When most people think of space, what come to mind are names like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. When scientists think about space, the name that comes to mind is Hubble, a space telescope we sent on a twenty-year Journey to explore the origins of the universe. It‘s already being called the most scientifically significant space project we ever embarked on. Taking pictures of the universe that literally let you and me and everyone else look back in time and see what the universe looked like13 billion years ago.
The images are like nothing ever seen before, as much art as science, visions of a universe more violent and fantastic than anyone had dared to imagine. Everything from razor-sharp views of the planets in our own solar system, to the vast stellar nurseries where stars and planets are born. Some show us the explosive outbursts of dying suns, others the swirling masses of stars that make up the galaxies. But Hubble isn‘t just giving us extraordinary pictures, it‘s helping astronomers unlock the secrets of the universe.
Morgan: You know, people have been wondering about how the universe began probably since the caveman, right. The caveman wondered out, looked up and saw those dots of lights, and he has no clue.
Dr.Bmce Morgan is the Associate Director for Science for The Hubble Space Telescope.
Morgan: Generations of humans have gone by with absolutely no clue about how the universe started. When my father went to school, no matter how smart he was or how smart his teachers were, nobody had a clue how old was the universe, how were atoms made, how are stars formed No one knew.
The Hubble space telescope is the size of a greyhound bus, it weighs ten tons and flies 400 miles above the earth, moving five miles a second. Its cameras and scientific instruments are so sophisticated that they can capture light that began traveling through space more than 13 billion years ago. By the time that light finally enters the te1escope and is transformed into an image, the picture it shows is of the universe as it was back when the light began its journey in the unimaginably distant past, in effect turning the telescope into a time machine.
Dr. Mario Livio is the head of the Science Division for the Hubble Space Telescope.
Livio: When we look back in time, using Hubble, we can see the universe, how it looked when it was less than a billion years old. And we can see what galaxies looked back then, when they were the building blocks of today‘s galaxies.
But why is knowing this is important today?
Livio: Because we want to understand our origins. I mean it‘s a very fundamental thing.
翻譯：
很多人想到太空時,首先在腦海中出現(xiàn)的名字不是約翰·格林就是尼爾·阿姆斯特朗。而當(dāng)科學(xué)家想到太空時,他們腦海中出現(xiàn)的是哈勃太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡。二十年來哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡一直在為我們探索宇宙的起源之謎,它被稱為是人類所進(jìn)行的最具科學(xué)意義的太空項(xiàng)目。從它拍攝的宇審照片上,我們每人都能回顧到宇宙在130億年前的模樣。
照片所展示的圖像是我們前所未見的：科學(xué)猶如藝術(shù)，宇宙圖像比任何人敢想象的還要熱烈，奇異。照片內(nèi)容包羅萬象，有太陽系各行星的精彩絕倫的景致，也有孕育出星球，恒星的巨大行星。一些圖片展示了恒星毀滅前的大爆炸景致，還有一些組成了銀河的星群星云。但是哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡不止為我們提供了優(yōu)秀的圖片，他還幫助天文學(xué)家去解開宇宙的奧妙。
摩根：人們可能從穴居起就開始猜測宇宙是怎么開始的。穴居人走到了野外，抬頭看天，看到星星點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的光，茫然一片，毫無頭緒。
布盧斯·摩根博士是哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡科學(xué)研究所的副主任。
摩根：多少代人以來都不知道宇宙是怎么開始的。當(dāng)年我父親讀書的時候，不論他和的老師有多聰明，誰也說不清楚宇宙的年齡，原子是怎樣產(chǎn)生的，星星是怎樣產(chǎn)生的，誰也不知道。
哈勃太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡的大小和灰狗巴士差不多,重達(dá)10噸,在離地球400英里的高空上飛行,每秒鐘移動5英里。它的鏡頭和科學(xué)設(shè)備實(shí)在太精密了,連330億年前太空中的光線也能捕捉得到。當(dāng)光線最終進(jìn)入望遠(yuǎn)鏡里轉(zhuǎn)成圖像號后,圖片上能看到宇宙的從前,光線在無法想象的遙遠(yuǎn)過去開始旅行的情景。從效果上說,哈勃就是一架時光機(jī)器。
馬里奧·里維奧是哈勃太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡科學(xué)部的部長。
里維奧:我們用哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡回顧過去,能看到宇宙在差不多十億年前的樣子。我們也可以看到當(dāng)年的銀河,看到它們怎樣演變成今天的銀河。
但是為什么知道這些對今天意義重大呢?
里維奧:因?yàn)槲覀兿胫雷约旱钠鹪础Ｎ业囊馑际?那是人之本啊。
