美国国家公共电台 NPR After Nine Years In Orbit, Kepler Telescope Leaves A Legacy Of Discovery

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

This is Lulu's log, stardate November 4, 2018, where we consider matters of space, the stars and the universe.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: When looking up at the stars, it's hard not to wonder what else or even who else could be out there. It wasn't until about a decade ago that we were able to locate and identify the distant planets of our dreams. Since 2009, NASA has discovered more than 2,600 planets thanks to the Kepler space telescope. Last week, after nearly a decade of hunting for new planets, the Kepler finally ran out of fuel. Joining us today to talk about the legacy¹ of the Kepler Mission is NASA's Charlie Sobeck, a former manager of the mission. Welcome to the program.

CHARLIE SOBECK: Thank you very much. Pleased to be here.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What do you think will be remembered as Kepler's greatest discoveries?

SOBECK: I think the biggest thing that's going to be remembered from Kepler is not any specific planet. But the legacy's really going to be that planets are out there everywhere. I mean, the "Star Trek²" franchise³ has been going on for 50 years now.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).

SOBECK: I had no problems believing starships could go from one place to another, and planets were going to be everywhere. Kepler really affected⁴ me when we found them all. There's a big difference between knowing and believing. And I think that's what Kepler's legacy is going to be. We finally know that planets are everywhere out there. And now we're going to go and find out more about them.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Are you sad?

SOBECK: Not really - I mean, we saw the end coming. We knew it was going to happen. We - this is not an accident like getting struck by a meteorite⁵ or having an engine fail or something. We ran out of gas. We knew we were going to be running out of gas. So it's kind of sad that it's all over, but by no means am I unhappy. This was a tremendous mission.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. Now that Kepler's done, NASA plans to continue the hunt for new planets with TESS, the Transiting⁶ Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which is a bit of a mouthful. And that was launched earlier this year. How will it continue the work of Kepler?

SOBECK: So the way I look at it is Kepler was launched to answer the question, are there other planets out there? And it came back with a resounding⁷ yes. But we were looking, you know, a thousand, 3,000 light years away. TESS is going to now say, now that we know that planets are everywhere, we're going to go ahead and make the investment. And we're going to look at all our near neighbors - basically, every star within a hundred light years of Earth - and look for planets.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Since this is a kind of obit for Kepler, how do you think it should be remembered?

SOBECK: I think it should be remembered as the opening salvo in this ongoing⁸ investigation⁹. You know, it's a series of stepping stones to answer the question, are we alone? And without this mission, we wouldn't have done TESS. We wouldn't have been looking for planetary atmospheres. So Kepler really opened the door to a new investigation path.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: NASA's Charlie Sobeck, former manager of the Kepler space telescope mission. Thank you so much for joining me.

SOBECK: You're welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF TYCHO'S "AWAKE")

1 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

2 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

3 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 meteorite   

n.陨石；流星

参考例句：

• The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
• The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。

6 transiting   

通过（transit的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• The effect of the transiting mechanic required reserve system vehicle is low. 准备金制度的传导机制的作用是很低的。
• I was busy transiting to the telescope. 我正忙着旋转望远镜。

7 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。