是一秒鐘的一小部分。

and it can be the difference between a mission's life or death.

它可以是一個任務的生死之間的差異'。

So we measure that signal time very, very accurately here on Earth,

所以我們在地球上非常非常精確地測量信號時間。

down to better than one-billionth of a second.

降到優於十億分之一秒。

But it has to be measured here on Earth.

但它必須在地球上測量。

There's this great imbalance of scale when it comes to deep space exploration.

在深空探索方面，有這種巨大的不平衡規模。

Historically, we have been able to send smallish things extremely far away,

從歷史上看，我們已經可以把小東西送到極遠的地方。

thanks to very large things here on our home planet.

多虧了我們地球上非常大的東西。

As an example, this is the size of a satellite dish

舉個例子，這是一個衛星天線的大小。

that we use to talk to these spacecraft in deep space.

我們用它來和這些深空的航天器對話。

And the atomic clocks that we use for navigation are also large.

而我們用於導航的原子鐘也很大。

The clocks and all of their supporting hardware

時鐘及其所有支持硬件

can be up to the size of a refrigerator.

可以達到冰箱的大小。

Now, if we even want to talk about sending that capability into deep space,

現在，如果我們還想討論將這種能力送入深空的問題。

that refrigerator needs to shrink down

那臺冰箱需要縮小

into something that can fit inside the produce drawer.

變成可以放進農產品抽屜裡的東西。

So why does this matter?

那麼，為什麼會有這個問題呢？

Well, let's revisit one of our intrepid explorers, Voyager 1.

好吧，讓我們重溫一下我們無畏的探險家之一，旅行者1號。

Voyager 1 is just over 13 billion miles away right now.

旅行者1號現在就在130億英里之外。

As you know, it took over 40 years to get there,

如你所知，它花了40多年的時間才到達那裡。

and it takes a signal traveling at the speed of light over 40 hours

而這需要一個以光速傳播的信號超過40個小時

to get there and back again.

到那裡再回來。

And here's the thing about these spacecraft:

而這就是這些航天器的特點。

they move really fast.

他們的動作非常快。

And Voyager 1 doesn't stop and wait for us to send directions from Earth.

而旅行者1號也不會停下腳步，等著我們從地球上發出訓示。

Voyager 1 keeps moving.

旅行者1號一直在移動。

In that 40 hours that we are waiting

在我們等待的40個小時裡

to hear that echo signal here on the Earth,

聽到地球上的回聲信號。

Voyager 1 has moved on by about 1.5 million miles.

旅行者1號已經前進了大約150萬英里。

It's 1.5 million miles further into largely uncharted territory.

它的150萬英里進一步進入很大程度上是未知的領域。

So it would be great

那就好了

if we could measure that signal time directly at the spacecraft.

如果我們能在航天器上直接測量信號時間。

But the miniaturization of atomic clock technology is ...

但原子鐘技術的小型化是......

well, it's difficult.

嗯，這很難。

Not only does the clock technology and all the supporting hardware

不僅是時鐘技術和所有的配套硬件。

need to shrink down,

需要縮小。

but you also need to make it work.

但你也需要讓它發揮作用。

Space is an exceptionally harsh environment,

空間是一個異常惡劣的環境。

and if one piece breaks on this instrument,

而如果在這把琴上斷了一個零件。

it's not like we can just send a technician out to replace the piece

這不是我們可以隨便派個技術人員去換件的事

and continue on our way.

然後繼續上路。

The journeys that these spacecraft take can last months, years,

這些航天器的旅行可以持續幾個月、幾年。

even decades.

甚至幾十年。

And designing and building a precision instrument that can support that

而設計和製造一個可以支持這種精密儀器的設備

is as much an art as it is a science and an engineering.

是一門藝術，也是一門科學和工程。

But there is good news: we are making some amazing progress,

但有一個好消息：我們正在取得一些驚人的進展。

and we're about to take our very first baby steps

我們即將邁出我們的第一個小步驟

into a new age of atomic space clocks.

進入原子空間鐘的新時代。

Soon we will be launching

很快，我們將推出

an ion-based atomic clock that is space-suitable.

一種適用於空間的離子型原子鐘。

And this clock has the potential to completely flip the way we navigate.

而這個時鐘有可能徹底顛覆我們的導航方式。

This clock is so stable,

這個時鐘太穩定了。

it measures time so well,

它能很好地測量時間。

that if I put it right here and I turned it on,

如果我把它放在這裡，我打開它，

and I walked away,

我就走了。

I would have to come back nine million years later

我必須在九百萬年後再來。

for that clock's measurement to be off by one second.

為該時鐘'的測量偏離一秒。

So what can we do with a clock like this?

那麼，我們可以用這樣的時鐘做什麼呢？

Well, instead of doing all of the spacecraft navigation

好吧，與其做所有的航天器導航，不如說是做所有的航天器導航。

here on the Earth,

在地球上。

what if we let the spacecraft navigate themselves?

如果我們讓航天器自己導航呢？

Onboard autonomous navigation, or a self-driving spacecraft, if you will,

機載自主導航，或者說是自動駕駛的航天器，如果你願意的話。

is one of the top technologies needed

是最需要的技術之一

if we are going to survive in deep space.

如果我們要在深空中生存的話。

When we inevitably send humans to Mars or even further,

當我們不可避免地將人類送上火星甚至更遠的地方時。

we need to be navigating that ship in real time,

我們需要實時導航那艘船。

not waiting for directions to come from Earth.

不等地球來的訓示。

And measuring that time wrong by just a tiny fraction of a second

而測量時間的時候，只錯了極小的幾分之一秒

can mean the difference between a mission's life or death,

可能意味著任務的生死之別'。

which is bad enough for a robotic mission,

這對機器人任務來說已經夠糟了。

but just think about the consequences if there was a human crew on board.

但想想如果船上有人類船員，後果會怎樣？

But let's assume that we can get our astronauts

但是，讓我們假設我們可以讓我們的太空人們

safely to the surface of their destination.

安全到達目的地的表面。

Once they're there, I imagine they'd like a way to find their way around.

一旦他們'到了那裡，我想他們'會想辦法找到自己的路。

Well, with this clock technology,

那麼，有了這個時鐘技術。

we can now build GPS-like navigation systems

我們現在可以建立類似GPS的導航系統

at other planets and moons.

在其他行星和衛星。

Imagine having GPS on the Moon or Mars.

想象一下，在月球或火星上擁有GPS。

Can you see an astronaut standing on the surface of Mars

你能看到一個太空人站在火星表面嗎？

with Olympus Mons rising in the background,

與奧林匹斯山蒙斯在背景中上升。

and she's looking down at her Google Maps Mars Edition

而她正低頭看著她的谷歌地圖火星版。

to see where she is

看看她在哪裡

and to chart a course to get where she needs to go?

並制定一個路線，以獲得她需要去的地方？

Allow me to dream for a moment,

請允許我做一下夢。

and let's talk about something far, far in the future,

而讓我們來談談遠在未來的事情。

when we are sending humans to places much further away than Mars,

當我們把人類送到比火星更遠的地方時。

places where waiting for a signal from the Earth in order to navigate

等候地球信號的地方，以便進行導航。

is just not realistic.

是不現實的。

Imagine in this scenario that we can have a constellation,

試想在這種情況下，我們可以有一個星座。

a network of communication satellites scattered throughout deep space

通信衛星網

broadcasting navigation signals,

廣播導航信號。

and any spacecraft picking up that signal

和任何接收到該信號的航天器

can travel from destination to destination to destination

可以從目的地到目的地

with no direct tie to the Earth at all.

與地球完全沒有直接聯繫。

The ability to accurately measure time in deep space

準確測量深空時間的能力

can forever change the way we navigate.

可以永遠改變我們導航的方式。

But it also has the potential to give us some pretty cool science.

但它也有可能給我們帶來一些很酷的科學。

You see, that same signal that we use for navigation

你看，同樣的信號，我們使用的導航

tells us something about where it came from

告訴我們一些關於它的來歷

and the journey that it took as it traveled from antenna to antenna.

以及它從天線到天線的旅程。

And that journey, that gives us data, data to build better models,

而這個歷程，給我們提供了數據，數據可以建立更好的模型。

better models of planetary atmospheres throughout our solar system.

更好的太陽系內行星大氣層模型。

We can detect subsurface oceans on far-off icy moons,

我們可以在遙遠的冰衛星上探測到地下海洋。

maybe even detect tiny ripples in space due to relativistic gravity.

甚至可能探測到相對論引力導致的空間微小漣漪。

Onboard autonomous navigation means we can support more spacecraft,

機載自主導航意味著我們可以支持更多的航天器。

more sensors to explore the universe,

更多的傳感器來探索宇宙。

and it also frees up navigators -- people like me --

它也釋放了導航員 -- 像我這樣的人 --

to work on finding the answers to other questions.

來努力尋找其他問題的答案。

And we still have a lot of questions to answer.

而且我們還有很多問題需要回答。

We know such precious little about this universe around us.

我們對我們周圍的這個宇宙瞭解得如此之少。

In recent years, we have discovered nearly 3,000 planetary systems

近年來，我們已經發現了近3000個行星系統。

outside of our own solar system,

在我們自己的太陽系之外。

and those systems are home to almost 4,000 exoplanets.

而這些系統是近4000顆系外行星的家園。

To put that number in context for you:

為了讓你瞭解這個數字的來龍去脈。

when I was learning about planets for the first time as a child,

當我小時候第一次學習行星的時候。

there were nine,

有九個。

or eight if you didn't count Pluto.

或八個，如果你不計算冥王星。

But now there are 4,000.

但現在有4000人。

It is estimated that dark matter

據估計，暗物質

makes up about 96 percent of our universe,

佔我們宇宙的96%左右。

and we don't even know what it is.

而我們甚至不知道它是什麼。

All of the science returned

所有的科學都返回了

from all of our deep space missions combined

我們所有深空飛行任務的總和

is just this single drop of knowledge

就是這一滴知識

in a vast ocean of questions.

在浩瀚的問題海洋中。

And if we want to learn more,

而如果我們想了解更多。

to discover more, to understand more,

要多發現，多瞭解。

then we need to explore more.

那我們就需要多多探討。

The ability to accurately keep time in deep space

在深空準確地保持時間的能力

will revolutionize the way that we can explore this universe,

將徹底改變我們探索這個宇宙的方式。

and it might just be one of the keys to unlocking some of those secrets

它可能是解開其中一些祕密的鑰匙之一。

that she holds so dear.

她如此珍視的東西。

Thank you.

謝謝你了

(Applause)

(掌聲)