Peter Diamandis: Stephen Hawking hits zero g

譯者: Bill Hsiung 審譯者: Calvin Chun-yu Chan

Those of you who know me know how passionate I am

認識我的人都會知道，我對於

about opening the space frontier.

開創太空新領域有多麼熱衷。

So when I had the chance to give the world's expert in gravity

所以當我有機會給這位世界重力專家

the experience of zero gravity, it was incredible.

無重力的經驗時，那真是不可置信的。

And I want to tell you that story.

因此我想跟大家說說這個故事。

I first met him through the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics.

我第一次遇見他是在基因學 Archon X PRIZE 的場合上。

It's a competition we're holding, the second X PRIZE,

這是我們所舉辦的競賽，第二個 X PRIZE，

for the first team to sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days.

將頒發給第一個能於十天內完成 100 個人類基因組定序的團隊。

We have something called the Genome 100 --

我們有個稱為「基因體一百」的團體，

100 individuals we're sequencing as part of that.

那是我們將會用來定序的 100 位個別人士。

Craig Venter chairs that event.

Craig Venter 是這個團體的主席。

And I met Professor Hawking,

在那裡我遇到了霍金教授，

and he said his dream was to travel into space.

他說他的夢想是上太空旅行。

And I said, "I can't take you there,

我跟他說，我不能帶你上去，

but I can take you into weightlessness into zero-g.

但是我能帶你去 ZERO G（零引力），體驗無重力。

And he said, on the spot, "Absolutely, yes."

然後他隨即說，當然好！

Well, the only way to experience zero-g on Earth

在地球上能體驗無重力的唯一方法

is actually with parabolic flight, weightless flight.

事實上是經由拋物線飛行，或稱無重力飛行。

You take an airplane, you fly over the top, you're weightless for 25 seconds.

藉由一架飛機，你飛過頂點，然後你有 25 秒的無重力，

Come back down, you weigh twice as much.

回到下面的時候，你會承受兩倍重力。

You do it again and again.

如此一直反覆循環。

You can get eight, 10 minutes of weightlessness --

你總共可以累積約八到十分鐘的無重力經驗 —

how NASA's trained their astronauts for so long.

這也是一直以來 NASA 訓練他們太空人的方法。

We set out to do this.

我們以此為目標。

It took us 11 years to become operational.

花了我們總共 11 年才能夠正式營運。

And we announced that we were going to fly Stephen Hawking.

並且我們宣佈將要搭載史蒂芬•霍金。

We had one government agency and one company aircraft operator say,

但是政府部門跟飛機操作員皆說，

you're crazy, don't do that, you're going kill the guy.

你瘋了，不要這樣做，你們會殺了那傢伙。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And he wanted to go.

但是他希望能成行。

We worked hard to get all the permissions.

我們非常辛勤的取得所有文件許可。

And six months later, we sat down at Kennedy Space Center.

六個月後，我們在甘迺迪太空中心坐下。

We had a press conference,

我們招開了記者會，

we announced our intent to do one zero-g parabola,

我們宣稱我們試圖做一個無重力拋物線飛行 —

give him 25 seconds of zero-g.

給他 25 秒的無重力。

And if it went really well, we might do three parabolas.

然後如果一切非常順利，我們也許會做到三個拋物線。

Well, we asked him why he wanted to go up and do this.

我們問他，為什麼他會想要嘗試這個。

And what he said, for me, was very moving.

他的答案，對我來說，非常感人。

He said, "Life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk

他說：「地球上的生物面臨著不斷增加的危機

of being wiped out by disaster ...

可能會被災難所消滅…

I think the human race doesn't have a future if it doesn't go into space.

我認為如果人類不上太空的話將會沒有未來。

I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."

因此我希望激勵大眾對於太空的興趣。」

We took him out to the Kennedy Space Center,

我們帶他離開甘迺迪太空中心，

up inside the NASA vehicle, into the back of the zero-g airplane.

進入 NASA 的車子裡，回到 ZERO-G 飛機的後方。

We had about 20 people who made donations --

還有約 20 個捐款者 —

we raised $150,000 in donations for children's charities --

總共捐募了 15 萬美元作為兒童慈善事業之用 —

who flew with us.

他們跟著我們一起飛。

A few TEDsters here.

一些 TEDsters 也在這裡。

We set up a whole ER.

我們於機艙內設置了整間急診室。

We had four emergency room doctors and two nurses on board the airplane.

四位急診醫師與兩位護士與我們一同飛行

We were monitoring his PO2 of his blood, his heart rate, his blood pressure.

我們同時監測他血液的PO2（含氧分壓）值、心律以及血壓。

We had everything all set in case of an emergency;

我們做好了萬一意外發生時的萬全準備 —

God knows, you don't want to hurt this world-renowned expert.

天曉得你絕對不希望傷到這位舉世聞名的專家。

We took off from the shuttle landing facility,

我們從太空梭降落場起飛，

where the shuttle takes off and lands.

通常那裡是太空梭起降的地方。

And my partner Byron Lichtenberg and I

我的夥伴 — Byron Lichtenberg — 跟我

carefully suspended him into zero-g.

小心的扶著他進入無重力。

Once he was there, [we] let him go

一旦他適應了，我們就放開他

to experience what weightlessness was truly like.

讓他體驗無重力的真正感覺。

And after that first parabola, you know,

經過第一個拋物線飛行後，你知道，

the doc said everything is great. He was smiling, and we said go.

醫生說一切良好，而且他在笑，所以我們繼續。

So we did a second parabola.

我們做了第二個拋物線飛行。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And a third.

第三個。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

We actually floated an apple in homage to Sir Isaac Newton

這次我們讓一顆漂浮著的蘋果一同入鏡以表彰艾薩克•牛頓爵士

because Professor Hawking holds the same chair at Cambridge

因為霍金教授在劍橋大學擔任

that Isaac Newton did.

與牛頓相同的職位。

And we did a fourth, and a fifth and a sixth.

然後我們又做了第四、五和第六次。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And a seventh and an eighth.

還有第七次和第八次。

And this man does not look like a 65-year-old wheelchair-bound man.

這個人一點也不像一個必須坐輪椅的 65 歲老人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

He was so happy.

他非常高興。

We are living on a precious jewel,

我們住在一顆珍貴的寶石上頭，

and it's during our lifetime that we're moving off this planet.

然而我們可望在有生之年離開這顆星球。

Please join us in this epic adventure.

請與我們一同參加這偉大的冒險之旅。

Thank you so much.

非常謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）