Who won the space race? - Jeff Steers

Who won the space race? - Jeff Steers

翻译人员: Yingfei Xue 校对人员: Will Jay

On October 4, 1957,

1957年10月4日

the world watched in awe and fear

世人带着敬畏和恐惧

as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik,

目睹了苏联发射Sputnik

the world's first man-made satellite,

世界上第一颗人造卫星

into space.

进入太空

This little metal ball,

这个小小的金属球

smaller than two feet in diameter,

小于两英尺的直径

launched a space race

引发了美国和苏联之间

between the U.S. and U.S.S.R.

的太空竞赛

that would last for eighteen years

竞赛持续了十八年

and change the world as we know it.

也改变这个世界

Sputnik was actually not the first piece

Sputnik 其实不是的第一件

of human technology to enter space.

进入空间的人类科技

That superlative goes to the V-2 rocket

德国用于导弹袭击的

used by Germany in missile attacks

V-2 火箭是最早的

against Allied cities as a last-ditch effort

在二次世界大战的最后几年

in the final years of World War II.

它被为反攻同盟国的一根救命稻草

It wasn't very effective,

它并不是非常有效的

but, at the end of the war,

但是战争结束后

both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. had captured

美国和苏联都获得了

the technology and the scientists that had developed it

这项技术和开发了它的科学家

and began using them for their own projects.

并以此开始自己的项目

And by August 1957,

到了1957年8月

the Soviet's successfully tested

苏联的成功测试了

the first intercontinental ballistic missile, the R-7,

第一枚洲际弹道导弹R-7

the same rocket that would be used

正是它被用来

to launch Sputnik two months later.

在两个月后发射人造卫星

So, the scary thing about Sputnik

所以 Sputnik的可怕之处

was not the orbiting ball itself,

并不是卫星本身

but the fact that the same technology

而是用相同的技术

could be used to launch a nuclear warhead at any city.

可以发射核弹头到任何一个城市

Not wanting to fall too far behind,

为了不落后，

President Eisenhower ordered the Navy

艾森豪威尔总统下令海军

to speed up its own project

要加快自己的项目

and launch a satellite as soon as possible.

并尽快发射一颗卫星

So, on December 6, 1957,

在1957年12月6日

excited people across the nation

全美国人

tuned in to watch the live broadcast

本都激动地观看

as the Vanguard TV3 satellite took off

先锋TV3卫星起飞

and crashed to the ground two seconds later.

却遗憾的看到它在两秒后撞向地面

The Vanguard failure was a huge embarassment

先锋号的失败

for the United States.

使美国受挫

Newspapers printed headlines like,

当时报纸头条诸如

"Flopnik" and "Kaputnik."

Flopnik和Kaputnik（搞砸）

And a Soviet delegate at the U.N. mockingly suggested

苏联驻联合国大使讥讽

that the U.S. should receive foreign aid

美国作为发展中国家

for developing nations.

应接受外国援助

Fortunately, the Army had been working

幸运的是 军队一直在研究

on their own parallel project, The Explorer,

另一个平行项目 探索者

which was successfully launched in January 1958,

1958年1月 探索者成功发射

but the U.S. had barely managed to catch up

美国勉强得赶了上来

before they were surpassed again

却再次被超越

as Yuri Gargarin became the first man in space

1961年4月

in April 1961.

尤里加加林成为了第一个太空人

Almost a year passed

将近一年之后

and several more Soviet astronauts

另外几个苏联宇航员

completed their missions

完成他们的使命

before Project Mercury succeeded

之后 水星项目成功

in making John Glenn the first American

约翰格伦在1962年2月

in orbit in February 1962.

作为第一个美国人出现在轨道上

By this time, President Kennedy had realized

这时肯尼迪总统已经意识到

that simply catching up

仅仅在几个月后追赶上

to each Soviet advance a few months later

苏联的步伐

wasn't going to cut it.

是没有用的

The U.S. had to do something first,

美国必须做到第一

and in May 1961, a month after Gargarin's flight,

1961年5月 加加林升空后一个月

he announced the goal

他宣布目标了

of putting a man on the moon

到60年代末

by the end of the 1960s.

把人类送上月球的计划

They succeeded in this through the Apollo program

美国人成功的实施了阿波罗计划

with Neil Armstrong taking his famous step

尼尔阿姆斯特朗在1969年七月20日

on July 20, 1969.

迈出了他关键的步伐

With both countries' next turning their attention

两个国家接下来将注意力转向

to orbital space stations,

到轨道空间站

there's no telling how much longer

人们无法预知

the space race could have gone on.

太空竞赛会持续多久

But because of improving relations

但由于改善两国关系

negotiated by Soviet Premier Leonid Breshnev

由苏联总理勃列日涅夫

and U.S. President Nixon,

和美国总统尼克松讨论后

the U.S.S.R. and U.S. moved toward cooperation

苏联和美国开始合作

rather than competition.

而不是竞争。

The successful joint mission,

阿波罗-联盟

known as Apollo-Soyuz,

是成功联合项目

in which an American Apollo spacecraft

其中美国的阿波罗飞船

docked with a Soviet Soyuz craft

与苏联联盟号飞船对接

and the two crews met,

双方乘人员见了面

握了手

shook hands,

and exchanged gifts,

交换了礼物

marked the end of the space race in 1975.

1975年标志着太空竞赛的结束

So, in the end, what was the point

所以到底太空竞赛

of this whole space race?

的意义何在

Was it just a massive waste of time?

只是浪费了大量时间吗

Two major superpowers trying to outdo each other

两个都想超过对方的超级大国

by pursuing symbolic projects

通过研究那是既危险又昂贵的

that were both dangerous and expensive,

象征性项目

using resources that could have been

所使用的这些资源会不会可能

better spent elsewhere?

更好地用在其他地方呢？

Well, sure, sort of,

当然 这部分正确

but the biggest benefits of the space program

但空间计划的最大好处

had nothing to do with one country beating another.

与哪个国家取胜无关

During the space race,

在太空竞赛期间

funding for research and education, in general,

用于研究和教育的资金

increased dramatically,

大大增加

leading to many advances

这些导致了

that may not have otherwise been made.

前所未有的进步

Many NASA technologies developed for space

许多美国航空航天局开发的空间技术

are now widely used in civilian life,

现在广泛应用于平民生活

from memory foam in mattresses

从记忆泡沫床垫

to freeze-dried food,

到冻干食物

to LEDs in cancer treatment.

到癌症治疗中的 led

And, of course, the satellites that we rely on

全球定位系统和移动电话信号

for our GPS and mobile phone signals

所需的卫星

would not have been there

要不是有太空竞赛

without the space program.

就不会存在在那儿了

All of which goes to show

所有这些都说明了

that the rewards of scientific research and advancement

科学研究进步的好处

are often far more vast

往往比起初想象的

than even the people pursuing them can imagine.

更加广阔