It is one of the oldest questions ever asked: Are we alone or is there other life out in the Universe?
这是最古老的问题之一：人类是否是唯一的或者说宇宙中是否还有其他生命存在？
Last week, an international team of scientists and businessmen launched a project they hope can answer that question.They announced plans for a huge space exploration program.Its goal is to find alien life in space.
上周，一个由科学家和商人组成的国际研究小组发起了一个项目，希望以此能够解答这个问题。他们公布了宏大的太空探索计划。其目标在于发现太空的外星人。
The team includes British physicist Stephen Hawking, Russian-born billionaire Yuri Milner and American Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facbook.
该小组包括英国物理学家史蒂芬·霍金、生于俄罗斯的亿万富翁尤里·米尔纳以及脸书创始人马克·扎克伯格。
Their project is called Breakthrough Spaceshot.It will develop and build thousands of robotic vehicles that can speed through space.
该项目被称为“突破摄星”（ Breakthrough Spaceshot）。将会开发组建数千个能够穿越太空的机器人式车辆。
Their goal is to explore the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri.It is about 40 trillion kilometers — or 4.37 light years – away from Earth.Once launched a spacecraft would have to travel 20 years to get there.
其首个目标是探索距离最近的恒星系统，即半人马座阿尔法星。半人马座阿尔法星距离地球40万亿千米，即4.37光年。发射的宇宙飞船需要20年才能到达目的地。
The way they will make it happen is like something from a science fiction story.Crews on Earth would use powerful laser beams to power extremely small vehicles through space.These spacecrafts would travel much farther than any other spacecraft built to date.
这种做法有点类似科幻小说的情节。地球上的船员将采用高能量激光束为穿越太空的极小飞行器提供动力。这些宇宙飞船的旅程将超过迄今为止其他所有飞行器。
Estimates say the project will cost from $5-10 billion.
预计该项目将耗资50亿到100亿美元。
Yuri Milner is giving the project $100 million to get started.
尤里·米尔纳捐赠了1亿美元启动该项目。
Last week, Milner showed a model of the spacecraft to reporters in New York.
上周，米尔纳在纽约向记者们展示了飞行器的模型。
“This is a starchip, a gram-scale wafer containing cameras, photon thrusters, power supply and navigation and communication equipment.”The starchip is a computer chip about the size of a large postage stamp.Each one will cost no more than an iPhone.The chip will have a light sail — very thin material that can open in space and move the spacecraft forward.Together the chip and the sail are called “nanocraft.”
“这个是芯片，是个克量级的晶片，包含摄像机、光子助推器、电源、导航和通信设备。”该芯片是个大号邮票大小的电脑芯片。每个芯片的费用不超过一部苹果手机。芯片中有个光帆，这是一种非常薄的材料，在太空中时能够打开，并驱动飞船向前运行。芯片和光帆合称为“纳米飞船”（nanocraft）。
The team plans to launch a “mothership,” which would then be put in Earth’s orbit.The mother ship would release thousands of the nanocraft.
该小组计划发射一个在地球轨道上运行的母舰。母舰将发射数千个纳米飞船。
Their light sails would open and crews on Earth would fire laser beams on the light sails.That would push the nanocraft.They will travel at about 20 percent of light speed.
这些纳米飞船的光帆将会打开，地球上的船员们把激光束照到光帆上。推动纳米飞船前行。其速度约为光速的20%。
Today’s fastest spacecraft would take about 30,000 years to reach the Alpha Centauri system.But once this new nanocraft technology is ready, supporters say, it can shorten that time -- to just 20 years.
现今最快的宇宙飞船需要近30000年的时间到达半人马座阿尔法星系。但一旦纳米飞船技术准备就绪，就可将时间缩短至20年。
Stephen Hawking said the distance between Alpha Centauri and Earth can be crossed within a generation.The British scientist speaks through a computerized voice: “I believe what makes us unique is transcending our limits.Gravity pins us to the ground, but I just flew to America.”
史蒂芬·霍金表示，从地球到达半人马座阿尔法星只需要一代人的时间。这位英国科学家通过电脑合成语音表示：“我认为能够让我们独特的方法就是超越极限。重力把人束缚在地面，但我还是可以飞到美国。”
Hawking added, “Today we commit to the next great leap in the cosmos, because we are human and our nature is to fly.”
霍金补充道：“今天，我们致力于宇宙中另外一个飞跃，因为我们是人类，飞行是我们的本性。”
Other scientists have signed on for the project.Freeman Dyson is with the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.He thinks scientists might find something interesting before the nanocraft reach Alpha Centauri.
其他科学家也在该项目上签名授意。弗里曼·戴森在普林斯顿高等研究院工作。他认为在纳米飞船到达半人马座阿尔法星之前，科学家们可能会发现一些有趣的现象。
“The space between here and Alpha Centauri is not empty, that it’s not just a huge void which you have to cross in order to reach something interesting on the other side.On the contrary, there are thousands of objects in between.”
“地球和半人马座阿尔法星之间并非空无一物，即两者之间并非巨大空白只需从一边到达另外一边。相反，两者之间有数千物体。”
Dyson believes that life is more likely to be found on an asteroid, or space rock, rather than a planet.
戴森认为，更可能在小行星或者太空岩石而非行星上发现生命迹象。
The project is just now taking shape.The first step is about 20 years for research and development.There are still many details to work out about how this project will work, technically.
目前，该项目正在成形。第一步是耗时近20年的研究和开发过程。仍然有很多有关科技的细节问题需要明确。
It would come the launch of the mothership, and the release of the nanocrafts.That would be another 20 years to get to Alpha Centauri.
接下来便是母舰和纳米飞船的发射。到达半人马座阿尔法星需要另外20年。
Then, people on Earth will have to be patient.It will take at least four more years for any of the information collected to reach Earth.
地球上的人们要非常耐心地等待。收集到的任何信息到达地球至少还要4年时间。
Avi Loeb teaches astronomy at Harvard University.He explained the group wants to interest young people in the project.
艾维·劳艾伯在哈佛大学教授天文学。他解释道，该小组希望能够引起年轻人对该项目的兴趣。
He said, “our goal is to get people all over the world involved.”
他表示，我们的目标是让全球的人们都参与进来。
Future improvements in technology could change the timeline and help speed up the project.But for now, a person born this year may be in his or her 50s when those nanocraft reach their target.
未来科技的进步将能够改变时间计划加速项目的进程。但是就目前而言，对于今年出生的人来说要等到50多岁时，纳米飞行器才能到达目的地。
I’m Anne Ball.
Anne Ball为您报道。
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