Charles Elachi: The story of the Mars Rovers

チャールズ・エラチ: 火星ローバー

翻訳: Ichiro Nishimura 校正: Akira Kan

I thought I'd start with telling you or showing you the people who started [Jet Propulsion Lab].

ジェット推進研究所(JPL)の 設立者の話から始めましょう

When they were a bunch of kids,

彼らは若い頃

they were kind of very imaginative, very adventurous,

とても想像力と冒険心がありました

as they were trying at Caltech to mix chemicals

カリフォルニア工科大学では

and see which one blows up more.

化学薬品を混ぜて爆破力を競いました

Well, I don't recommend that you try to do that now.

同じ事を試すのはお勧めしませんが

Naturally, they blew up a shack, and Caltech, well, then,

当然彼らは小屋を吹き飛ばし

hey, you go to the Arroyo and really do all your tests in there.

大学は実験を続ける彼らを僻地に追放しました

So, that's what we call our first five employees

これが「最初の5人の従業員」と呼ぶ

during the tea break, you know, in here.

メンバーの休憩中の様子です

As I said, they were adventurous people.

申し上げたように彼らは冒険的です

As a matter of fact, one of them, who was, kind of, part of a cult

そのうちの一人は まるでカルトのごとく

which was not too far from here on Orange Grove,

ここからそう遠くないオレンジグローブで

and unfortunately he blew up himself because he kept mixing chemicals

最高の化合物を調合している最中に

and trying to figure out which ones were the best chemicals.

痛ましい爆発事故を起こしました

So, that gives you a kind of flavor

どんな種類の人達か

of the kind of people we have there.

ご理解頂けるでしょう？

We try to avoid blowing ourselves up.

事故はもう起こさないよう注意しています

This one I thought I'd show you.

これをご覧ください

Guess which one is a JPL employee in the heart of this crowd.

この中でJPL従業員は誰だと思いますか？

I tried to come like him this morning,

今朝は彼を真似して来ようとしましたが

but as I walked out, then it was too cold,

外に出たらあまりに寒かったので

and I said, I'd better put my shirt back on.

シャツを着ることにしました

But more importantly, the reason I wanted to show this picture:

それよりも この写真をお見せしたかった理由は

look where the other people are looking,

他の人が見ている方向と

and look where he is looking.

彼が見ている方向に注目して欲しいからです

Wherever anybody else looks, look somewhere else,

他の誰がどこを見ていようと

and go do something different, you know, and doing that.

別方向を見て違う事を試し続ける

And that's kind of what has been the spirit of what we are doing.

それこそが私たちの心意気です

And I want to tell you a quote from Ralph Emerson

同僚のラルフ・エマーソンが

that one of my colleagues, you know, put on my wall in my office,

私のオフィスに張った言葉を引用します

and it says, "Do not go where the path may lead.

「行き先の決まった道を歩くのはやめよう

Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail."

未踏の地に足跡を残していこう」

And that's my recommendation to all of you:

これは皆さんにぜひお勧めしたいです

look what everybody is doing, what they are doing;

皆が何をしているか観察して

go do something completely different.

全く違うことを試すのです

Don't try to improve a little bit on what somebody else is doing,

他人の仕事を見て少し改良を加えても

because that doesn't get you very far.

大したことはできません

In our early days we used to work a lot on rockets,

当初はロケット開発に専念しました

but we also used to have a lot of parties, you know.

一方でパーディもたくさんしました

As you can see, one of our parties, you know, a few years ago.

数年前のパーティの様子です

But then a big difference happened about 50 years ago,

しかし50年前にスプートニクが発射された後は

after Sputnik was launched. We launched the first American satellite,

大きな変化が訪れました アメリカ初の衛星を発射したのです

and that's the one you see on the left in there.

左側にご覧頂いているものです

And here we made 180 degrees change:

そして180度の方針転換をした

we changed from a rocket house to be an exploration house.

ロケット開発から探査機関へ変換しました

And that was done over a period of a couple of years,

変換は数年間で成し遂げ

and now we are the leading organization, you know,

今や国を代表する有数の

exploring space on all of your behalf.

宇宙探査機関になりました

But even when we did that, we had to remind ourselves,

ただ その間も過去の挫折を

sometimes there are setbacks.

記憶に留める必要がありました

So you see, on the bottom, that rocket was supposed to go upward;

下の方にあるのは 上昇すべきロケットが

somehow it ended going sideways.

なぜか横倒しになってしまいました

So that's what we call the misguided missile.

いわば誘導失敗したミサイルです

But then also, just to celebrate that,

この出来事を記念して

we started an event at JPL for "Miss Guided Missile."

「ミス誘導ミサイル」コンテストを始めました

So, we used to have a celebration every year and select --

毎年お祭りをして勝者を選ぶ

there used to be competition and parades and so on.

コンテストやパレード等をしたものです

It's not very appropriate to do it now. Some people tell me to do it;

今では適切ではなくなりました

I think, well, that's not really proper, you know, these days.

たしかに最近の風潮を考えると上品とは言えません

So, we do something a little bit more serious.

そこで少し真面目になりました

And that's what you see in the last Rose Bowl, you know,

前回のローズボールに参加した時

when we entered one of the floats.

皆さんがご覧になったものです

That's more on the play side. And on the right side,

これはお遊びですが 右側のローバーは

that's the Rover just before we finished its testing

最終テストを経て打ち上げのため

to take it to the Cape to launch it.

ケープカナベラルに輸送する直前です

These are the Rovers up here that you have on Mars now.

火星に軟着陸した実物です

So that kind of tells you about, kind of, the fun things,

楽しみながら同時に真剣に仕事する

you know, and the serious things that we try to do.

様子がお分かりでしょう

But I said I'm going to show you a short clip

これから短いビデオをご紹介します

of one of our employees to kind of give you an idea

私たちの従業員の一人が持つ才能が

about some of the talent that we have.

お分かりになると思います

Video: Morgan Hendry: Beware of Safety is

ビアウェア・オブ・セイフティ は

an instrumental rock band.

ロックバンドの名前です

It branches on more the experimental side.

比較的実験的な音楽を探究しています

There's the improvisational side of jazz.

即興的なジャズがあったり

There's the heavy-hitting sound of rock.

力強いロックのサウンドもあります

Being able to treat sound as an instrument, and be able to dig

音を楽器として扱い 電子機器とアコースティックを

for more abstract sounds and things to play live,

混ぜて より抽象的なサウンドや

mixing electronics and acoustics.

ライブ演奏をします

The music's half of me, but the other half --

音楽は私の半面です もう一方では

I landed probably the best gig of all.

素晴らしい仕事に就けました

I work for the Jet Propulsion Lab. I'm building the next Mars Rover.

私はジェット推進研究所で働き 火星ローバーを開発しています

Some of the most brilliant engineers I know

私が知る最も優秀な技術者達は

are the ones who have that sort of artistic quality about them.

芸術の才能も長けています

You've got to do what you want to do.

人は したいことをすべきです

And anyone who tells you you can't, you don't listen to them.

おまえは無理と言う人など聞く必要ない

Maybe they're right - I doubt it.

彼らは正しいかもしれないが 疑わしいのさ

Tell them where to put it, and then just do what you want to do.

とにかく やりたいことをすればいい

I'm Morgan Hendry. I am NASA.

私はモーガン・ヘンドリー 私はNASAです

Charles Elachi: Now, moving from the play stuff to the serious stuff,

それでは余興から本題に移りましょう

always people ask, why do we explore?

どうして探索するのか といつも聞かれます

Why are we doing all of these missions and why are we exploring them?

ミッションを計画し探索する理由は何でしょう?

Well, the way I think about it is fairly simple.

私の考えは とてもシンプルです

Somehow, 13 billion years ago there was a Big Bang, and you've heard

ご存じのとおり 130億年前に

a little bit about, you know, the origin of the universe.

宇宙の起源であるビッグバンが起きました

But somehow what strikes everybody's imagination --

非常に興味深いのは そのビッグバン以来

or lots of people's imagination -- somehow from that original Big Bang

どういった経緯か 今日私たちが住む

we have this beautiful world that we live in today.

世界は非常に素晴らしい

You look outside: you have all that beauty that you see,

外には美しい景色が広がってますし

all that life that you see around you,

生命に満ちあふれています

and here we have intelligent people like you and I

そして皆さんのような人間がいて

who are having a conversation here.

ここで知的な会話をしている

All that started from that Big Bang. So, the question is:

全てはビッグバンから始まった そこで疑問は

How did that happen? How did that evolve? How did the universe form?

どのように起きたのか? どのように進化したのか? どのように宇宙が形成されたのか?

How did the galaxies form? How did the planets form?

どのように銀河ができたのか? どのように惑星ができたのか?

Why is there a planet on which there is life which have evolved?

どうして生命を育む惑星ができたのか?

Is that very common?

それは普通なことなのか?

Is there life on every planet that you can see around the stars?

恒星を回る全ての惑星に生命は存在するのか?

So we literally are all made out of stardust.

文字通り私たちは星くずでできているのです

We started from those stars; we are made of stardust.

私たちの原点は星です 私たちは星くずなのです

So, next time you are really depressed, look in the mirror

ですから次に落ち込んだ時は鏡を覗いて

and you can look and say, hi, I'm looking at a star here.

こう言えばいいのです 「今見ているのは星なんだ」

You can skip the dust part.

「くず」は省いて構いません

But literally, we are all made of stardust.

文字通り 私たちは星くずで出来ています

So, what we are trying to do in our exploration is effectively

ですから私たちの探索は 今日存在するものが

write the book of how things have came about as they are today.

どのように出来たか本を書くようなものです

And one of the first, or the easiest, places we can go

そして私たちが探索するのに最も身近な

and explore that is to go towards Mars.

惑星が火星なのです

And the reason Mars takes particular attention:

火星が特に興味深い理由のひとつは

it's not very far from us.

遠くないことです

You know, it'll take us only six months to get there.

わずか6ヶ月で到達できます

Six to nine months at the right time of the year.

時期により6〜9ヶ月です 火星は地球より

It's a planet somewhat similar to Earth. It's a little bit smaller,

少し小さいですがよく似ています

but the land mass on Mars is about the same

海を除いた

as the land mass on Earth, you know,

火星の陸地面積は

if you don't take the oceans into account.

だいたい地球と同じです

It has polar caps. It has an atmosphere somewhat thinner than ours,

極冠があり 地球よりも若干薄い大気が存在し

so it has weather. So, it's very similar to some extent,

気象があります ある程度までとても似ています

and you can see some of the features on it,

火星の地形がご覧になります

like the Grand Canyon on Mars,

火星のグランド・キャニオンとも 言える渓谷があります

or what we call the Grand Canyon on Mars.

火星のグランド・キャニオンとも 言える渓谷があります

It is like the Grand Canyon on Earth, except a hell of a lot larger.

地球のグランド・キャニオンに 似ていますがとても巨大です

So it's about the size, you know, of the United States.

アメリカ合衆国と同じくらいの大きさです

It has volcanoes on it. And that's Mount Olympus on Mars,

火山が存在し その一つオリンパス山は

which is a kind of huge volcanic shield on that planet.

いわば巨大な盾状の火山です

And if you look at the height of it

その標高を見ると

and you compare it to Mount Everest, you see, it'll give you

エベレストと比較すれば

an idea of how large that Mount Olympus, you know, is,

オリンパス山がいかに巨大であるかお分かりでしょう

relative to Mount Everest.

オリンパス山がいかに巨大であるかお分かりでしょう

So, it basically dwarfs, you know, Mount Everest here on Earth.

エベレストが隠れる位です

So, that gives you an idea of the tectonic events or volcanic events

火星の地殻変動や火山活動の 規模を把握できます

which have happened on that planet.

火星の地殻変動や火山活動の 規模を把握できます

Recently from one of our satellites, this shows that it's Earth-like --

最近 人工衛星が地球上に似た

we caught a landslide occurring as it was happening.

地滑りが発生する様子を観測しました

So it is a dynamic planet,

活動的な惑星なのです

and activity is going on as we speak today.

活動は今も継続しています

And these Rovers, people wonder now, what are they doing today,

ローバーは今何をしているか知りたいですよね？

so I thought I would show you a little bit what they are doing.

そこで皆さんに現在の様子をご覧に入れましょう

This is one very large crater. Geologists love craters,

巨大なクレーターです 地質学者はクレーターが大好きです

because craters are like digging a big hole in the ground

何の苦労もなく地面に大きな

without really working at it,

穴を掘ったようなもので

and you can see what's below the surface.

地表の下が見えるからです

So, this is called Victoria Crater,

これはヴィクトリア・クレーターと呼ばれています

which is about a few football fields in size.

サッカー場が数面分の大きさです

And if you look at the top left, you see a little teeny dark dot.

左上に小さな暗い点が見えます

This picture was taken from an orbiting satellite.

この写真は軌道上の衛星から撮影しました

If I zoom on it, you can see: that's the Rover on the surface.

拡大するとそれが地上のローバーなのです

So, that was taken from orbit; we had the camera zoom on the surface,

軌道上から撮影して地上を拡大すると

and we actually saw the Rover on the surface.

実際にローバーを見ることが出来ました

And we actually used the combination of the satellite images

衛星からの映像とローバーの両方を

and the Rover to actually conduct science,

使って調査を行いました

because we can observe large areas

まず広域を観測し

and then you can get those Rovers to move around

ローバーに指示して

and basically go to a certain location.

任意の場所に移動させます

So, specifically what we are doing now is

具体的にはローバーを

that Rover is going down in that crater.

クレーターに降下させています

As I told you, geologists love craters.

地質学者はクレーターが大好きです

And the reason is, many of you went to the Grand Canyon,

グランド・キャニオンに行った方は多いでしょうが

and you see in the wall of the Grand Canyon, you see these layers.

グランド・キャニオンの壁には地層が見えます

And what these layers -- that's what the surface used to be

地層というのは百万年 一千万年

a million years ago, 10 million years ago,

一億万年前に地表であった部分であり

100 million years ago, and you get deposits on top of them.

そこには当時の堆積物があります

So if you can read the layers it's like reading your book,

地層を解読すれば歴史書を読むようなものです

and you can learn the history of what happened in the past

その場所で過去にどのような事が起きたのか

in that location.

学ぶことが出来るのです

So what you are seeing here are the layers on the wall

これはクレーター壁面であり

of that crater, and the Rover is going down now, measuring, you know,

ローバーはそこを降りながら

the properties and analyzing the rocks

地層の特性を

as it's going down, you know, that canyon.

調査したり岩石を分析したりするのです

Now, it's kind of a little bit of a challenge driving

このような坂を下るのは

down a slope like this.

困難なことです

If you were there you wouldn't do it yourself.

普通そんなことはしないでしょう

But we really made sure we tested those Rovers

しかし私たちはローバーが

before we got them down -- or that Rover --

降下を始める前に全ての機能が

and made sure that it's all working well.

万全であることを確認しました

Now, when I came last time, shortly after the landing --

前回 着陸後まもなく ここに来た時は

I think it was, like, a hundred days after the landing --

たしか着陸後100日ほどでしたが

I told you I was surprised that those Rovers

みなさんにローバーが100日も

are lasting even a hundred days.

稼働したことは驚きだと申し上げました

Well, here we are four years later, and they're still working.

そして4年経ちましたが今でも動いています

Now you say, Charles, you are really lying to us, and so on,

眉唾だと言われるでしょう

but that's not true. We really believed they were going to last

でも違います 私たちは90〜100日程度しか

90 days or 100 days, because they are solar powered,

持たないと考えていました 太陽光発電が動力で

and Mars is a dusty planet, so we expected the dust

火星のような埃の多い惑星では

would start accumulating on the surface, and after a while

表面に埃が積もり ローバーの作動に必要な

we wouldn't have enough power, you know, to keep them warm.

電力を充分に得られないと思っていたのです

Well, I always say it's important that you are smart,

賢いことは大切ですが

but every once in a while it's good to be lucky.

時にはツキも味方します

And that's what we found out. It turned out that every once in a while

まさにツキがありました 火星では時折

there are dust devils which come by on Mars, as you are seeing here,

ご覧のようなつむじ風が発生して

and when the dust devil comes over the Rover, it just cleans it up.

ローバーの埃を吹き飛ばしてくれるのです

It is like a brand new car that you have,

まるで新車のような状態になり

and that's literally why they have lasted so long.

長期間に渡り作動しているのです

And now we designed them reasonably well,

もちろん それなりの設計をしました

but that's exactly why they are lasting that long

つむじ風こそ 長い間機能していまだに

and still providing all the science data.

科学的データを提供できる理由なのです

Now, the two Rovers, each one of them is, kind of, getting old.

それでも 2台のローバーは古くなりつつあります

You know, one of them, one of the wheels is stuck, is not working,

一台の車輪が動かなくなっています

one of the front wheels, so what we are doing,

前輪の一つです そこで

we are driving it backwards.

バックで運転しています

And the other one has arthritis of the shoulder joint, you know,

別の一台は結合部の故障のため

it's not working very well, so it's walking like this,

アームがうまく動かないので

and we can move the arm, you know, that way.

騙しながら動かしています

But still they are producing a lot of scientific data.

それでも大量の科学的データを提供しています

Now, during that whole period, a number of people got excited,

これまでの間 多くの科学界以外の人も

you know, outside the science community about these Rovers,

これらのローバーに大いに興奮しました

so I thought I'd show you a video just to give you a reflection

そこで科学界以外の人々が

about how these Rovers are being viewed by people

ローバーをどのように受け止めたか

other than the science community.

ビデオでご紹介します

So let me go on the next short video.

どうぞ ご覧ください

By the way, this video is pretty accurate of how the landing took place, you know,

ところで このビデオは4年前の着陸時の 様子をとても正確に表現しています

about four years ago.

ところでこのビデオは4年前の着陸時の 様子をとても正確に表現しています

Video: Okay, we have parachute aligned.

パラシュートがそろって開いた

Okay, deploy the airbags. Open.

エアバッグ展開 開け

Camera. We have a picture right now.

カメラ 映像が到着しました

Yeah!

やった！

CE: That's about what happened in the Houston operation room. It's exactly like this.

ヒューストンのオペレーション・ルームの様子です 全くこの通りでした

Video: Now, if there is life, the Dutch will find it.

火星人を探すのはオランダ人に任せよう

What is he doing?

何やってるんだ？

What is that?

なんだこれは？

CE: Not too bad.

悪くないでしょう？

So anyway, let me continue on showing you a little bit

それでは火星の美しさについて

about the beauty of that planet.

もう少し紹介しましょう

As I said earlier, it looked very much like Earth,

述べた通り とても地球に似ています

so you see sand dunes.

砂丘がご覧になれます

It looks like I could have told you these are pictures taken

サハラ砂漠かどこかだと

from the Sahara Desert or somewhere, and you'd have believed me,

言ったとしても 皆さん信じることでしょう

but these are pictures taken from Mars.

しかしこれは火星の写真なのです

But one area which is particularly intriguing for us

特に興味深い地域と言えば

is the northern region, you know, of Mars, close to the North Pole,

火星の北部 北極点に近い所です

because we see ice caps, and we see the ice caps shrinking

まるでカナダ北部にあるような

and expanding, so it's very much like you have in northern Canada.

極冠氷があり 拡大したり縮小したりします

And we wanted to find out -- and we see all kinds of glacial features on it.

氷河の特徴的地形が観測できます

So, we wanted to find out, actually,

実際私たちはその氷が

what is that ice made of, and could that have embedded in it

何で出来ていているのか 有機物が含まれているか

some organic, you know, material.

調査しようとしました

So we have a spacecraft which is heading towards Mars,

フェニックスと呼ぶ宇宙船が

called Phoenix, and that spacecraft will land

火星に向かっており 今からちょうど

17 days, seven hours and 20 seconds from now,

17日と7時間20秒で着陸する予定です

so you can adjust your watch.

時計をセットしておいて下さい

So it's on May 25 around just before five o'clock our time here

だいたい西海岸時間で5月25日5時前に

on the West Coast, actually we will be landing on another planet.

別の惑星に着陸します

And as you can see, this is a picture of the spacecraft put on Mars,

これは火星に降り立った宇宙船の想像図ですが

but I thought that just in case you're going to miss that show, you know,

17日後の着陸ショーを

in 17 days, I'll show you, kind of,

ご覧になれない方のために

a little bit of what's going to happen.

その様子を ご覧に入れます

Video: That's what we call the seven minutes of terror.

ご紹介するのは「恐怖の7分間」です

So the plan is to dig in the soil and take samples

計画では地表を掘ってサンプルを採集し

that we put them in an oven and actually heat them

オーブンに入れて加熱します

and look what gases will come from it.

そして噴出するガスを測定するのです

So this was launched about nine months ago.

約9ヶ月前に打ち上げられました

We'll be coming in at 12,000 miles per hour, and in seven minutes

時速約２万キロで突入し７分後に

we have to stop and touch the surface very softly

着陸船を破損することなく

so we don't break that lander.

地表に軟着陸させるのです

Ben Cichy: Phoenix is the first Mars Scout mission.

フェニックスは初の火星偵察計画です

It's the first mission that's going to try to land

初めて火星の北極近くに着陸し

near the North Pole of Mars, and it's the first mission

これも初めて地球以外の

that's actually going to try and reach out and touch water

惑星に存在する水に触れる計画です

on the surface of another planet.

惑星に存在する水に触れる計画です

Lynn Craig: Where there tends to be water, at least on Earth,

少なくとも地球では水がある所に

there tends to be life, and so it's potentially a place

生命が存在する傾向があるので 火星でも

where life could have existed on the planet in the past.

過去に生命が存在した可能性があるのは水中です

Erik Bailey: The main purpose of EDL is to take a spacecraft that is traveling

大気圏突入から軟着陸では時速２万キロで

at 12,500 miles an hour and bring it to a screeching halt

飛ぶ宇宙船を非常に短時間で減速し 優しく停止させることが求められます

in a soft way in a very short amount of time.

飛ぶ宇宙船を非常に短時間で減速し 優しく停止させることが求められます

BC: We enter the Martian atmosphere.

火星の大気圏に突入します

We're 70 miles above the surface of Mars.

火星の地表から112キロの高度です

And our lander is safely tucked inside what we call an aeroshell.

着陸船はエアロシェルと呼ぶ中に格納されています

EB: Looks kind of like an ice cream cone, more or less.

アイスクリームのコーンのような形です

BC: And on the front of it is this heat shield,

前部の皿に見える部分には

this saucer-looking thing that has about a half-inch

耐熱処理が施され厚さ１センチほどの

of essentially what's cork on the front of it,

耐熱効果を持つコルクに覆われています

which is our heat shield.

耐熱効果を持つコルクに覆われています

Now, this is really special cork,

この非常に特殊なコルクは

and this cork is what's going to protect us

大気圏突入時の過酷な

from the violent atmospheric entry that we're about to experience.

衝撃から宇宙船を守るのです

Rob Grover: Friction really starts to build up on the spacecraft,

大気を宇宙船が通過する際

and we use the friction when it's flying through the atmosphere

摩擦が発生するのでそれを利用して

to our advantage to slow us down.

速度を落とします

BC: From this point, we're going to decelerate from 12,500 miles an hour

ここから時速２万キロを

down to 900 miles an hour.

時速1500キロまで減速します

EB: The outside can get almost as hot as the surface of the Sun.

外部は太陽の表面と同じ位熱くなります

RG: The temperature of the heat shield can reach 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit.

耐熱部分の温度は1400℃になります

EB: The inside doesn't get very hot.

内部は熱くなりません

It probably gets about room temperature.

おそらく室温と同程度でしょう

Richard Kornfeld: There is this window of opportunity

パラシュートを展開するタイミングがきました

within which we can deploy the parachute.

パラシュートを展開するタイミングがきました

EB: If you fire the 'chute too early, the parachute itself could fail.

早過ぎるとパラシュートは機能しません

The fabric and the stitching could just pull apart.

生地と縫い目が破れてしまいます

And that would be bad.

それはダメです

BC: In the first 15 seconds after we deploy the parachute,

パラシュートが開いて15秒後に

we'll decelerate from 900 miles an hour

時速1500キロから時速400キロという

to a relatively slow 250 miles an hour.

比較的遅い速度まで減速します

We no longer need the heat shield to protect us

大気圏突入の際に機体を守った 耐熱シールドは もう必要ないので切り離します

from the force of atmospheric entry, so we jettison the heat shield,

大気圏突入の際に機体を守った 耐熱シールドは もう必要ないので切り離します

exposing for the first time our lander to the atmosphere of Mars.

そこで初めて着陸船が火星の大気に触れます

LC: After the heat shield has been jettisoned and the legs are deployed,

耐熱シールドを切り離し脚が展開されると

the next step is to have the radar system begin to detect

次にレーダーシステムがフェニックスの 地表からの高度を計測し始めます

how far Phoenix really is from the ground.

次にレーダーシステムがフェニックスの 地表からの高度を計測し始めます

BC: We've lost 99 percent of our entry velocity.

大気圏突入時点から99%減速しています

So, we're 99 percent of the way to where we want to be.

着陸まで99%の行程が終わったのです

But that last one percent, as it always seems to be, is the tricky part.

しかしこの場合でも 残り1%が非常に難しいのです

EB: Now the spacecraft actually has to decide

ここで宇宙船は いつパラシュートを

when it's going to get rid of its parachute.

切り離すか決定します

BC: We separate from the lander going 125 miles an hour

時速200キロで落下する宇宙船を

at roughly a kilometer above the surface of Mars: 3,200 feet.

火星の地表から1キロ上空で切り離します

That's like taking two Empire State Buildings

ちょうどエンパイア・ステートビルを 二つ縦に重ねた位です

and stacking them on top of one another.

ちょうどエンパイア・ステートビルを 二つ縦に重ねた位です

EB: That's when we separate from the back shell,

その時点で後部シェルから切り離し

and we're now in free-fall.

宇宙船は自由落下に入ります

It's a very scary moment; a lot has to happen

まさに恐怖の瞬間です とても多くのことが瞬時に起きます

in a very short amount of time.

まさに恐怖の瞬間です とても多くのことが瞬時に起きます

LC: So it's in a free-fall,

宇宙船は自由落下しながら

but it's also trying to use all of its actuators

全ての機器を使って着陸するのに 適正な姿勢を保ちます

to make sure that it's in the right position to land.

全ての機器を使って着陸するのに 適正な姿勢を保ちます

EB: And then it has to light up its engines, right itself,

そしてエンジンを点火し 姿勢を正し

and then slowly slow itself down and touch down on the ground safely.

ゆっくりとスピードを緩めながら 安全に着陸するのです

BC: Earth and Mars are so far apart that it takes over ten minutes

地球と火星は信号が届くのに

for a signal from Mars to get to Earth.

10分以上かかるほど離れています

And EDL itself is all over in a matter of seven minutes.

この一連の操作は7分ほどの出来事です

So by the time you even hear from the lander that EDL has started

ですから大気圏突入を始めた信号を 受信した時には全てが終わっています

it'll already be over.

ですから大気圏突入を始めた信号を 受信した時には全てが終わっています

EB: We have to build large amounts of autonomy into the spacecraft

安全に着陸するために

so that it can land itself safely.

宇宙船に高度な自律性を 持たせる必要があります

BC: EDL is this immense, technically challenging problem.

火星軟着陸は技術的に非常に困難です

It's about getting a spacecraft that's hurtling through deep space

宇宙空間を飛んできた宇宙船を

and using all this bag of tricks to somehow figure out

考え得る全ての技術を用いて

how to get it down to the surface of Mars at zero miles an hour.

火星の地表に着陸させるのですから

It's this immensely exciting and challenging problem.

刺激的で挑戦のしがいがあります

CE: Hopefully it all will happen the way you saw it in here.

ご覧頂いたように事が運べばいいのですが

So it will be a very tense moment, you know,

宇宙船が別の惑星に

as we are watching that spacecraft landing on another planet.

着陸する瞬間は とても緊張するでしょう

So now let me talk about the next things that we are doing.

では私たちの次の計画についてご紹介します

So we are in the process, as we speak, of actually designing

現在私たちは次に火星に送り込むローバーの

the next Rover that we are going to be sending to Mars.

設計を進めています

So I thought I would go a little bit and tell you, kind of,

設計段階の状況を

the steps we go through.

少しご紹介しましょう

It's very similar to what you do when you design your product.

皆さんの製品企画にも共通することです

As you saw a little bit earlier,

ご覧頂いたように

when we were doing the Phoenix one,

フェニックス計画では

we have to take into account the heat that we are going to be facing.

直面する熱の対策をする必要がありました

So we have to study all kinds of different materials,

考え得る全ての素材や形状を研究しました

the shape that we want to do.

考え得る全ての素材や形状を研究しました

In general we don't try to please the customer here.

顧客を満足させようとする訳ではありません

What we want to do is to make sure we have an effective, you know,

実用的かつ効率的な機器を確実に制作しようと

an efficient kind of machine.

思っているのです

First we start by we want to have our employees

はじめに従業員にはできる限り

to be as imaginative as they can.

創造性を発揮してもらおうとしました

And we really love being close to the art center, because we have,

アートセンターに近いのが非常に好ましいです

as a matter of fact, one of the alumni from the art center,

実際にアートセンター卒業生の

Eric Nyquist, had put a series of displays,

エリック・ニキストは私たちの

far-out displays, you know,

ミッション 宇宙船設計室に

in our what we call mission design or spacecraft design room,

素晴らしい作品を展示して

just to get people to think wildly about things.

私たちに様々な発想を促しました

We have a bunch of Legos. So, as I said,

山ほどのレゴもあります

this is a playground for adults, where they sit down and try to play

まさに大人の遊び場です

with different shapes and different designs.

座り込んでは様々な形状やデザインを考えています

Then we get a little bit more serious, so we have

そして段々と より真剣になっていきます

what we call our CAD/CAMs and all the engineers who are involved,

CAD/CAM技師 技術者 科学者が参画して

or scientists who are involved, who know about thermal properties,

熱の性質 設計 大気の特性 パラシュートについて

know about design, know about atmospheric interaction, parachutes,

チームで詳細な検討を検討し

all of these things, which they work in a team effort

コンピューターで ある程度まで

and actually design a spacecraft in a computer to some extent,

私たちの要求する仕様に適合する

so to see, does that meet the requirement that we need.

宇宙船を設計します

On the right, also, we have to take into account

一方 目指している惑星の

the environment of the planet where we are going.

環境も考慮する必要があります

If you are going to Jupiter, you have a very high-radiation,

木星に行くとすれば そこは非常に放射線の強い

you know, environment. It's about the same radiation environment

環境です 木星近辺の

close by Jupiter as inside a nuclear reactor.

放射線量は原子炉の内部と同程度です

So just imagine: you take your P.C. and throw it into a nuclear reactor

皆さんのパソコンを原子炉に放り込んでも正常に

and it still has to work.

稼働しないといけない様なものです

So these are kind of some of the little challenges, you know,

こういった様々な大小の問題に

that we have to face.

私たちは直面しているのです

If we are doing entry, we have to do tests of parachutes.

大気圏突入に備えてパラシュート試験もします

You saw in the video a parachute breaking. That would be a bad day,

ビデオでパラシュートが 破壊するシーンがありました

you know, if that happened, so we have to test,

実際に起きたら最悪ですから試験します

because we are deploying this parachute at supersonic speeds.

このパラシュートは超音速で展開します

We are coming at extremely high speeds, and we are deploying them

超高速な状態から展開して減速する

to slow us down. So we have to do all kinds of tests.

従って有りとあらゆる試験ををします

To give you an idea of the size, you know, of that parachute

パラシュートを立っている人と比較すると

relative to the people standing there.

その大きさが分かると思います

Next step, we go and actually build some kind of test models

次に実験機を制作しそれを

and actually test them, you know, in the lab at JPL,

JPLの火星ヤードと呼ぶ実験場所に

in what we call our Mars Yard.

運び込んで試験をします

We kick them, we hit them, we drop them,

蹴ったり叩いたり落としたりして

just to make sure we understand how, where would they break.

どこがどう壊れるか検証して確認します

And then we back off, you know, from that point.

そして懸念点を修正するのです

And then we actually do the actual building and the flight.

そして実際に本番機を制作し飛行させます

And this next Rover that we're flying is about the size of a car.

次に飛ばすローバーは乗用車位の大きさです

That big shield that you see outside,

外側の大きなシールドが

that's a heat shield which is going to protect it.

ローバーを熱から守ります

And that will be basically built over the next year,

来年にかけて制作し

and it will be launched June a year from now.

1年後の6月に発射する予定です

Now, in that case, because it was a very big Rover,

とても大きなローバーなので

we couldn't use airbags.

エアバッグを使えませんでした

And I know many of you, kind of, last time afterwards said

前回多くの人がエアバッグは

well, that was a cool thing to have -- those airbags.

とても名案だったと言ってくれました

Unfortunately this Rover is, like, ten times the size of the, you know,

残念なことに今回のローバーは前のローバーの

mass-wise, of the other Rover, or three times the mass.

大きさは10倍 重さは3倍あります

So we can't use airbags. So we have to come up with

そのためエアバッグは使えません

another ingenious idea of how do we land it.

何か他の巧妙な着陸手段が必要です

And we didn't want to take it propulsively all the way to the surface

地表を汚染しないためにも

because we didn't want to contaminate the surface;

送り込む物質を減らそうとしました

we wanted the Rover to immediately land on its legs.

ローバーの脚部で直に着陸させたかったのです

So we came up with this ingenious idea,

そこで地球でもヘリコプターで使っている

which is used here on Earth for helicopters.

アイディアを用いることにしました

Actually, the lander will come down to about 100 feet and hover

実際着陸船は地表30メートルほどで 一旦停止し

above that surface for 100 feet, and then we have a sky crane

そしてスカイクレーンを使って

which will take that Rover and land it down on the surface.

ローバーを地表に降ろします

Hopefully it all will work, you know, it will work that way.

思惑通りにいくことを祈っています

And that Rover will be more kind of like a chemist.

今回のローバーは化学者のようものです

What we are going to be doing with that Rover as it drives around,

ローバーを走行させてすることは

it's going to go and analyze the chemical composition of rocks.

岩石の化学物質の構成の解析です

So it will have an arm which will take samples,

ローバーにはアームがありサンプルを採取して

put them in an oven, crush and analyze them.

オーブンに入れ砕き解析します

But also, if there is something that we cannot reach

高くて届かない所にある検体を

because it is too high on a cliff, we have a little laser system

採取するにはレーザーシステムを展開して

which will actually zap the rock, evaporate some of it,

岩石に投射し気化した成分を

and actually analyze what's coming from that rock.

吸入し岩石の成分を解析します

So it's a little bit like "Star Wars," you know, but it's real.

まるでスターウォーズのようですが本物です

It's real stuff.

現実のものです

And also to help you, to help the community

そして私たちの一助になるよう

so you can do ads on that Rover, we are going to train that Rover

ローバーに広告を掲載し ローバーを訓練して

to actually in addition to do this, to actually serve cocktails,

火星でカクテルを サーブできるようにします

you know, also on Mars.

火星でカクテルを サーブできるようにします

So that's kind of giving you an idea of the kind of, you know,

火星でしている楽しいことを お分かり頂けたかと思います

fun things we are doing on Mars.

火星でしている楽しいことを お分かり頂けたかと思います

I thought I'd go to "The Lord of the Rings" now

次に土星に行ってみましょう

and show you some of the things we have there.

いくつか分かっていることをご紹介します

Now, "The Lord of the Rings" has two things played through it.

土星には二つとても興味深い点があります

One, it's a very attractive planet --

まずとても魅力的な惑星であること

it just has the beauty of the rings and so on.

とても美しいリングをもっています

But for scientists, also the rings have a special meaning,

科学者にとっても このリングは特別なんです

because we believe they represent, on a small scale,

リングは太陽系が どのように形成されたか

how the Solar System actually formed.

小規模で示していると考えています

Some of the scientists believe that the way the Solar System formed,

一部の科学者は太陽系が形成されて

that the Sun when it collapsed and actually created the Sun,

太陽が凝縮して生まれた際に

a lot of the dust around it created rings

塵が周囲にリングを形成し

and then the particles in those rings accumulated together,

リングの粒子が お互いに堆積しながら

and they formed bigger rocks, and then that's how the planets,

次第に大きな岩石になり やがて 惑星が形成されたと考えています

you know, were formed.

次第に大きな岩石になり やがて 惑星が形成されたと考えています

So, the idea is, by watching Saturn we're actually watching

つまり土星を観測することでリアルタイムに

our solar system in real time being formed on a smaller scale,

小規模な太陽系の誕生を把握できます

so it's like a test bed for it.

いわばテスト環境です

So, let me show you a little bit

では土星系システムを

on what that Saturnian system looks like.

少しご紹介しましょう

First, I'm going to fly you over the rings.

まずリングの上にお連れします

By the way, all of this is real stuff.

もちろん これらは実写です

This is not animation or anything like this.

アニメーション等ではありません

This is actually taken from the satellite

カッシーニという土星を

that we have in orbit around Saturn, the Cassini.

周回する衛星から撮影しました

And you see the amount of detail that is in those rings,

リングを構成する粒子の詳細が見えます

which are the particles.

リングを構成する粒子の詳細が見えます

Some of them are agglomerating together to form larger particles.

粒子はお互いに衝突して より大きくなります

So that's why you have these gaps, is because a small satellite, you know,

その結果小さな衛星が形成されると

is being formed in that location.

そこに溝ができるのです

Now, you think that those rings are very large objects.

リングは とても大きな物体だと思うでしょう

Yes, they are very large in one dimension;

ええ 直径は非常に大きいです

in the other dimension they are paper thin. Very, very thin.

しかし厚さは とてもとても薄いのです

What you are seeing here is the shadow of the ring on Saturn itself.

これはリングが土星に影を作っているところです

And that's one of the satellites

そこで形成された衛星の一つが見えます

which was actually formed on that one.

そこで形成された衛星の一つが見えます

So, think about it as a paper-thin,

とても薄い

huge area of many hundreds of thousands of miles, which is rotating.

巨大なリングが回転しているのです

And we have a wide variety of kind of satellites which will form,

様々な種類の衛星が将来形成され

each one looking very different and very odd, and that keeps

ひとつひとつが とても個性豊かなので

scientists busy for tens of years trying to explain this,

科学者達は何十年もかけて研究しています

and telling NASA we need more money so we can explain

これら物体の形状や生い立ちを理解するには

what these things look like, or why they formed that way.

より多くの予算が必要だとNASAに求めています

Well, there were two satellites which were particularly interesting.

特に興味深い二つの衛星があります

One of them is called Enceladus.

ひとつはエンケラドスです

It's a satellite which was all made of ice,

全て氷の衛星です

and we measured it from orbit. Made of ice.

衛星の軌道から計測しました

But there was something bizarre about it.

しかもとても奇妙なことがあるのです

If you look at these stripes in here, what we call tiger stripes,

虎縞のように見える地域の

when we flew over them, all of a sudden we saw

上空を通過する際に計測すると

an increase in the temperature, which said that those stripes

惑星の他の部分に比べ

are warmer than the rest of the planet.

温度が突然上昇するのです

So as we flew by away from it, we looked back. And guess what?

通過した後に振り返ると 間欠泉が吹き出ているのを

We saw geysers coming out.

発見しました

So this is a Yellowstone, you know, of Saturn.

まさに土星のイエローストーンです

We are seeing geysers of ice which are coming out of that planet,

氷の間欠泉が噴出していることで

which indicate that most likely there is an ocean, you know,

内部に海があるのが推測できます

below the surface.

内部に海があるのが推測できます

And somehow, through some dynamic effect, we're having these geysers

運よく大きな動きをする間欠泉が

which are being, you know, emitted from it.

放出される瞬間を捉えられました

And the reason I showed the little arrow there,

この小さい矢印は約50キロを

I think that should say 30 miles,

指していますが

we decided a few months ago to actually fly the spacecraft

数か月前に間欠泉の噴煙の中に

through the plume of that geyser

宇宙船を通過させることにしました

so we can actually measure the material that it is made of.

噴煙の構成物を解明するためです

That was [unclear] also -- you know, because we were worried

当然リスクのある試みでしたが

about the risk of it, but it worked pretty well.

うまくいきました

We flew at the top of it, and we found that there is a fair amount of

噴煙の頂点部を通過しましたが

organic material which is being emitted in combination with the ice.

氷と共に有機物が噴出するのを観測できました

And over the next few years, as we keep orbiting, you know, Saturn,

そして土星を何年か周回するうち

we are planning to get closer and closer down to the surface

表面に近づきながら より正確な観測をする

and make more accurate measurements.

計画です

Now, another satellite also attracted a lot of attention,

タイタンも大きな注目を集めています

and that's Titan. And the reason Titan is particularly interesting,

タイタンが興味深い理由は

it's a satellite bigger than our moon, and it has an atmosphere.

タイタンが月よりも大きく大気があるからです

And that atmosphere is very -- as dense as our own atmosphere.

私たちの大気と同じ位濃い密度なのです

So if you were on Titan, you would feel the same pressure

ですからタイタンでは地球上と同じ位の

that you feel in here. Except it's a lot colder,

大気圧を感じるのです ただし とても寒く

and that atmosphere is heavily made of methane.

大気はメタンでできています

Now, methane gets people all excited, because it's organic material,

メタンが注目を浴びたのは有機物だからです

so immediately people start thinking,

そのため多くの人は

could life have evolved in that location,

有機物が大量に存在すれば

when you have a lot of organic material.

生命が進化した可能性を考えました

So people believe now that Titan is most likely what we call

今ではタイタンは前生物的な惑星と呼ばれています

a pre-biotic planet, because it's so cold organic material did not get

あまりの寒さのため 有機物が生命の誕生と進化に

to the stage of becoming biological material,

必要な生命の素材に

and therefore life could have evolved on it.

発展しなかったと考えられます

So it could be Earth, frozen three billion years ago

そのためタイタンは生命が生まれる前に冷凍した

before life actually started on it.

30億年前の地球と見られます

So that's getting a lot of interest, and to show you some example

興味を引く話題なので私たちが

of what we did in there, we actually dropped a probe,

実行したことを話します 欧州の同僚が開発した

which was developed by our colleagues in Europe, we dropped a probe

探査機を土星の軌道上から落下しました

as we were orbiting Saturn.

探査機を土星の軌道上から落下しました

We dropped a probe in the atmosphere of Titan.

タイタンの大気に突入させたのです

And this is a picture of an area as we were coming down.

降下中に撮影した地形の写真です

Just looked like the coast of California for me.

私にはカリフォルニアの海岸に見えます

You see the rivers which are coming along the coast,

海岸沿いに川も見えます

and you see that white area which looks like Catalina Island,

白い部分は まるでカタリナ島みたいです

and that looks like an ocean.

あれは海のようですね

And then with an instrument we have on board, a radar instrument,

そして搭載しているレーダー機器で

we found there are lakes like the Great Lakes in here,

五大湖に似た湖も見つけました

so it looks very much like Earth.

本当に地球に似ているのです

It looks like there are rivers on it, there are oceans or lakes,

川や海や湖があり 雲が発生して

we know there are clouds. We think it's raining also on it.

雨も降ると考えられます

So it's very much like the cycle on Earth except

地球における水循環にとても似ていますが

because it's so cold, it could not be water, you know,

水ではありません 寒すぎて

because water would have frozen.

水は凍ってしまうからです

What it turned out, that all that we are seeing, all this liquid,

このような液体は実は

[is made of] hydrocarbon and ethane and methane,

炭化水素 エタン メタンです

similar to what you put in your car.

私たちの車の燃料に似ています

So here we have a cycle of a planet which is like our Earth,

地球に似た液体循環がありますが

but is all made of ethane and methane and organic material.

エタン メタン等 有機物の惑星です

So if you were on Mars -- sorry, on Titan,

ですからタイタンでは

you don't have to worry about four-dollar gasoline.

ガソリンの価格を心配する必要はないのです

You just drive to the nearest lake, stick your hose in it,

近くの湖まで行ってホースを入れ

and you've got your car filled up.

車を満タンにすればいいのです

On the other hand, if you light a match

ただしマッチを擦って火を起こすと

the whole planet will blow up.

惑星ごと爆発してしまうでしょう

So in closing, I said I want to close by a couple of pictures.

最後に数枚の写真をご紹介します

And just to kind of put us in perspective,

宇宙の概念が少し分かることでしょう

this is a picture of Saturn taken with a spacecraft

これは土星の裏側から太陽の方向を

from behind Saturn, looking towards the Sun.

向いて撮影した写真です

The Sun is behind Saturn, so we see what we call "forward scattering,"

土星の裏側に太陽があるので 「前方散乱」を観測できます

so it highlights all the rings. And I'm going to zoom.

全ての土星の輪がはっきり見えます ズームアップしてみます

There is a -- I'm not sure you can see it very well,

はっきり見えないでしょうが

but on the top left, around 10 o'clock,

左上10時くらいの方角にある

there is a little teeny dot, and that's Earth.

小さな点が地球です

You barely can see ourselves. So what I did, I thought I'd zoom on it.

ほとんど見えませんね そこで

So as you zoom in, you know, you can see Earth, you know,

ズームアップすると地球が見えてきます

just in the middle here. So we zoomed all the way on the art center.

アートセンターが見えるまでズームします

So thank you very much.

ご清聴有難うございました