Sara Seager: The search for planets beyond our solar system

翻译人员: Yolanda Zhang 校对人员: fengshuang gao

I'm here to tell you about the real search for alien life.

我想告诉你们一些针对外星生命 所展开的真实的探索行动。

Not little green humanoids arriving in shiny UFOs,

不过不是那些通过UFO 抵达这里的绿色小人儿，

although that would be nice.

当然这样很不错。

But it's the search for planets orbiting stars far away.

不过是关于寻找外太空 围绕恒星运行的行星。

Every star in our sky is a sun.

我们天空中的每一颗恒星都是太阳。

And if our sun has planets --

如果说太阳有围绕它的行星——

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, etc.,

水星，金星，地球，火星，等等，

surely those other stars should have planets also,

当然其他的恒星周围也应该有行星，

and they do.

而且它们的确有。

And in the last two decades,

在过去的20多年中，

astronomers have found thousands of exoplanets.

天文学家已经找到了数千个系外行星。

Our night sky is literally teeming with exoplanets.

我们的夜空的确遍布着系外行星。

We know, statistically speaking,

从统计学的角度来说，我们知道

that every star has at least one planet.

每一个恒星都拥有至少一颗行星。

And in the search for planets,

在搜索行星的过程中，

and in the future, planets that might be like Earth,

在未来搜索像地球这样的行星，

we're able to help address

可以帮助我们回答

some of the most amazing and mysterious questions

一些最不可思议又充满神秘的问题，

that have faced humankind for centuries.

这些问题已经困扰了全人类几个世纪。

Why are we here?

我们为什么会存在？

Why does our universe exist?

为什么我们的宇宙会存在？

How did Earth form and evolve?

地球是如何形成和演化的？

How and why did life originate and populate our planet?

生命如何以及为什么会诞生 并在这个星球上繁衍？

The second question that we often think about is:

我们经常思考的第二个问题是：

Are we alone?

我们是唯一存在的生命吗？

Is there life out there?

外太空中还有其他生命吗？

Who is out there?

其他生命是什么样子呢？

You know, this question has been around for thousands of years,

这个问题已经存在了几千年，

since at least the time of the Greek philosophers.

至少在古希腊哲学家的时代 就已经存在了。

But I'm here to tell you just how close we're getting

但是我今天想要告诉你们， 我们已经

to finding out the answer to this question.

非常接近这个问题的答案了。

It's the first time in human history that this really is within reach for us.

这是人类历史上第一次 对这个答案触手可及。

Now when I think about the possibilities for life out there,

当我想到外太空存在生命的可能性，

I think of the fact that our sun is but one of many stars.

我就想到了我们的太阳 只是若干恒星中的一颗。

This is a photograph of a real galaxy,

这是一个真实的星系的照片，

we think our Milky Way looks like this galaxy.

我们认为我们的银河系 差不多就是这一个样子。

It's a collection of bound stars.

其中聚集了很多 彼此紧密联系的恒星。

But our [sun] is one of hundreds of billions of stars

但我们的（太阳）只是 千亿颗恒星中的一颗，

and our galaxy is one of upwards of hundreds of billions of galaxies.

我们的银河系也是 千亿个星系中的一个。

Knowing that small planets are very common,

小行星更是不计其数，

you can just do the math.

可以做一下粗略的计算。

And there are just so many stars and so many planets out there,

宇宙中的星球真的是太多太多了，

that surely, there must be life somewhere out there.

一定还会有其他生命存在。

Well, the biologists get furious with me for saying that,

不过生物学家们极其不赞同这种说法，

because we have absolutely no evidence for life beyond Earth yet.

因为我们毕竟还没有任何相关的证据。

Well, if we were able to look at our galaxy from the outside

假设能够从外太空 观测我们所在的星系，

and zoom in to where our sun is,

并聚焦到太阳，

我们就会看到一幅恒星的分布图。

we see a real map of the stars.

And the highlighted stars are those with known exoplanets.

那些被突出标注的恒星 都有已知的系外行星。

This is really just the tip of the iceberg.

这张图展现的仅仅是冰山一角而已。

Here, this animation is zooming in onto our solar system.

这个动画突出展示了我们的太阳系。

And you'll see here the planets

你们可以看到一些行星和宇宙飞船，

as well as some spacecraft that are also orbiting our sun.

它们都在围绕着我们的太阳运行。

Now if we can imagine going to the West Coast of North America,

假设我们在北美洲的西海岸

and looking out at the night sky,

仰望夜空，

here's what we'd see on a spring night.

这就是我们在一个春季的夜晚 能够看到的景象。

And you can see the constellations overlaid

你们可以看到星座的交替，

and again, so many stars with planets.

还有很多带有行星的恒星。

There's a special patch of the sky where we have thousands of planets.

天空里有一个区域密布着数千颗行星。

This is where the Kepler Space Telescope focused for many years.

开普勒太空望远镜在这里聚焦了很多年。

Let's zoom in and look at one of the favorite exoplanets.

我们再继续放大， 看一下其中一个比较有名的系外行星。

This star is called Kepler-186f.

这颗行星叫开普勒-186f。

It's a system of about five planets.

这个系统中有大约5个行星。

And by the way, most of these exoplanets, we don't know too much about.

这里要提一下，这其中大多数的 系外行星我们都不太了解。

We know their size, and their orbit and things like that.

我们只知道它们的大小， 轨道之类的信息。

But there's a very special planet here called Kepler-186f.

不过开普勒-186f非常特殊。

This planet is in a zone that is not too far from the star,

它处在一个距离恒星 并不太远的区域内，

so that the temperature may be just right for life.

这就意味着那里的温度 可能非常适宜物种生存。

这里我们强化了艺术效果，

Here, the artist's conception is just zooming in

and showing you what that planet might be like.

想要给大家展示一下 这个行星可能的形貌。

So, many people have this romantic notion of astronomers

或许很多人都会带着 一种浪漫的想象，

going to the telescope on a lonely mountaintop

觉得天文学家们都是在孤寂的山顶，

and looking at the spectacular night sky through a big telescope.

通过巨大的望远镜来 观察绚丽多彩的夜空的。

But actually, we just work on our computers like everyone else,

不过事实上，我们只是在计算机上操作， 跟其他人没什么两样，

and we get our data by email or downloading from a database.

我们通过邮件或者数据库下载数据。

So instead of coming here to tell you

所以，与其说我是来告诉大家

about the somewhat tedious nature of the data and data analysis

数据本身和数据分析 有多么枯燥，

and the complex computer models we make,

我们的计算机模型有多么复杂，

I have a different way to try to explain to you

不如说我想以一种不同的 方式给大家展示

我们对系外行星的一些看法和思考。

some of the things that we're thinking about exoplanets.

Here's a travel poster:

这里有一张旅行海报：

"Kepler-186f:

"开普勒-186f：

Where the grass is always redder on the other side."

一边的草总是比另一边更红。“

这是因为开普勒-186f围绕着 一颗红色的恒星运行，

That's because Kepler-186f orbits a red star,

and we're just speculating that perhaps the plants there,

我们只是猜测那上面的植物，

if there is vegetation that does photosynthesis,

假设有可以进行光合作用的植物，

it has different pigments and looks red.

那些植物就会含有不同的色素， 让它们看起来是红色。

"Enjoy the gravity on HD 40307g,

”享受HD 40307g上面的重力吧，

a Super-Earth."

这里是超级地球。“

这颗行星比地球的质量要大，

This planet is more massive than Earth

拥有更大的表面重力。

and has a higher surface gravity.

"Relax on Kepler-16b,

”来开普勒-16b上放松一下吧，

where your shadow always has company."

你的影子永远不会孤单。“

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We know of a dozen planets that orbit two stars,

据我们所知，有数十个行星都 是围绕着两颗恒星运行，

and there's likely many more out there.

估计还会有更多。

If we could visit one of those planets,

如果我们可以探访其中一颗行星，

you literally would see two sunsets

你确实可以看到两次日落，

and have two shadows.

并同时形成两个影子。

So actually, science fiction got some things right.

事实上，科幻小说中的 一些描述是正确的。

Tatooine from Star Wars.

比如《星球大战》中的塔图因。

And I have a couple of other favorite exoplanets

还有一些其他的系外星球，

to tell you about.

我也想给大家介绍一下。

This one is Kepler-10b,

这个叫做开普勒-10b，

it's a hot, hot planet.

它的温度极高。

It orbits over 50 times closer to its star

它的运行轨道距离其围绕的恒星

than our Earth does to our sun.

只有地球和太阳距离的五十分之一。

And actually, it's so hot,

正是因为它的温度太高，

we can't visit any of these planets, but if we could,

我们无法探访任何这样的行星， 即便我们试图接近它，

we would melt long before we got there.

在到达那里之前也早就熔化了。

We think the surface is hot enough to melt rock

我们认为它的地表温度足够熔化岩石，

and has liquid lava lakes.

能够形成液态的岩浆湖。

Gliese 1214b.

格利泽1214b。

This planet, we know the mass and the size

我们已经知道了 这颗行星的质量和体积，

and it has a fairly low density.

它的密度比较低。

It's somewhat warm.

温度也不算太高。

但我们对它的了解也仅限于此，

We actually don't know really anything about this planet,

but one possibility is that it's a water world,

不过它上面可能有水存在，

like a scaled-up version of one of Jupiter's icy moons

有点像木星的一颗放大版的 遍布冰雪的卫星，

that might be 50 percent water by mass.

其水含量可能占据了质量的50%。

And in this case, it would have a thick steam atmosphere

在这种情况下，它就有可能覆盖了 一层很厚的蒸汽大气层，

overlaying an ocean,

就在海洋的上空，

not of liquid water,

不过海里不是液态水，

but of an exotic form of water, a superfluid --

而是一种奇特状态的水， 一种超流体——

not quite a gas, not quite a liquid.

不算是气体，也不算是液体。

And under that wouldn't be rock,

其下遍布的也不是岩石，

but a form of high-pressure ice,

而是一种高压状态的冰，

类似于冰IX（冰九，拥有某种晶体结构的冰。 ——译注）。

like ice IX.

So out of all these planets out there,

除了这些多样性已经让我们感到

and the variety is just simply astonishing,

惊讶的行星以外，

we mostly want to find the planets that are Goldilocks planets, we call them.

我们最想找到的是我们称作 ”古迪洛克行星“的星球。

Not too big, not too small,

体积不大不小，

not too hot, not too cold --

温度不高不低——

but just right for life.

刚刚好适宜物种生存。

But to do that, we'd have to be able to look

不过要做到这一点， 我们需要能够检测到

at the planet's atmosphere,

这个行星的大气层，

because the atmosphere acts like a blanket trapping heat --

因为大气层就像一块保温毯——

the greenhouse effect.

具有温室效应。

We have to be able to assess the greenhouse gases

我们需要监测到其他行星上的

on other planets.

温室气体。

Well, science fiction got some things wrong.

从这一点来说， 科幻小说就显得不那么真实了。

The Star Trek Enterprise

《进取号》 （剧情设定在《星际旅行》的宇宙中）

had to travel vast distances at incredible speeds

需要以极高速度旅行很长的距离

to orbit other planets

到达其它行星并环绕飞行，

so that First Officer Spock could analyze the atmosphere

这样史波克大副才能 分析大气层的成分，

to see if the planet was habitable

从而判断该行星是否适宜居住，

or if there were lifeforms there.

或者那上面是否有生命存活。

Well, we don't need to travel at warp speeds

不过我们并不需要以极限高速行驶

to see other planet atmospheres,

来获取其他行星上的大气数据，

although I don't want to dissuade any budding engineers

当然我并不想打击那些跃跃欲试 想要实现这项工作的

from figuring out how to do that.

工程师们的积极性。

We actually can and do study planet atmospheres

我们其实可以直接在地球的轨道范围内

from here, from Earth orbit.

研究那些大气层。

This is a picture, a photograph of the Hubble Space Telescope

这是一张由亚特兰蒂斯航天飞机拍摄的

taken by the shuttle Atlantis as it was departing

哈勃太空望远镜的照片，

after the last human space flight to Hubble.

这架航天飞机出发时，最后一次 前往哈勃的载人太空飞行已经完成。

They installed a new camera, actually,

他们在飞机上安装了一个新的照相机，

可以采集系外行星的大气数据。

that we use for exoplanet atmospheres.

And so far, we've been able to study dozens of exoplanet atmospheres,

目前，我们已经能够研究 数十个系外行星的大气层，

about six of them in great detail.

其中有6个我们可以得到 非常详细的数据。

But those are not small planets like Earth.

不过那些都不是像地球这样的小行星。

They're big, hot planets that are easy to see.

它们非常庞大，温度很高， 很容易观测到。

We're not ready,

我们还没准备好，

还不具备研究小型系外星球的技术。

we don't have the right technology yet to study small exoplanets.

But nevertheless,

不过尽管如此，

I wanted to try to explain to you how we study exoplanet atmospheres.

我还是想跟大家解释一下我们是 如何研究系外行星大气的。

I want you to imagine, for a moment, a rainbow.

大家可以想象一下彩虹。

And if we could look at this rainbow closely,

如果我们可以近距离观察彩虹，

we would see that some dark lines are missing.

就能发现一些暗色的线缺失了。

And here's our sun,

这是我们的太阳，

the white light of our sun split up,

白色的光被分解了，

不是被雨滴，而是被光谱仪分解了。

not by raindrops, but by a spectrograph.

And you can see all these dark, vertical lines.

我们可以看到所有这些 暗色的竖线。

Some are very narrow, some are wide,

有的很窄，有的很宽，

some are shaded at the edges.

有的边缘很模糊。

And this is actually how astronomers have studied objects in the heavens,

这实际上就是过去的一个多世纪以来，

literally, for over a century.

宇航员们研究太空物质的方式。

So here, each different atom and molecule

在这张图中，每种原子和分子

都有一组特殊的谱线，

has a special set of lines,

a fingerprint, if you will.

你们可以把它当做一种指纹信息。

And that's how we study exoplanet atmospheres.

我们就是利用这些信息 研究系外行星的大气成分的。

And I'll just never forget when I started working

我永远也忘不了在20年前

on exoplanet atmospheres 20 years ago,

刚刚开始研究系外行星大气的时候，

how many people told me,

多少人告诉我，

"This will never happen.

”这根本行不通。

We'll never be able to study them. Why are you bothering?"

我们永远也不可能做到。 干嘛白费功夫呢？“

And that's why I'm pleased to tell you about all the atmospheres studied now,

这也是为什么我很高兴的告诉你们 目前所有的关于大气的研究，

and this is really a field of its own.

已经完全自成体系了。

那么对于那些在将来我们可以观测到的

So when it comes to other planets, other Earths,

in the future when we can observe them,

其他行星，那些类地行星，

what kind of gases would we be looking for?

我们需要寻找哪些气体呢？

Well, you know, our own Earth has oxygen in the atmosphere

大家都知道，我们地球上的大气

to 20 percent by volume.

含有20%体积的氧气。

That's a lot of oxygen.

这个含量是很高的。

But without plants and photosynthetic life,

不过没有植物和其它光合生物，

there would be no oxygen,

大气中就不会有氧气，

virtually no oxygen in our atmosphere.

事实上连一丁点儿都不会有。

So oxygen is here because of life.

所以氧气的出现是因为生命的存在。

And our goal then is to look for gases in other planet atmospheres,

所以我们的目标就是要 找到其他行星的大气中

gases that don't belong,

原本并不应该存在的气体，

that we might be able to attribute to life.

或许可以归功于生命的存在。

But which molecules should we search for?

那么哪些分子是我们需要寻找的呢？

I actually told you how diverse exoplanets are.

我已经告诉过你们系外行星的 种类有多么繁杂了。

We expect that to continue in the future

在我们寻找类地行星的过程中，

when we find other Earths.

一定还会有更多种类的外行星出现。

And that's one of the main things I'm working on now,

这就是我目前正在从事的主要工作之一，

I have a theory about this.

对此我有一番自己的理论。

It reminds me that nearly every day,

这倒是提醒我了，几乎每天

我都会收到一封或者很多封电子邮件，

I receive an email or emails

from someone with a crazy theory about physics of gravity

发件人都对重力或者宇宙物理学

or cosmology or some such.

提出了自己疯狂的理论。

So, please don't email me one of your crazy theories.

不过，在此还是想提醒大家， 请不要再给我发这种邮件了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Well, I had my own crazy theory.

我有一套自己的疯狂理论。

那么麻省理工的教授要跟谁探讨呢？

But, who does the MIT professor go to?

Well, I emailed a Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine

我曾经给一名诺贝尔生理学或医学的 获奖者发过邮件，

and he said, "Sure, come and talk to me."

他说，”听上去还不错， 过来我们讨论一下吧。“

So I brought my two biochemistry friends

于是我就带上了两个 生物化学领域的朋友，

and we went to talk to him about our crazy theory.

跟他介绍了一下我们的疯狂理论。

And that theory was that life produces all small molecules,

那个理论就是， 生命制造了所有的小分子，

so many molecules.

不计其数的小分子。

Like, everything I could think of, but not being a chemist.

几乎是作为一个非化学领域专家， 我能想到的所有分子。

Think about it:

比方说：

carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,

二氧化碳，一氧化碳，

molecular hydrogen, molecular nitrogen,

氢分子，氮分子，

methane, methyl chloride --

甲烷，氯甲烷——

so many gases.

太多太多了。

它们之所以存在也有很多其他的原因，

They also exist for other reasons,

but just life even produces ozone.

不过单单是生命，甚至就可以产生臭氧。

So we go to talk to him about this,

于是我们去跟他讨论了这套观点，

and immediately, he shot down the theory.

结果很快就被他否决了。

He found an example that didn't exist.

他找到了一个并不存在的气体的例子。

So, we went back to the drawing board

于是我们只好回去继续推导，

and we think we have found something very interesting in another field.

我们认为我们已经找到了一些 在其他领域中很有意思的东西。

But back to exoplanets,

回到系外行星这个话题，

the point is that life produces so many different types of gases,

重点是生命制造了这么多种气体，

literally thousands of gases.

差不多几千种。

And so what we're doing now is just trying to figure out

我们现在的任务就是试图找出

on which types of exoplanets,

哪些种类的系外行星上的哪些气体

which gases could be attributed to life.

可能是由生命制造出来的。

And so when it comes time when we find gases

所以当我们在系外行星的大气中

in exoplanet atmospheres

找到了那些气体，

that we won't know if they're being produced

我们很难确定这些气体是怎么来的，

by intelligent aliens or by trees,

是由外星人制造的， 还是来自树木，

or a swamp,

或者沼泽地，

或者仅仅是来源于简单的 单细胞生物。

or even just by simple, single-celled microbial life.

So working on the models

所以建立一些模型，

and thinking about biochemistry,

应用一些生物化学的知识，

it's all well and good.

我们就会得到我们想要的答案。

那么在实际过程中面临的 最大挑战就是：要怎么做？

But a really big challenge ahead of us is: how?

How are we going to find these planets?

要怎么找到这些行星？

There are actually many ways to find planets,

其实可以通过很多方式来寻找，

several different ways.

各种不同的方式。

But the one that I'm most focused on is how can we open a gateway

不过我重点在研究的是 要如何实现这样一个途径，

so that in the future,

在未来

we can find hundreds of Earths.

可以让我们找到数百个类地行星。

We have a real shot at finding signs of life.

我们事实上已经开始行动了。

And actually, I just finished leading a two-year project

我刚刚完成了一个 由我负责的两年项目，

in this very special phase

在这个特殊的项目中，

of a concept we call the starshade.

我们提出了”遮星板“的概念。

And the starshade is a very specially shaped screen

遮星板是一个形状非常特殊的屏障，

and the goal is to fly that starshade

我们想要将它送入太空，

遮挡恒星的光线，

so it blocks out the light of a star

so that the telescope can see the planets directly.

这样就可以通过望远镜 直接观测那些行星了。

Here, you can see myself and two team members

这张图上你们可以看到 我和两名项目成员，

holding up one small part of the starshade.

正在展示遮星板的一块很小的局部。

It's shaped like a giant flower,

它的形状就像一个巨大的花朵，

and this is one of the prototype petals.

这是一片花瓣的雏形。

The concept is that a starshade and telescope could launch together,

这个过程就是把遮星板和 望远镜一同送入太空，

with the petals unfurling from the stowed position.

遮星板的花瓣会从运载器上打开。

The central truss would expand,

中心的桁架会展开，

with the petals snapping into place.

花瓣也会迅速延展到位。

Now, this has to be made very precisely,

这个过程需要做到非常精准，

literally, the petals to microns

也就是说花瓣的精度要达到微米级，

and they have to deploy to millimeters.

定位的精准度要达到毫米级。

And this whole structure would have to fly

这一整个部件需要移动至

tens of thousands of kilometers away from the telescope.

距离望远镜数万公里的距离。

It's about tens of meters in diameter.

它的直径大概有几十米。

And the goal is to block out the starlight to incredible precision

它能够以难以置信的精度 实现对恒星光线的遮挡，

so that we'd be able to see the planets directly.

这样我们就能直接观测行星了。

And it has to be a very special shape,

它的形状必须十分特殊，

because of the physics of defraction.

这是由物理学中的衍射现象决定的。

Now this is a real project that we worked on,

这是我们从事的一项实际的项目，

literally, you would not believe how hard.

说真的，你们想象不出这有多难。

Just so you believe it's not just in movie format,

为了证明这并不只是一种假想，

here's a real photograph

给你们展示一个真实的照片，

of a second-generation starshade deployment test bed in the lab.

这是实验室中的第二代 遮星板调试试验台。

And in this case, I just wanted you to know

在这个项目中，我只是想让你们知道

that that central truss has heritage left over

中心桁架装有

太空大范围无线电部署的一部分。

from large radio deployables in space.

So after all of that hard work

那么，在这一系列我们试图寻找

where we try to think of all the crazy gases that might be out there,

那些外行星中的神秘气体，

and we build the very complicated space telescopes

以及建造了极其复杂的太空望远镜

that might be out there,

之类的艰难任务之后，

what are we going to find?

我们会有什么收获呢？

Well, in the best case,

最好的情况是，

we will find an image of another exo-Earth.

我们会获得另一个类地行星的图像。

Here is Earth as a pale blue dot.

这张图上的地球是一个淡蓝色的小点。

And this is actually a real photograph of Earth

这是一张地球的真实照片，

taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft,

由旅行者1号航天飞机

four billion miles away.

从40亿英里外的距离拍摄的。

And that red light is just scattered light in the camera optics.

那条红色的光线只是相机的 光学部件散射出的光。

But what's so awesome to consider

想象一下， 如果存在着高智慧的外星生物，

is that if there are intelligent aliens

正绕着我们附近恒星的行星运转，

orbiting on a planet around a star near to us

它们搭建出了我们正在建造的

and they build complicated space telescopes

复杂的太空望远镜，

of the kind that we're trying to build,

它们能看到的也仅仅是 一个淡蓝色的小点，

all they'll see is this pale blue dot,

极其微小的光点，

a pinprick of light.

这该有多酷啊！

And so sometimes, when I pause to think

有时候，当我停下来思考

about my professional struggle and huge ambition,

我所面临的难题和我远大的理想，

it's hard to think about that

这跟浩瀚的宇宙相比

in contrast to the vastness of the universe.

真的不算什么。

But nonetheless, I am devoting the rest of my life

不过尽管如此， 我还是打算奉献我的一生

to finding another Earth.

来寻找另一个地球。

And I can guarantee

而且我可以保证，

that in the next generation of space telescopes,

用下一代的太空望远镜，

in the second generation,

也就是第二代，

we will have the capability to find and identity other Earths.

我们将会有能力找到并 识别出其他的类地行星。

And the capability to split up the starlight

我们也将能够分解恒星发出的光线，

so that we can look for gases

能够找到那些气体，

and assess the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,

获得那些大气中的温室气体成分信息，

estimate the surface temperature,

估算星球表面的温度，

and look for signs of life.

并寻找生命的迹象。

But there's more.

不过我们还有更长远的打算。

In this case of searching for other planets like Earth,

在寻找其他类地行星的同时，

we are making a new kind of map

我们还在制作一幅展示

of the nearby stars and of the planets orbiting them,

附近恒星及其行星的新太空地图，

including [planets] that actually might be inhabitable by humans.

包括有可能适宜人类居住的（行星）。

And so I envision that our descendants,

我能够想像我们的后代，

hundreds of years from now,

在几百年之后，

will embark on an interstellar journey to other worlds.

能够通过星际旅行到达其他的星球。

And they will look back at all of us

他们能够回首我们这一代，

as the generation who first found the Earth-like worlds.

第一个发现类地新世界的一代。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）

June Cohen: And I give you, for a question,

June Cohen （JC）: 你先来提问吧 ，

Rosetta Mission Manager Fred Jansen.

有请罗塞塔任务的负责人， Fred Jansen。

Fred Jansen: You mentioned halfway through

Fred Jansen： 你部分提到了

that the technology to actually look at the spectrum

可以分析类地行星光谱的技术

of an exoplanet like Earth is not there yet.

还尚未实现。

When do you expect this will be there,

你认为什么时候可以实现，

and what's needed?

要如何实现呢？

Actually, what we expect is what we call our next-generation Hubble telescope.

莎拉·西格尔（SS）：事实上 我们打算依靠下一代的哈勃望远镜。

And this is called the James Webb Space Telescope,

我们叫它詹姆斯韦伯太空望远镜，

and that will launch in 2018,

会在2018年把它送上太空，

and that's what we're going to do,

整个计划大概是这样的，

we're going to look at a special kind of planet

我们会观测一种特殊的行星，

called transient exoplanets,

叫做过渡系外行星，

and that will be our first shot at studying small planets

那将是我们研究小行星上可能预示着

for gases that might indicate the planet is habitable.

生命迹象的气体的第一次尝试。

JC: I'm going to ask you one follow-up question, too, Sara,

JC：莎拉，我还有个大众一点的

as the generalist.

问题要问一下你。

So I am really struck by the notion in your career

我真的对你的职业生涯中所面临的

of the opposition you faced,

反对声音感到很震惊，

that when you began thinking about exoplanets,

也就是当你开始思考系外行星，

科学领域对它们是否存在持有

there was extreme skepticism in the scientific community

that they existed,

极端怀疑的态度，

你证明了他们是错的。

and you proved them wrong.

你是如何承受这些的呢？

What did it take to take that on?

SS: Well, the thing is that as scientists,

SS: 作为科学家，

我们理应持怀疑态度，

we're supposed to be skeptical,

因为我们的工作就是 要确认其他人的观点

because our job to make sure that what the other person is saying

是否是合理的。

actually makes sense or not.

But being a scientist,

但是作为一名科学家，

I think you've seen it from this session,

我觉得你们可能已经在这段演讲中看到，

it's like being an explorer.

我的职责更像是探索者。

You have this immense curiosity,

这需要极大的好奇心，

this stubbornness,

固执，

this sort of resolute will that you will go forward

还需要坚定不移的意志，

no matter what other people say.

无论其他人说什么，都不能动摇。

JC: I love that. Thank you, Sara.

JC：说的太好了。 非常感谢你，莎拉。

(Applause)

（掌声）