The future of UK space science, with Andrew Kuh
发布时间 2022-11-21 08:00:17 来源
摘要
Andrew Kuh is the Exploration Technology Manager at the UK Space Agency. He explains the UK’s involvement with NASA’s Artemis 1 mission and the exciting future that lies ahead for UK space science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Hello and welcome to Instant Genius, a Bite Size Massaclassic podcast form. I'm Jason Gujur, commissioning editor at BBC Science Focused magazine.
你好，欢迎收听《Instant Genius》，一个来自 Massaclassic 的迷你播客节目。我是 Jason Gujur，在BBC科学聚焦杂志担任编委。
Earlier this month NASA successfully launched Artemis I, the first of a series of ambitious missions to put humans back on the moon after a 50 year absence. The progress of the spacecraft is currently being tracked by Goon Hilli Earth Station, a large radio communication satellite based near Halster on the lizard peninsula in Cornwall.
本月初，NASA成功发射了“阿尔忒弥斯一号”航天器，这是一系列雄心勃勃的任务之一，旨在让人类重返月球，这是50年来的第一次。目前，这个航天器的进展正在被“古恩·希利”地球站跟踪，这是一个基于康沃尔半岛蜥蜴半岛附近的大型无线电通信卫星。
In this episode we speak to Andrew Coop, exploration technology manager at the UK Space Agency. He tells us about Goon Hilli's involvement with the Artemis project, UK Science's involvement in Luna Gateway, the space station planned to be put in orbit around the moon, and the future of the UK's own space ports.
在这一集中，我们与英国航空航天局探索技术经理安德鲁·库普进行了谈话。他告诉我们关于古恩希利参与“阿泰密斯计划”的情况，英国科学在月球门户（Luna Gateway）项目中的参与情况，计划在月球轨道上建造的空间站以及英国自己的航天港的未来。
So NASA has just successfully launched the Artemis I mission, kicking off a series of missions to put humans back on the moon for the first time in 50 years. Is it possible, can we overstate how big a deal this is?
NASA刚刚成功地发射了“阿尔忒弥斯I”任务，开启了一系列将人类重新送回月球的任务，这是50年来的首次。我们有可能夸大这是多么重要的事情吗？
It's a huge deal, so obviously instinctively I say no, let's state what a huge deal it is. I mean it is really significant first step in returning humans to the lunar surface. And some people will say we did that 50 years ago, but I think what we're seeing now is quite a significant step beyond what's happened before.
这是一件非常重要的事情，所以我本能地拒绝了，我们应该说清它的重要性。我的意思是，这是把人类重新送上月球表面的真正重要的第一步。有些人会说我们50年前就做到了这一点，但我认为现在我们看到的是比以前更有意义的一步。
Firstly in that we're not just returning humans to the surface of the moon, we're starting a more sustained presence on the surface of the moon. So rather than these missions being there and back, it's a there and stay for a while and really maximize the scientific research that you can do on the lunar surface. And yet this is the first step in that journey.
首先，我们不仅是让人类重返月球表面，而是开始更持久地在月球表面上建立存在。所以，这些任务不再是一去再回，而是在那里停留一段时间，真正最大限度地发挥月球表面上的科学研究价值。然而这只是这个旅程的第一步。
The other thing which I think is quite exciting about the Artemis program and perhaps a bit different to the Apollo program is the degree of involvement from international partners. So it's not just the US doing this for the USA.
我认为 Artemis 计划很令人兴奋的另一件事，也许与 Apollo 计划有些不同的是国际伙伴的参与程度。因此，这不仅是美国为美国自己而做的。
Obviously it's led initially by the US and they have the biggest role here. But actually they are really keen to involve international partners throughout the not just this mission, but throughout the whole program. And it's going to it's going to require contributions from lots of different countries, traditional institutional players as well as more commercial actors. So yeah, I think it really is the start of a new era of lunar exploration.
显然这次任务最初由美国主导，他们在这里扮演了最大的角色。但实际上他们非常渴望让国际伙伴参与其中，不仅仅是这个任务，而是整个计划。这需要许多不同国家的贡献，传统的机构参与者以及更商业化的角色。所以，我认为这真的是月球探索的新时代的开始。
Yeah, great. So just for those who don't know what exactly is the Artemis one mission going to be doing.
是的，好的。所以，对于那些不知道 Artemis 一号任务到底要做什么的人，我们需要解释一下。
Sure, so as the names of us Artemis one is the the first launch in the Artemis program. Artemis one itself is essentially a test flight. So it's the first time the SLS rocket has been used and which is this huge new rocket. The most powerful rocket to ever be launched successfully.
没问题，我们的名字是阿尔忒弥斯。阿尔忒弥斯一号是阿尔忒弥斯计划的第一个发射任务。它本身是一个测试飞行任务。所以这是SLS火箭第一次使用，这是一枚巨大而新的火箭。这也是有史以来最强大、成功发射的火箭。
The Soviets did have one that was slightly more powerful, but that never successfully completed the mission. So the the purposes basically to test that all the launch systems work correctly that the Orion module. Now this is the crude module which sits on top of the launch system and will actually on future missions carry the astronauts.
苏联曾经有一个稍微更强大的太空舱，但它从未成功完成任务。所以这次的目的基本上是测试猎户座舱所有发射系统是否正常工作。猎户座舱是一个粗糙的舱室，安装在发射系统的顶部，将在未来的任务中实际上搭载宇航员。
Check that all the systems on that work as they should and really importantly to make sure that the reentry systems. So when that capture returns to Earth that it's safe it can withstand the extreme temperatures that reentering the Earth's atmosphere create.
检查所有系统是否正常运作，特别重要的是确保重新进入系统。因此当太空船返回地球时，它必须是安全的并且必须能够承受重新进入地球大气层所产生的极端温度。
So you mentioned just a moment ago that many different international parties are ever involved in this. Here in the UK, Goon Hilli Earth Station is involved.
你刚才提到许多不同的国际方参与其中。在英国，古恩希尔地球站也参与了进来。
So first off for those who haven't heard of Goon Hilli Earth Station could you explain what it is and then explain what role it's playing in the Artemis one mission. Sure so Goon Hilli is down in Cornwall and they offer deep space communications.
那么，首先对于那些没有听说过古恩希利地球站的人，你能说明一下它是什么，然后解释一下它在阿尔忒弥斯一号任务中扮演的角色吗？好的，古恩希利地球站位于康沃尔，提供深空通讯服务。
So they have huge dishes down there which can communicate with spacecraft way beyond Earth orbit. And they provide the service to two various space agencies and entities around the world for the Orion launch. They've been tracking the Orion capsule and also there's some cube tax which were launched on the same rocket which Goon Hilli have been tracking as well and are tracking as we speak in fact.
他们在下面有庞大的天线，可以与超出地球轨道的太空船通信。他们为两个全球范围内的太空机构提供服务，以准备Orion计划的发射。他们一直在追踪Orion太空舱，还有一些与它一起发射的小立方体卫星，Goon Hilli也一直在追踪并且现在正在追踪。
So is Goon Hilli involved in future Artemis missions? Yeah and I think this again is one of the interesting things we're seeing in this new era of exploration is Goon Hilli are providing these services not as a government owned facility.
那么，Goon Hilli会参与未来的Artemis任务吗？是的，我认为这正是我们在这个新的探索时代看到的有趣事情之一，Goon Hilli提供这些服务并非作为政府拥有的设施。
They're actually operating privately they're privately owned they're a commercial outfit. And so they're selling these services to other two space agencies so that can be through the European Space Agency or directly to NASA or indeed others. So yeah they've got quite an important role to play there and it's quite useful that they are geographically dispersed from other sites and say the US or Australia or elsewhere because it gives you that greater diversity of signals which gives greater robustness.
他们其实是私人经营的，它们是私有企业。因此，他们将这些服务销售给其他两个太空机构，可以是通过欧洲航天局或直接向NASA或其他机构销售。所以是的，他们在那里扮演着相当重要的角色，这很有用，因为他们在地理位置上与美国、澳大利亚或其他地方的其他站点分散，这增加了信号的多样性，从而提高了鲁棒性。
So you mentioned there that Goon Hilli is down in the Southwest and also down in the Southwest we have Space Port Cornwall in New Key. And that's just become the first space port to be awarded a license to launch. That's right, yes. It's a really exciting development actually. It's something that's been in the offing for a while, but it's quite a complex thing to do and something we've not done in the UK before.
你在那里提到了Goon Hilli在西南地区，而在西南地区，我们还有位于New Key的Space Port Cornwall。它刚刚获得了发射许可证，成为第一个获批发射许可的太空港口。对的，是的。实际上，这是一个非常令人兴奋的发展。这是一件早就在酝酿的事情，但它是一项相当复杂的工作，我们在英国从未做过。
Whilst we've got quite a strong heritage in space engineering, building satellites, and using these satellites, we haven't launched anything into orbit from UK soil ever. So it looks like hopefully one day soon (I won't give you an exact date), we will see the first space launch from UK soil taking off from space port Cornwall.
虽然在太空工程、卫星制造和利用方面，我们有相当强的传统，但我们从未从英国本土发射过任何卫星进入轨道。因此，看起来希望很快（我不会给你一个确切的日期），我们将看到第一次从英国本土发射升空的太空发射，从康沃尔太空港起飞。
Getting that license is really important because that demonstrates that they can do it in a safe and responsible manner and it's overseen by the civil aviation authority who have oversight of that. So I believe the launch that's planned is going to be on a Boeing 747, so a lot of listeners will perhaps be on 747s themselves but I doubt they're going to space.
拿到飞行执照非常重要，因为这表明他们能够在安全和负责任的方式下操作飞行器，这由民用航空当局进行监督。因此，我认为计划中的发射将在波音747上进行，因此许多听众可能自己坐747，但我怀疑他们不会去太空。
That's right, yes. You'd be quite worried, wouldn't you if you had yourself in space when you went to be flying across the ocean? Yeah, so it's a Virgin Orbit system, and it's fundamentally the same as any other 747 but with one key difference, and that is that it's got a pile on under one of the wings, basically a big hook, and a launch system is then attached, and out so a small rocket held under the wing of the 747. It flies out across the Atlantic, and then once it's flown an hour or two to the west, will release the rocket from underneath its wing and then it launches from mid-air into orbit.
是的，没错。如果您在太空中飞越大洋时出了问题，您会非常担心，不是吗？没错，所以这是一个维珍轨道系统，基本上和任何其他的波音747飞机一样，但是有一个关键的区别，那就是其中一个机翼下面有一个大钩子，基本上是一个大钩子，然后再链接一个发射系统，而一架小火箭就被固定在747的机翼下方。它在横跨大西洋的时候飞行一到两个小时，然后会从机翼下面释放火箭，然后从空中发射到轨道上。
So you save some of the costs of that initial phase of the rocket launch. And how about plans for other space ports across the UK? Now that we've got the license for space port Cornwall, is this going to open the door for other space ports? Sure, there are several sites who have announced their intention to seek space port licenses, which is really exciting actually.
那么，这样你就可以节省火箭发射的初始阶段的一些成本。那么，英国其他空间港口的计划呢？既然我们已经拥有了康沃尔空间港口的许可证，这是否会为其他空间港口打开大门呢？当然，有几个地点已经宣布他们打算寻求空间港口许可证，这实际上非常令人兴奋。
One of the exciting things we're seeing in the UK, which isn't being done in other countries, is we as government or space agency aren't dictating where these sites can be. We've said, if you've got the location for a space port, and you want to build an operator space port on a commercial basis, apply for a license, and then you can legally launch things into space. Obviously, the license and process are quite rigorous to make sure that's done safely.
我们在英国看到了一些令人兴奋的事情，在其他国家没有做到，那就是政府或者航天机构并没有规定太空港的位置。我们说，如果你有一个太空港的位置，并想建立一个商业操作的太空港，申请许可证，然后你就可以合法地将物品发射到太空中去。显然，许可证和过程都相当严格，以确保安全地进行。
But yeah, we're seeing sites, particularly in the north of Scotland, who will undertake but we colloquially call vertical launches. That's your more traditional launch from the ground. It says a site in Shetland and one on the north coast of Scotland in southern and both bidding to host small satellite launches.
嗯，我们发现在苏格兰北部尤其是有一些场地，可以进行我们俗称的垂直发射。这是从地面上进行的传统发射方式。其中设在设得兰群岛和苏格兰南部北海岸的两个场地都在竞标承办小型卫星发射。
So you mentioned there the commercial angle to the UK space industry. So would you say the line between government space agencies and private enterprises is getting increasingly blurred? Because there will always be a role for government-owned space agencies. There are certain things which only government can do, and indeed only government should do.
你提到了英国太空产业的商业方面，那么你会说政府太空机构和私营企业之间的界限越来越模糊吗？因为政府拥有的太空机构始终会有其作用。有些事只有政府能做，而且只有政府应该做。
But I think we're seeing a big opening up of what the commercial sector can offer and we work closely with the commercial sector, and yeah, the role of government will change depending on what they're doing. Sometimes we're just making sure it's safe and legal. Sometimes government will procure services from the commercial sector.
我认为我们正在看到商业领域可以提供的很多机会，并且我们与商业领域密切合作，政府的角色将根据他们所做的事情而改变。有时我们只是确保安全和合法。有时政府会从商业领域采购服务。
We're actually because things are becoming more routine. It makes sense for us to purchase services from a commercial provider rather than try to do it ourselves. But I think there'll always be a clear need for government, particularly in areas like what I work on in space exploration, where we're really pushing the boundaries. Doing cutting edge research and exploration which isn't designed to make a profit but is designed to increase our knowledge of the solar system and provide technological breakthroughs.
其实，我们现在变得更加有规律化，这就促使我们从商业供应商那里购买服务，而不是亲自尝试。但是，我觉得政府在一些领域，像我所从事的太空探索领域，将永远存在必要性。我们正在不断地推进边界，进行尖端研究和探索，这并非为了盈利，而是为了提高我们对太阳系的认知，带来技术突破。
Yeah, so obviously the country's economic situation isn't looking too great at the moment. How big a boost could the space industry provide to the UK economy? Yeah, so already plays quite a big role and for every pound we invest in the space industry, we get and we see multiples return on investment in that.
嗯，很明显，目前该国的经济状况不太乐观。太空工业能为英国经济提供多大助力呢？嗯，太空工业已经相当重要了，每投入一英镑，我们都能得到多倍的回报。
So it's not about one of the common misconceptions people have is that we're spending this money on space and it's just being sent off to Mars. Well, no, that money is spent in the UK. It's providing high school jobs. It's creating new knowledge. It's building new technologies which then can be spun out into terrestrial industries. So actually, it's a net gain for the UK to invest in space technologies.
因此，人们普遍误解的一点是，我们花这些钱在太空上，只是把它们送到了火星。其实不是那样的，这些钱在英国境内花掉了，用于提供中学生的工作机会、创造新知识、建立新技术，这些技术可以用于地球产业的拓展。所以，英国在太空技术投资方面实际上是一笔净收益。
So I believe that the UK is also involved in the Lunar Gateway project? That's right, yes.
所以我相信英国也参与了月球门户计划，对吗？是的，没错。
So while we have an important involvement in the Artemis 1 launch through Pugum, Hillies, and that. As we see the Artemis program across the next decade also developing we've also got a really important role to play in that.
所以，虽然我们通过Pugum、Hillies等方式对Artemis 1的发射有着重要的参与，但我们也将在未来十年的Artemis计划发展中扮演非常重要的角色。
So on the Lunar Gateway which is going to be a space station in orbit around the moon. So a bit like the International Space Station which you're probably already familiar with. They're orbiting moon instead of the earth.
那么，在即将绕月运作的月球门户上，会有一个空间站。就有点像你们可能已经熟悉的国际空间站。不同的是，它们会绕着月球运行，而不是地球。
The UK is building the refueling system for that which is really crucial component both for powering the gateway itself. And for supporting missions from the gateway down to the lunar surface. So that's a really key part where where UK engineering is playing a role. Great.
英国正在建造补给系统，这是驱动网关本身和支持从网关到月球表面的任务的非常关键的组成部分。这就是英国工程正在发挥作用的关键部分。太棒了。
Are there any other exciting projects coming up that you think our listeners would be interested in? So many exciting projects.
您认为我们的听众会对其他令人兴奋的项目感兴趣吗？有很多令人兴奋的项目。
But I wouldn't want to bore your listeners with all of them. I mean it really is an exciting time at the moment. And just next week we will be along with all the other members of the European Space Agency announcing funding plans for the next phase.
但我不想让你的听众听得厌倦。我是说，现在真的是一个令人兴奋的时刻。下周我们将与欧洲航天局的其他成员一起宣布下一阶段的资金计划。
On space exploration and it really runs everything from kind of nuclear power technologies which the UK has great heritage in all the way through to insitu resource utilization. So this is how we use material on the lunar surface to create things like oxygen and water. And again we've got really great capabilities in the UK there both in industry and in our our universities.
在太空探索方面，它确实涵盖了一切，从核能技术（英国在这方面有悠久的遗产）一直到原地资源利用。因此，这是我们如何利用月球表面的物质来制造氧气和水。而且，我们在英国在这方面拥有非常出色的能力，无论是在工业方面还是在我们的大学中。
Yeah looking further forward to Mars as well the UK's role building the XMR's rover was an entranclin. It shows our great abilities in the UK for robotics and autonomous exploration of the solar system. So a big decade to come.
嗯，期待Mars的进一步探索，而英国在建造XMR的月球车方面所发挥的作用也是值得称道的。这表明了英国在机器人和太阳系自主探测方面的强大能力。未来十年，我们将面临一个重大的时代。
So I mean would you say that the space industry in the UK is it's got a bright future you know you optimistic?
那么我想问你，你认为英国的太空行业未来光明，你持乐观态度吗？
Absolutely. For me personally I've been in this sector for 12 years now. And I've seen it grow significantly in that time and that's through diversifying into parts of space which we didn't do so much before such as launch.
对我而言，我已经在这个领域工作了12年。我发现在这段时间内它有了显著发展，这是通过涉足一些我们之前没有做过的领域，比如发射。
But also through increased investment in areas like earth observation and telecommunications where there's there's huge potential still for more growth. And I think in the UK we have quite a healthy approach to this this balance between government and commercial provision which actually I think yeah.
我们还可以通过加大对地球观测和电信等领域的投资来实现更多的增长。我认为在英国，我们在政府和商业服务的平衡方面有着相当健康的方法，这实际上是非常好的。
Boads well for the future. You mentioned the tough economic climate which which we're in at the moment. But actually I think we have a really good story to tell about how space can play a role in improving our fortunes as a country.
这对未来很有帮助。你提到了当前我们所处的经济环境很艰难，但实际上我认为我们有一个非常好的故事可以告诉大家，关于太空如何在提高我们国家的运势方面发挥作用。
Thank you for listening to this episode of Instant Genius. That was the UK Space Agency's Andrew Coon. The current issue of BBC Science Focus magazine is out now. Pick up a copy wherever you buy your favourite magazines or visit sciencefocus.com.
感谢您收听这期Instant Genius节目。这里是英国宇航局的Andrew Coon。BBC Science Focus杂志的最新一期已经发行了。您可以在喜欢购买杂志的地方购买一份，或者访问sciencefocus.com。