Small rockets are the next space revolution | Peter Beck

譯者: Yiann C. 審譯者: Helen Chang

So what I'm going to talk about here is, this is a power station.

我在這邊要介紹的是，這是個發電廠。

So if you've ever wondered

所以如果你曾經好奇

what a couple of million horsepower looked like,

幾百萬馬力看起來是什麼樣子，

that's pretty much what it looks like.

差不多就是這樣。

And for me, it's always been about the rocket.

一直以來，我對火箭情有獨鍾。

In fact so much so that when I was growing up,

喜歡到有一次在我小的時候，

the school called in my parents to have a bit of a discussion,

學校請我父母過去，討論關於我的事，

because they believed that my aspirations

因為他們認為我的志向、想做的事

were unrealistic for what I wanted to do.

太不切實際。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And they suggested that I take up a job at the local aluminium smelter,

他們建議我去當地的煉鋁廠工作，

because I was very good with my hands.

因為我的手工藝很好。

But for me, aluminium, or as you Canadians say, "aluminum,"

但對我來說，鋁，

或是你們加拿大人所說的 鋁 (美式拼音)，

was not part of my plan at all.

完全不在我的計畫之中。

So I started building rockets when I was at school.

所以我開始在學校自製火箭。

They got bigger and bigger.

越做越大。

I actually hold an unofficial land speed record

其實我保持著一個非官方的紀錄，

for a rocket bike and roller blades

騎出最快的火箭腳踏車，

while wearing a rocket pack.

以及背著火箭、穿著直排輪， 滑出最快的速度。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But as the rockets got larger and larger,

但是當火箭越來越大，

and more and more complex,

越來越複雜，

I started to be able to think I could do something with this.

我開始認真思考我可以做些什麼。

Now today we hear about very large rockets

現在我們常聽到非常大型的火箭

taking humans to, or aspiring to take humans to,

載著人類，或是以載著人類為目標，

the Moon, and Mars and beyond.

到月球、火星，和其他星球。

And that's really important,

這非常重要，

but there's a revolution going on in the space industry,

但是太空產業正在發生革命性的改變，

and it's not a revolution of the big,

並不是朝著越大越好的方向，

it's a revolution of the small.

而是縮小的變革。

So here we have an average-to-large-sized spacecraft in 1990.

這裡我們有個1990年代的 中大型太空船，

We can tell it's 1990 because of the powder blue smocks

我們可以從無塵室裡技術人員 穿的淺藍色工作服

for all the trained in the clean rooms in 1990.

知道這是1990年代。

But that was your average-to-large-sized spacecraft in 1990.

不過這是1990年代的中大型太空船。

Here's a spacecraft that's going to launch this year.

這是今年即將發表的太空船。

This particular spacecraft has four high-resolution cameras,

現在所看到的這艘太空船 搭載四台高解析度相機，

a whole lot of senors, a CoMP communication system.

非常多感測器 和一個協調式多點傳輸系統。

We're going to launch thousands of these into the solar system

我們將會發射數千個到太陽系中，

to look for extraterrestrial life.

尋找外星生命。

Quite different.

非常不一樣。

You see that Moore's law really applied itself to spacecraft.

你可以發現摩爾定律 也應用在太空船上。

However, the rockets that we've been building

但是，我們一直以來所設計的火箭，

have been designed for carrying these very large,

是為了承載這些非常大型，

school-bus-sized spacecraft to orbit.

校車尺寸的太空船到軌道上。

But this kind of launch vehicle here is not very practical

但是這樣的發射器

用於發射那些指尖般大小的太空船 並不實際。

for launching something that will fit on the tip of my finger.

And to give you a sense of scale here,

為了讓大家對規模有個概念，

this rocket is so large that I inserted a picture of myself

這個火箭大到 我放了一張我穿內褲的照片，

in my underpants, in complete confidence,

我有充分的信心，

knowing that you will not be able to find me.

你們找不到我。

That's how big this rocket actually is.

這火箭就是這麼大。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Moving on.

繼續。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

這是我們的火箭，叫做 Electron。

So this is our rocket -- it's called the Electron.

It's a small launch vehicle

它是個小型發射器，

for lifting these small payloads into orbit.

來乘載這些小型的酬載到軌道上。

And the key here is not the size of the rocket --

關鍵不在於火箭的大小，

the key here is frequency.

而是頻率。

If you actually wanted to democratize space

如果你真的想要開放太空，

and enable access to space,

開通來往太空的管道，

launch frequency is the absolute most important thing

發射頻率絕對是所有因素之中

out of all of this.

最重要的。

Now in order to really democratize space, there's three things you have to do.

為了真正地開放太空，必須做三件事。

And each one of these three things has kind of the equivalent amount of work.

這三件事所需的工作量不相上下。

So the first is, obviously, you have to build a rocket.

首先，理所當然地， 要先建造一支火箭。

The second is regulatory, and the third is infrastructure.

第二是法規，第三是基礎建設。

So let's talk a little bit about infrastructure.

讓我們來談談基礎建設。

So this is our launch site --

這是我們的發射地，

it's obviously not Cape Canaveral,

這裡很顯然不是卡納維爾角，

but it's a little launch site --

這是個小發射地，

in fact, it's the only private orbiter launch site

事實上，這是全世界唯一的 私人人造衛星發射地，

in the entire world, down in New Zealand.

位於紐西蘭。

And you may think that's a bit of an odd place

你可能會想，怎麼會選這個奇怪的地方

to build a rocket company and a launch site.

來蓋一間火箭公司和發射地。

But the thing is that every time you launch a rocket,

其實每當你發射一次火箭，

you have to close down around about 2,000 kilometers of airspace,

就必須封鎖大約兩千公里的領空，

2,000 kilometers of marine and shipping space,

兩千公里的海域和運輸範圍，

and ironically, it's one of the things in America

諷刺的是，

這是美國不太能承擔的一件事，

that doesn't scale very well,

because every time you close down all that airspace,

因為每關閉一次領空，

you disrupt all these travelers trying to get to their destination.

就會妨礙許多旅客。

The airlines really hate rocket companies,

航空公司都很討厭火箭公司，

because it costs them around $70,000 a minute, and so on.

因為發射火箭會害他們 每分鐘損失大約 7 萬美金。

So what you really need,

所以你真正需要的是，

if you want to truly have rapid access to space,

如果真的很想迅速通往太空，

is a reliable and frequent access to space,

一個可靠而且能頻繁出入的通道的話，

基本上你需要的是一個小島國，

is you need, basically, a small island nation

in the middle of nowhere, with no neighbors and no air traffic.

在一個沒有鄰居、沒有航空運輸、 鳥不生蛋的地方，

And that just happened to be New Zealand.

這剛好就是紐西蘭。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So, that's kind of the infrastructure bit.

所以，這是基礎建設的部分。

Now the next bit of that is regulatory.

再來是關於法規。

So, believe it or not,

看你相不相信，

New Zealand is not known for its space prowess,

紐西蘭並不是以卓越的太空技術聞名，

or at least it wasn't.

至少以前不是。

And you can't just rock on up to a country

你不能就這樣帶著

算是洲際彈道飛彈的東西到一個國家，

with what is essentially considered an ICBM,

because unfortunately, if you can put a satellite into orbit,

因為壞消息是，如果你能 放一個人造衛星到在軌道上，

you can use that rocket for doing significantly nasty things.

代表你可以利用那個火箭 做非常骯髒的事。

So quickly, you run afoul of a whole lot of rules and regulations,

所以很快地，你就會碰到 一堆規則、條例，

and international treaties

和國際條約，

of the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and whatnot.

關於大型毀滅性武器的 禁擴條約之類的。

So it becomes quite complex.

所以就變得很複雜。

So in order for us to launch down in New Zealand,

所以我們為了在紐西蘭發射，

we had to get the United States government and the New Zealand government

我們得讓美國政府和紐西蘭政府

簽署一份雙邊協議。

to agree to sign a bilateral treaty.

And then once that bilateral treaty was signed

簽署了那份雙邊協議之後，

to safeguard the technology,

保障了技術，

the New Zealand government had a whole lot of obligations.

紐西蘭政府就有很多義務責任。

他們必須建立很多規定和條例。

And they had to create a lot of rules and regulations.

In fact, they had to pass laws through a select committee

事實上，他們必須透過 一個特別委員會，通過法案，

and through Parliament, ultimately, and to complete laws.

最後必須經過國會來完成法條。

Once you have laws, you need somebody who administers them.

當你有了法律，你需要有人來實施。

所以他們必須建立一個太空署。

So they had to create a space agency.

And once they did, the Aussies felt left out,

建立了之後，澳洲覺得被排除在外，

so they had to create a space agency.

所以他們也建立了一個太空署。

And on and on it goes.

沒完沒了。

So you see, there's a massive portion of this, in fact,

所以你可以看到大部分，事實上，

two thirds of it, that does not even involve the rocket.

三分之二都跟火箭無關。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, let's talk about the rocket.

現在，讓我們來談談火箭。

You know, what I didn't say

我之前沒提到的是

is that we're actually licensed to launch every 72 hours for the next 30 years.

我們其實被批准在未來的 30 年 每 72 小時可以發射一次。

So we have more launch availability as a private company

所以我們身為一家私人企業，

than America does as an entire country.

擁有比美國整個國家更多的發射額度。

And if you've got a launch every 72 hours,

如果你得每 72 小時發射一次，

then that means you have to build a rocket every 72 hours.

就代表你得每 72 小時做出一支火箭。

And unfortunately, there's no such thing as just a one-stop rocket shop.

不幸的是，並沒有一應俱全的 火箭大賣場這種東西。

You can't go and buy bits to build a rocket.

沒辦法直接去買零件， 然後做出一支火箭。

Every rocket is absolutely bespoke,

每一支火箭都是特別定製的，

every component is absolutely bespoke.

每一個元件都是特別定製的。

And you're in a constant battle with physics every day.

你每一天都在跟物理打仗。

Every single day, I wake up and I battle physics.

每一天，我醒來，然後和物理奮戰。

And I'll give you an example of this.

給你一個例子。

So on the side of our rocket, there's a silver stripe.

我們火箭的側面有個銀條，

The reason is because there's avionic components behind there.

因為銀條後面有航空電子的成分。

We needed to lower the emissivity of the skin

我們必須降低表面的放射率，

so we didn't cook the components from the sunlight.

才不會讓陽光燒壞裡面的元件。

So we paint a silver stripe.

所以我們塗了一層銀條。

Unfortunately, as you're sailing through the Earth's atmosphere,

不幸的是，當你穿過地球的大氣層，

you generate a lot of static electricity.

會產生大量的靜電。

And if you don't have conductive paint,

如果你沒有導電塗料，

you'll basically send lightning bolts down to the Earth.

基本上你就是在朝地球送閃電。

So even the silver paint has to be triboelectrificated

所以甚至連銀漆都得經過摩擦帶電，

and certified and applied and everything,

經過認證和應用等等。

and the stickers, they're a whole nother story.

還有貼紙，那又是另一個故事了。

But even the simplest thing is always, always a real struggle.

但是連最簡單不過的事， 通常才是真的麻煩。

Now, to the heart of any launch vehicle is the engine.

接著，來到了發射器的心臟，引擎。

This is our Rutherford rocket engine.

這是我們的拉賽福火箭引擎。

And usually, you measure rocket engines

通常你會以製造所需時間 來衡量火箭引擎，

in terms of time to manufacture, in terms of sort of months

幾個月，

or even sometimes years, on really big engines.

有時候很大的引擎 甚至需要幾年的時間。

但是如果你要每 72 小時發射一次，

But if you're launching every 72 hours --

there's 10 engines per rocket --

每支火箭有 10 個引擎，

then you need to produce an engine very quickly.

那你必須非常快速地製造引擎。

We needed to come up with a whole new process

我們必須想出一套全新的流程，

and a whole new cycle for the rocket engine.

一個全新的火箭引擎循環。

We came up with a new cycle called the electric turbo pump,

我們想出了一個新的循環， 叫做電動渦輪泵，

but we also managed to be able to 3D-print these rocket engines.

不過我們也想到辦法去 3D 列印 這些火箭引擎。

So each one of these engines is 3D-printed out of Inconel superalloy,

所以每一個引擎都是用鎳鉻合金 3D 列印出來的，

and right now, we can print round about one engine every 24 hours.

目前我們大約可以 每 24 小時印出一個引擎。

Now, the electric turbo pump cycle

接著，電動渦輪泵

is a totally different way to pump propellant

是一個完全不同的機制

into the rocket engine.

將燃料推進到引擎裡。

So we carry about one megawatt where the battery is on board.

所以有安裝電池的話， 我們能達到一百萬瓦。

And we have little electric turbo pumps, about the size of a Coke can,

我們還有小型的電動渦輪泵， 大約是可樂罐的大小，

not much bigger than a Coke can.

不比可樂罐大多少。

They spin at 42,000 RPM,

他們每分鐘轉數是 42,000，

and each one of those Coke-can-sized turbo pumps

每一個可樂罐大小的渦輪泵

produces about the same amount of horsepower

可以產生

和一般家庭用車差不多的馬力，

as your average family car,

and we have 20 of them on the rocket.

引擎上有 20 個小渦輪泵。

So you can see even the simplest thing, like pumping propellants,

所以你可以發現連最簡單的事， 像是推進燃料，

幾乎都快把你逼瘋。

always pretty much drives you insane.

This is Electron, it works.

這是 Electron，真的成功了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Not only does it work once, it seems to work quite frequently,

它不止成功一次， 成功的頻率似乎蠻高的，

which is handy when you've got a lot of customers to put on orbit.

當你有很多客戶要上太空時就很方便。

目前為止，我們已經發射了 25 顆人造衛星，

So far, we've put 25 satellites in orbit.

And the really cool thing

很酷的是，

is we're able to do it very, very accurately.

我們非常、非常的精準。

In fact, we insert the satellites to within an accuracy of 1.4 kilometers.

事實上，我們能將人造衛星 放置在 1.4 公里的誤差內。

And I guess if you're riding in a cab,

我猜如果你坐計程車，

1.4 kilometers is not very accurate.

會覺得 1.4 公里不怎麼精準。

But in, kind of, space terms,

但是以太空的標準來說，

that equates to around about 180 milliseconds.

那等於大約 180 毫秒。

We travel 1.4 kilometers in about 180 milliseconds.

我們在 180 毫秒內移動了 1.4 公里。

So, it's actually quite hard to do.

所以，這其實非常難做到。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

接著，我想談談太空垃圾。

Now, what I want to talk about here is space junk.

We've talked a lot during this talk about, you know,

在這場演講裡我們講了很多關於

how we want to launch really frequently, every 72 hours,

該如何頻繁發射火箭，

每 72 小時發射一次等等。

and all the rest of it.

However, I don't want to go down in history

但是，我不想成為史上

as the guy that put the most amount of space junk in orbit.

在太空留下最多垃圾的人。

This is kind of the industry's dirty little secret here,

這算是這個產業不可告人的小秘密，

很多人不知道大部分的太空垃圾， 以質量計算的話，

what most people don't realize is that the majority of space junk by mass

is not actually satellites, it's dead rockets.

並不是人造衛星，是火箭殘骸。

Because as you ascend to orbit,

因為上升到軌道的途中，

you have to shed bits of the rocket to get there,

必須擺脫火箭的一部分才能到達，

with the battle of physics.

這是和物理奮鬥之後的結果。

So I'm going to give a little Orbital Mechanics 101 here,

所以我來稍微講一下初級太空動力學，

and talk about how we go to orbit,

以及我們怎麼到達軌道上，

and how we do it really, really differently from everybody else.

和我們跟別人非常、 非常不一樣的做法。

So the second stage cruises along

第二節火箭在軌道上運行，

and then we separate off a thing at the top called the kick stage,

然後我們分離上方這節， 稱作 kick stage，

but we leave the second stage in this highly elliptical orbit.

但是我們保留第二節 在這個高度橢圓的軌道上。

And at the perigee of the orbit, or the lowest point,

在軌道上的近地點，也就是最低點，

it dips into the Earth's atmosphere and basically burns back up.

它會掉進地球的大氣層， 然後燃燒殆盡。

So now we're left with this little kick stage,

所以現在我們就只剩下 這個小的 kick stage，

螢幕角落上白色的這個東西。

that white thing on the corner of the screen.

It's got its own propulsion system,

它有自己的推進系統，

and we use it to raise and trim the orbit

用來抬高和校正軌道，

and then deploy the spacecraft.

然後發射太空船。

And then because it's got its own engine, we put it into a retro orbit,

因為它有自己的引擎， 我們把它放到一個逆行的軌道上，

put it back into a highly elliptical orbit,

放回高度橢圓的軌道上，

reenter it into the atmosphere and burn it back up,

讓它重新進入大氣層燃燒，

and leave absolutely nothing behind.

所以幾乎什麼都沒留下。

Now everybody else in the industry is just downright filthy,

現在業界其他人都超級卑鄙，

they just leave their crap everywhere out there.

他們到處留下垃圾。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

So I want to tell you a little bit of a story,

我想跟你說個故事，

and this is going to date me,

這會透露出我的年齡，

不過，當我以前在紐西蘭南島 最南端上學的時候，

but I went to a school at the very bottom of the South Island in New Zealand,

tiny little school,

一個非常小的學校，

and we had a computer not dissimilar to this one.

我們有台跟這台很像的電腦。

And attached to that computer was a little black box called a modem,

有個小黑盒連接著那台電腦， 叫數據機，

and every Friday, the class would gather around the computer

每個禮拜五，全班會圍著那台電腦，

and we would send an email to another school in America

然後我們會傳一封電子郵件 給美國的一所學校，

that was lucky enough to have the same kind of setup,

他們也很幸運有一樣的設備，

然後我們會收到回信。

and we would receive an email back.

And we thought that was just incredible, absolutely incredible.

我們覺得那真的是太神奇了， 非常神奇。

Now I often wonder

現在我常常想，

如果我回到過去，

what would happen if I traveled back in time

and I sat down with myself

和那時候的自己面對面聊天，

and I explained all of the things that were going to occur

然後跟他解釋接下來

because of that little black box connected to the computer.

那個和電腦接著的小黑盒 會帶來的所有事情。

你大概會覺得那是個幻想。

You would largely think that it would be complete fantasy.

But the reality is that is where we are right now with space.

但事實上，那就是 我們現在對太空的認知。

We're right on the verge of democratizing space,

我們正開始普及太空，

and we have essentially sent our first email to space.

而且基本上我們已經傳送了 第一封電子郵件到太空上。

Now I'll give you some examples.

讓我給你們一些例子。

So last year, we flew a small satellite

去年，我們發射了

一顆一群高中生做的衛星。

for a bunch of high school students who had built it.

And the high school students were studying the atmosphere of Venus.

那些高中生正在讀金星的大氣層。

Those are high school students launching their own satellite.

他們是發射了自己的衛星的高中生。

Another great example,

另一個很棒的例子，

there's a number of really big programs right now

現在有很多大型計劃，

to place large constellations, of small satellites in orbit

打算在軌道上放置一群群小衛星，

to deliver internet to every square millimeter on the planet.

來傳送網路到世界各個角落。

And for pretty much everybody in this room,

對在座的各位來說，

that's just handy,

網路隨手可得，

because we can stream Netflix anywhere we want.

因為我們能在任何地方用網飛看影片。

But if you think about the developing countries of the world,

但是，如果想想其他發展中國家，

you've just disseminated the entire knowledge of the world

那就是傳播了全世界所有的知識

to every single person in the world.

給世界上的每一個人。

And that's going to have a pretty major effect.

那將會帶來很可觀的影響。

Thanks very much.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）