SpaceX可重复利用火箭真能降低太空旅行成本么
日期:2018-01-08 14:11

(单词翻译:单击)

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If you had to buy a new car every time you had to go somewhere, you'd be broken by Tuesday.
如果你每去一个地方就要买一辆新车的话,那到不了周二你就得破产C_LZV0X%~-
So, why not apply the same logic to space travel.
那为什么到了太空旅行这块就变了呢?
90s kids will remember the space shuttle launches that ferried astronauts and cargo to the ISS.
上世纪90年代的孩子们还依稀记得,人们用航天飞机运送宇航员和货物,到达国际空间站.=x=u5xVI5rS&DHCVz)E
But even the reusable shuttle was expensive, and so the program ended in 2011.
但即便可以重复利用,航天飞机高昂的发射及维护费用已让这个项目难以为继,终在2011年宣告结束T8%hWq~u0H&did^xD
According to the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, the shuttle was too complex, and money could be saved if the rocket was simplified.
据SpaceX的创始人Elon Musk说,航天飞机太过复杂,如果简化火箭结构,方可节约资金bCuRvpnkS,r_7-Cz&
Simplifying a rocket. How hard could that be?
简化火箭?难度几何?
Well, after few crash landings and explosions, SpaceX seems to have the self-landing reusable rocket thing figured out.
历经了几次紧急迫降和爆炸事件后,SpaceX自着陆可重复利用火箭的研制似乎有了眉目Z@bQn+ZaOf5)b
So, does this make space travel cheaper?
研制这种火箭能否降低太空旅行的成本?
Space shuttle missions cost about 450 million dollars per launch, and while that sounds like a lot more than SpaceX's price of $133 million,
航天飞机执行一次任务的成本约为4.5亿美元,虽然听起来远比SpaceX的发射费用1.33亿美元高不少,
you have to remember the Space Shuttle was a beast of a craft, capable of carrying 50,000 pounds of cargo AND 7 crew members.
但是别忘了,航天飞机一次发射就能搭载5万英磅货物,外加7名宇航员HhkhNLY*Y7xUZ8cl2gH
Broken down by the pound Shuttle flights cost about 10,000 dollars whereas a SpaceX Dragon stuffed to the gills costs 9,100 dollars for every pound of
cargo.
航天飞机平均每磅的运输成本约为10000美元,而SpaceX平均每磅的满负荷运输成本为9100美元[WgEY|0@3](N(3e@
That's well shy of Musk's ultimate goal of bringing down the cost of space travel by a at least a factor of 10.
而Musk的最终目标是将太空旅行的成本降低至少10倍以上,二者实在相去甚远7%S]Q[Vka6Z1
But, he hopes to hit those numbers by launching more cargo at once on their next rocket, the Falcon Heavy.
为了接近这一目标,Musk寄希望于火箭Falcon Heavy,希望它能提高单次货物的搭载量oc&s(Ja]iP)m
For now SpaceX has started launching reused Falcon-9 rockets and says the cost of refurbishing one is less than half of building one from scratch.
如今,SpaceX重启猎鹰-9火箭准备发射,声称重新部署二次利用的费用远低于从无到有新建火箭的一半KyrfI9]E|OEL(0R
They still have to recoup their investment, but eventually Musk says prices will drop.
他们仍然需要回收投资成本,但Musk说最终成本会降下来的3W[)yO;lqJt.*IB,
The thing is, SpaceX is competing for government contracts with another company called United Launch Alliance or ULA, a joint venture of Lockheed-Martin
and Boeing.
重要的是,SpaceX正与洛克希德马丁及波音的一家合资公司——联合发射联盟,就政府合同展开角逐~T^6N!^_RQ!BU
Based on the US Air Force's 2018 budget estimate, it looks like ULA will charge 422 million dollars per launch in 2020.
根据美国空军2018的军费预算,2020年,ULA的单次发射费用似乎将收取4.22亿美元d9r#IRNPC_]]2=YKfwY#
SpaceX, on the other hand, has done similar jobs for only 83 million dollars.
而另一方面,SpaceX公司的单次发射费用仅为8300万美元t58(L4eqh6,h
So things are allegedly cheaper.
据此,价格占优u!fH,5Isshw*|s08BJ]
Though, how much of that 300 million dollars difference is down to the rocket, is up for debate.
然而,3亿美元的差别,就火箭而言,到底差在哪儿,尚存争议H+U=9zOlbqglL~edVQ

b,pA9k;k^04#uf

太空旅行

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In fact, the Government Accountability Office has criticized ULA for a lack of transparency on pricing.
事实上,美国政府责任署已经就ULA报价缺乏透明度一事对其提出批评Itf~(CiYWs.8f[|z
While some would argue ULA charges that much because they're up against the margin and can't cut costs, Musk thinks they charge that much because they
can.
虽然有人会说,ULA报价偏高是因为他们成本难以削减,导致利润空间不足,而Musk则认为他们是坐地起价A^J0JgQ]1[z5Fy~tT&o
They used to have no competition, their launch record is outstanding, and the satellites they're launching cost billions, so what's a few hundred million
dollars between friends?
他们过去没有竞争对手,发射记录保持良好,而发射卫星又的确要耗资数十亿美元,难道还差这区区几个亿么?
While the Department of Defense can accept the higher launch costs because their budget is bigger than God's, NASA is, by comparison,
由于政府预算颇高,美国国防部对于高价发射成本尚可接受,而比较而言,
a poor pauper that has to make a lump of coal last the winter.
NASA是个可怜的穷光蛋,到了冬天还要靠自己烧煤sn6B8oBYXKkg-;KX@J
In 2015 NASA received 34 times less money than the DOD.
单2015年,NASA所受款额较比国防部低34倍之多A,xx0+6hHp
So, if can save NASA money, it would be an ideal partnership.
所以,如果SpaceX可以为NASA雪中送炭,他们将成为一对完美搭档WMzkexQ^g6C@q
The next thing NASA needs is a way to transport people.
NASA的下步计划是输送宇航员YQPx5+5D0Z5Rj|cV
X's unfinished Dragon 2 spacecraft is designed to carry people at a price of 58 million dollars per seat.
SpaceX的在建Dragon 2火箭,可以搭载宇航员进入太空,每座5800万美元7j,qGaKk67fon(Nq
Pretty good considering the only other ride to the ISS is aboard a Russian Soyuz,and since the shuttle's retirement they've been hiking the price.
跟搭乘俄罗斯联盟号宇宙飞船到达国际空间站(ISS)相比,这已经算好的了,且自美国的航天飞机退役后,俄罗斯就涨价了j+uHgAnD_wH7#y7EQ
They're planning to charge 81 million dollars a seat next year.
他们明年的计划费用为每座8100万美元z05*BTtHhwa^vqzzGja
I for one hope he does manage to get that price down, because I don't think I can save up 58 million dollars before I die.
而我呢,只希望他能降降价,因为我想,自己到死我也省不出那5800万美元来St.DT0zdSlhJ|~866
Maybe I should invent some sort of service.
也许我该做出某项服务发明&--9vO=Q@C7NFDX
Like an easy way to pay my pals or something.
比如像一种简单的支付方式,给我的朋友付个款什么的]AptrnCe#)&^
I don't know, get back to me on this one, Elon.
我不知道,有好主意告诉我哦,Elon+fz(O26|qn7u3x
Thanks for watching, if you like what you see may I casually direct you to the subscribe button.
谢谢观看,如果喜欢我们的节目,欢迎订阅2.elWh(#&7-gY=&nj5
If you bought a ticket to space, how high would you have to go before you technically got there?
如果你买票进行太空之旅,在你真正到达之前,你要飞多高?
Trace tells you where space starts here.
Trace来告诉你,宇宙始于何处Upj!Lde.d&B
So would you hitch a ride on a rocket if you could?
如果可以,你愿搭乘火箭吗?
Let us know in the comments, and thanks for watching.
请在评论中告诉我们,谢谢观看!

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重点单词
  • lumpn. 团,块,瘤,笨重的人 v. 使成块,形成团状,归并
  • marginn. 差额,利润,页边空白,边缘 vt. 使围绕于,加边
  • debaten. 辩论,讨论 vt. 争论,思考 vi. 商讨,辩论
  • spacecraftn. 宇宙飞船
  • competitionn. 比赛,竞争,竞赛
  • unfinishedadj. 未完成的
  • craftn. 工艺,手艺,狡诈,航空器,行会成员 vt. 手工制
  • complexadj. 复杂的,复合的,合成的 n. 复合体,综合体,
  • budgetn. 预算 vt. 编预算,为 ... 做预算 vi.
  • transportn. 运输、运输工具;(常用复数)强烈的情绪(狂喜或狂怒