美国国家公共电台 NPR--How the U.S. may have popped the balloon on scientific education and research

How the U.S. may have popped the balloon on scientific education and research

Transcript¹

President Biden says the aerial objects shot down over the U.S. may have been scientific balloons. Some researchers are concerned that the diplomatic fight over balloons could disrupt their work.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The three objects shot down over the U.S. and Canada earlier this month remain a source of intrigue² in Washington, although President Biden has ruled out espionage³.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The intelligence community's current assessment⁴ is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research.

FADEL: Scientists use balloons for a lot of reasons. And as NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports, they're worried that people are getting the wrong idea.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE⁵: Angela Des Jardins is a physicist⁶ at Montana State University in Bozeman, west of where the Chinese balloon was first spotted⁷ by the public.

ANGELA DES JARDINS: It was over Billings, which is a couple of hours east of here. So, no, I didn't actually see it.

BRUMFIEL: But she's seen plenty of others. Since 2001, students at Montana State University have been launching balloons to the upper edge of the atmosphere.

DES JARDINS: Up at that high, it's almost like the vacuum of space. It's cold. So you can test a lot of things and give, you know, budding engineers and scientists the experience.

BRUMFIEL: Of what it's like to build equipment for satellites and spacecraft. The balloons launched by Des Jardins' students are typically a lot smaller than the one flown by China. But she doesn't think that matters.

DES JARDINS: Especially once they shot down the Chinese balloon, we pretty quickly realized that this was going to have an impact on our community.

BRUMFIEL: Student balloon launches have, in the past been peaceful, festive⁸ affairs.

DES JARDINS: Student groups would get together and a lot of times they would invite other groups to come watch a balloon being launched. But now it's a little bit more of a sense of, oh, are the people watching, like, worried about this? Are they going to bring a gun and try and shoot down the balloon?

BRUMFIEL: She says that when her students launch balloons later this year, she expects to do a lot more outreach to locals in law enforcement to try and reassure⁹ them that the balloons are harmless. Education isn't the only thing balloons are used for. Gregory Guzik is a professor at Louisiana State University. He says scientists frequently fly experiments on balloons to study things like the sun, cosmic rays from deep space.

GREGORY GUZIK: Environmental studies, as well as climate change and other kinds of pollution - so it really covers a broad, broad range of activities.

BRUMFIEL: Guzik works with large, high-altitude balloons that from a distance look a lot like the Chinese balloon. He's not too worried about getting shot down. They carry radio beacons¹⁰ that let everyone know they're not a threat.

GUZIK: All of our balloons have transponders. We know where they are.

BRUMFIEL: But Guzik says he is worried that the Chinese balloon may make it more difficult for other balloons to fly. For example, his balloons usually launch from a small town in New Mexico near a sensitive government facility.

GUZIK: While we don't try, we do brush up against the White Sands missile test range there.

BRUMFIEL: In the past, it hasn't been a big deal if a balloon drifts near. They notify White Sands and the balloon bobs by at an altitude far above airplanes and other stuff. But Guzik worries that fears about spying could change the rules, making it harder for peaceful balloons to fly. He says right now, the conversation is too focused on the military threat from balloons.

GUZIK: This other side of the story - the useful, practical ballooning that helps students, helps technology, and our better understanding of the universe - really needs to get out there.

BRUMFIEL: Remember, he says, if you look up and see a balloon floating by, the chances are it's doing something good for the world.

Geoff Brumfiel, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

3 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

7 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

8 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

9 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

10 beacons   

灯塔( beacon的名词复数 )； 烽火； 指路明灯； 无线电台或发射台

参考例句：

• A chain of beacons was lit across the region. 整个地区点起了一系列灯塔。
• Lighthouse and beacons flash at night. 晚上灯塔与信号台闪着光。