two,

兩個。

one,

一。

zero, ignition. [Engine sounds]

零，點火。[發動機聲音]

-Rocket launches today are a pretty routine venture, whether it’s sending astronauts

-今天的火箭發射是一個相當常規的冒險，無論是發送太空人

to the ISS or launching expensive satellites.

到國際空間站或發射昂貴的衛星。

And for the past 70 years, some of our most inspiring missions, from NASA’s Apollo

而在過去的70年裡，我們一些最鼓舞人心的任務，從美國宇航局的阿波羅號

program to SpaceX’s Demo-2, have launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

在SpaceX的Demo-2項目中，已經從佛羅里達州的卡納維拉爾角發射。

But what’s so special about this location?

但這個地方有什麼特別之處？

Cape Canaveral sits off the east coast of Florida, roughly 3,200 kilometers from the

卡納維拉爾角位於佛羅里達州的東海岸，距離佛羅里達州約3,200公里。

equator.

赤道。

This location is the perfect staging ground for rocket launches, as it provides a speed

這個地點是火箭發射的完美集結地，因為它提供了一個快速的

boost and energy savings for our launches.

為我們的發射提供動力並節省能源。

You see, as the Earth rotates it naturally generates kinetic energy, rotating slowest

你看，當地球旋轉時，它自然會產生動能，旋轉最慢的是

at the poles and fastest near the equator.

在兩極，在赤道附近最快。

This means that during launch, a rocket gets a generous speed boost assisted by the natural

這意味著，在發射過程中，火箭在自然界的幫助下得到了一個慷慨的速度提升。

rotation of the planet.

地球的旋轉。

But one of the most consistent hurdles we face when sending rockets to space is actually

但在將火箭送入太空時，我們面臨的最一致的障礙之一實際上是

reaching a high enough speed to enter orbit…over 40,000 kilometers per hour, specifically.

達到足夠高的速度進入軌道......具體而言，超過每小時4萬公里。

We call this speed the escape velocity.

我們把這個速度稱為逃逸速度。

Basically, it takes a lot of energy to propel a rocket with enough force to overcome Earth’s

基本上，需要大量的能量來推動火箭，使其有足夠的力量克服地球的阻力。

gravitational pull.

引力。

But what’s really interesting is that the energy required to achieve escape velocity

但真正有趣的是，達到逃逸速度所需的能量

changes based on where you are on Earth.

根據你在地球上的位置而變化。

So depending on how close the launch is to the equator, the greater the speed boost it’ll

是以，取決於發射距離赤道有多近，它的速度提升就越大。

get from Earth's natural rotation.

從地球的自然旋轉中獲得。

Because it's located about 28.5 degrees north of the equator, achieving escape velocity

因為它位於赤道以北約28.5度，達到逃逸速度

from the Cape takes roughly 0.3% less energy compared to launch facilities at higher latitude

與高緯度地區的發射設施相比，從海角發射的能量大約減少0.3%。

locations.

地點。

And I get it, that doesn’t sound like much at all.

我明白了，這聽起來根本就不算什麼。

But these small wins really do have big impacts on the mission planning process.

但這些小勝利確實對任務規劃過程產生了很大的影響。

The speed boost allows for the use of less on-board fuel, which converts to cost savings

速度提升允許使用更少的機載燃料，從而節省成本

that can help us carry bigger mission payloads.

這可以幫助我們攜帶更大的任務有效載荷。

So much so that the Saturn V, NASA’s heaviest rocket, launched from the Cape!

以至於美國宇航局最重的火箭--土星五號在海角發射!

Another factor that makes the Cape ideal is its favorable Azimuth Limitations.

使海角成為理想之地的另一個因素是其有利的方位角限制。

Simply put, this is the direction the rocket travels along the horizontal plane after launch.

簡單地說，這就是火箭在發射後沿水平面飛行的方向。

Lying between roughly 35 and 120 degrees, the Cape’s Azimuth limits provide a clear

海角的方位角大約位於35度和120度之間，提供了一個明確的方向。

path towards the Atlantic Ocean that does not loom over populated areas.

駛向大西洋的路徑不會掠過人口稠密地區。

This makes the launch safer in the case of rocket failure or falling debris.

這使得在火箭失敗或碎片墜落的情況下，發射更加安全。

But the East Coast isn’t the only place the U.S. launches rockets from.

但東海岸並不是美國發射火箭的唯一地點。

There are active launch facilities located along the West Coast such as Vandenberg in

沿著西海岸有一些活躍的發射設施，如位於美國西海岸的范登堡。

California and the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska.

加利福尼亞州和阿拉斯加的太平洋太空港綜合體。

The disadvantage here is that as the Earth spins from West to East, any rocket launched

這裡的缺點是，由於地球從西向東旋轉，任何發射的火箭

in the westward direction would have to have extra fuel on board to overcome the natural

在西行方向上，必須有額外的燃料在船上，以克服天然的

spin of the Earth.

地球的旋轉。

And missions that launch from the West Coast are ideal for Earth-observing satellites that

而從西海岸發射的任務是地球觀測衛星的理想選擇。

need to monitor the same location at the same time each day.

需要每天在同一時間監測同一地點。

That’s because these satellites need to gather consistent data on things like the

這是因為這些衛星需要收集一致的數據，如

weather, animal migration, or even environmental disasters.

天氣、動物遷徙，甚至是環境災難。

One such satellite is the global ocean observing satellite JPSS that I helped fly with NOAA.

其中一顆衛星是全球海洋觀測衛星JPSS，我曾在NOAA幫助飛行。

But I believe it’s important

但我相信這很重要

to be conscious when making decisions for new locations

在為新的地點做決定時，要有自覺性。

no matter where they are and

無論他們身在何處，以及

how they may impact our home planet.

它們如何影響我們的地球家園。

And personally have high hopes that an effective solution will be found as we continue to explore

而我個人也對在繼續探索中找到有效的解決方案寄予厚望

our universe.

我們的宇宙。

So we could only cover a few spaceports in the episode, but we wanted to know would

所以我們只能在這一集裡介紹幾個太空港，但我們想知道會不會

you be interested in us covering other countries' spaceports?

你對我們報道其他國家的太空港感興趣嗎？

Let us know in the comments below.

請在下面的評論中告訴我們。

Make sure to subscribe and thanks for watching.

請務必訂閱，並感謝您的觀看。