Name: 巨型激光器如何清除太空垃圾 (How giant lasers could get rid of space trash)
Uploaded: 2025-06-19T17:00:27.000Z
Duration: 9 min 31 s

Humans are filling up the space around Earth with trash.

人類正在用垃圾填滿地球周圍的空間。

關係子句

Decades of space exploration that began with a single satellite launch in 1957 have left discarded rocket bodies, mission-related debris, and thousands of satellites, many of them long abandoned and no longer functional, crisscrossing at high speeds just above Earth's atmosphere.

數十年的太空探索始於 1957 年的一次衛星發射，留下了廢棄的火箭機體、與任務相關的碎片和數千顆衛星，其中許多早已被遺棄，無法再發揮作用，它們在地球大氣層上空高速交錯。

副詞型分詞構句

And with a booming space industry launching more objects into orbit than ever before, this crowding is steadily increasing the probability of catastrophic in-orbit collisions.

隨著航天工業的蓬勃發展，比以往任何時候都有更多的物體被送入軌道，這種擁擠現象正在逐步增加發生災難性在軌碰撞的概率。

Scientists worry that a runaway chain reaction of collisions and fragmentation could one day fill Earth's orbit with so much debris that space will become unusable to humans.

科學家們擔心，碰撞和碎裂的失控連鎖反應有朝一日會使地球軌道充滿大量碎片，以至於人類無法利用太空。

It's why the world's leading space agencies and some for-profit companies are working on big ideas to fix our space debris problem.

正因為如此，世界領先的航天機構和一些營利性公司正在研究解決太空碎片問題的好辦法。

From trash-collecting spacecraft armed with harpoons and nets to a giant cloud of metal dust.

從攜帶魚叉和漁網的垃圾收集飛船，到巨大的金屬塵埃雲。

And there's one solution that's been proposed for years to halt these dangerous bits of garbage in their tracks.

多年來，人們一直在提出一個解決方案，來阻止這些危險的垃圾。

Lasers. Because if we get creative and start addressing this problem right now, we can still fix it before it's too late.

脈衝光。因為如果我們發揮創意，現在就開始解決這個問題，我們還能在為時已晚之前解決它。

The vast majority of human-made objects surrounding Earth are here in a region called low-Earth orbit.

地球周圍的絕大多數人造物體都位於一個叫做低地軌道的區域。

It's where we have communication satellites, plus spacecraft like the International Space Station, and our massive amount of space trash.

那裡有通信衛星、國際空間站等航天器和大量太空垃圾。

The more objects we put in space means more chances these objects smash into each other, break apart, and multiply.

我們在太空中放置的物體越多，就意味著這些物體相互碰撞、破裂和繁殖的機會越多。

And all it takes is a handful of fragmentation events to dramatically increase the total number of objects orbiting Earth.

只要發生幾次碎裂事件，繞地球運行的天體總數就會急劇增加。

Like in 2009, when a defunct Russian satellite accidentally collided with a commercial satellite, exploding into thousands of trackable fragments.

就像 2009 年，一顆已失效的俄羅斯衛星與一顆商業衛星意外相撞，爆炸成數以千計的可追蹤碎片。

And in 2007, when China intentionally destroyed one of its own satellites in a weapons test, which also resulted in tens of thousands of fragments of varying sizes of debris.

2007 年，中國在一次武器試驗中故意摧毀了自己的一顆衛星，也造成了數以萬計大小不一的碎片。

A theoretical cascade effect called the Kessler Syndrome, introduced in the 1970s, warned that if enough incidents like these occur, the fragments of debris they create could trigger an uncontrollable number of catastrophic collisions, exponentially increasing the field of debris around Earth.

20 世紀 70 年代提出的一種名為 "凱斯勒綜合症 "的理論級聯效應警告說，如果發生足夠多的類似事件，它們所產生的碎片可能會引發數量無法控制的災難性碰撞，使地球周圍的碎片場呈指數級增長。

But we can still fix this before it's too late, and there's a few ways it could happen.

但我們仍然可以在為時已晚之前解決這個問題，有幾種方法可以做到這一點。

The way to get rid of most space debris is to slow it down enough to fall out of orbit and into Earth's atmosphere, where it burns up and is destroyed.

清除大部分太空碎片的方法是讓碎片減速，使其脫離軌道，墜入地球大氣層，在那裡燃燒並銷燬。

But different-sized space junk requires different approaches to do this.

但不同大小的太空垃圾需要不同的方法來實現這一目標。

The biggest bits of space debris measure more than 10 centimeters in size.

最大的空間碎片大小超過 10 釐米。

This includes dead satellites, rocket bodies, and big pieces of debris created during space missions.

其中包括死亡的衛星、火箭軀體和太空任務中產生的大塊碎片。

These are large enough to be tracked from Earth, and scientists are developing tiny spacecraft that can reach these objects and slow them down, using various methods to either push or pull them, guiding them down to Earth's atmosphere to be destroyed.

科學家們正在開發能夠到達這些物體並減緩其速度的微型航天器，利用各種方法或推或拉，引導它們降落到地球大氣層中，將其摧毀。

Commercial companies like Europe's ClearSpace and Japan's Astroscale are working with global space agencies on this tech, hoping to demonstrate the removal of large debris sometime in the next decade.

歐洲的 ClearSpace 公司和日本的 Astroscale 公司等商業公司正與全球航天機構合作研究這項技術，希望在未來十年的某個時候展示清除大型碎片的能力。

The two smaller classifications of space debris mostly come from fragmentation events, like explosions and collisions.

這兩類較小的空間碎片大多來自爆炸和碰撞等碎片事件。

Their numbers are estimates, because we still don't have the technology in place to reliably track debris below 10 centimeters in size.

他們的數字是估計值，因為我們還沒有可靠跟蹤 10 釐米以下碎片的技術。

The tiniest pieces include flecks of paint and metal that, even at a fraction of a millimeter in size, regularly cause minor damage to spacecraft.

最微小的碎片包括油漆和金屬碎屑，即使只有幾毫米大小，也會經常對航天器造成輕微損壞。

So far, scientists have proposed two main ideas to remove these.

迄今為止，科學家們已經提出了兩種主要的消除思路。

One, a physical sweeper placed in orbit that could catch or slow them down enough to deorbit them.

其一，在軌道上放置一個物理清掃器，可以捕捉它們或使它們減速到足以脫離軌道。

But this approach for removal, at least as far as NASA's concerned, is too expensive to even consider.

但是，至少在美國國家航空航天局看來，這種移除方法成本太高，甚至連考慮都不可能。

The other, more cost-effective solution would be to release a cloud of tungsten dust on top of the debris, which would coat the objects and weigh them down, dragging them into Earth's atmosphere to be destroyed.

另一個更具成本效益的解決方案是在碎片上方釋放一團鎢塵，鎢塵會包裹住這些物體並使其變重，將其拖入地球大氣層摧毀。

On the other hand, dumping a 20-ton cloud of heavy metal dust into Earth's orbit could end up contributing to the pollution of space.

另一方面，向地球軌道傾倒 20 噸重的重金屬塵埃雲最終可能會造成太空汙染。

As of right now, the sweeper and tungsten dust ideas probably aren't practical solutions.

從目前來看，掃地機和鎢粉塵的想法可能並不實用。

But there's another option for this class of space debris in the middle.

不過，對於中間的這一類空間碎片，還有另一種選擇。

It presents a unique problem, because at 1 to 10 centimeters, this debris is too small to track, but big enough to do serious damage.

它帶來了一個獨特的問題，因為這些碎片只有 1 到 10 釐米，小到無法追蹤，大到足以造成嚴重破壞。

Just one fragment, even 1 centimeter in size, moving at an average speed of 7 kilometers per second, is powerful enough to knock out a satellite.

只要有一個碎片，哪怕只有 1 釐米大小，以平均每秒 7 公里的速度移動，其威力就足以擊毀一顆衛星。

Analysis from NASA shows that focusing on this range of debris would be highly effective in managing the space debris problem as a whole.

美國國家航空航天局（NASA）的分析表明，將重點放在這一系列碎片上，對管理整個空間碎片問題非常有效。

Lasers can direct a beam of energy and apply force to an object without ever making physical contact.

脈衝光可以在不發生物理接觸的情況下，向物體發射一束能量並施加作用力。

They could be used to nudge a fast-moving piece of small debris and disrupt its orbit, either knocking it into higher, less-crowded levels of orbit, or lowering it into Earth's atmosphere to be destroyed.

它們可以用來推移快速移動的小碎片，擾亂其軌道，或者將其推入較高、較不擁擠的軌道，或者將其降至地球大氣層摧毀。

This method is sometimes referred to as a laser broom.

這種方法有時被稱為脈衝光掃帚。

A ground-based laser system was proposed by NASA's Project Orion in 1996.

1996 年，美國國家航空航天局的獵戶座項目提出了一個地面脈衝光系統。

And according to NASA's 2023 Cost and Benefit Analysis of Space Debris Removal Methods, a ground- or space-based laser system would be the most cost-effective way to remove this class of 1 to 10-centimeter-sized debris.

根據美國國家航空航天局（NASA）《2023 年空間碎片清除方法成本與效益分析》，地面或天基脈衝光系統將是清除這類 1 至 10 釐米大小碎片的最具成本效益的方法。

But historically, not everyone has loved this idea.

但從歷史上看，並不是每個人都喜歡這個想法。

People were resistant to the idea of lasers in space because all the spy satellites were worried they might get blinded.

人們對在太空中使用脈衝光的想法很牴觸，因為所有的間諜衛星都擔心自己會失明。

Claude Phipps was a part of Project Orion back in the 90s, and is who originally proposed this idea in the U.S. to deal with space debris using lasers.

克勞德-菲普斯是上世紀 90 年代 "獵戶座計劃 "的參與者之一，也是美國最初提出利用脈衝光處理太空碎片這一想法的人。

A ground-based laser for debris removal would basically work like this.

用於清除碎片的地基激光器基本上是這樣工作的。

First, a radar system would detect a small piece of debris coming over the horizon and lock onto its position.

首先，雷達系統會探測到一小塊從地平線上飛來的碎片，並鎖定其位置。

Because while these objects are too small to track when out of sight, they can be sufficiently tracked as they shoot across the sky long enough to aim the telescope that focuses the laser and fire a near-instantaneous pulse of energy through the atmosphere with remarkable precision.

因為雖然這些物體太小，在看不見的時候無法跟蹤，但當它們劃過天空的時間足夠長時，就可以對它們進行充分的跟蹤，從而瞄準聚焦脈衝光的望遠鏡，並以極高的精度在大氣層中發射近乎瞬時的能量脈衝。

A space-based laser would work similarly, with a couple key differences.

天基激光器的工作原理與此類似，但有幾個主要區別。

One advantage of being in orbit is that these lasers would have a more favorable angle to shoot debris downward into Earth's atmosphere.

在軌道上的一個優勢是，這些激光器將有一個更有利的角度將碎片向下射入地球大氣層。

And they wouldn't need to correct for Earth's atmosphere or long distances when aiming, like a ground-based system would.

而且，它們無需像地面系統那樣，在瞄準時對地球大氣層或長距離進行校正。

Making a space-based solution potentially more efficient.

使天基解決方案可能更加高效。

But being in space, it wouldn't have access to Earth's power grid and would be much more difficult to maintain.

但在太空中，它無法使用地球的電網，維護起來會更加困難。

The laser on the ground is going to be cheaper.

If you're on the ground, you're having to shoot it this way.

如果你在地面上，就必須這樣射擊。

Whereas in space, you can see it everywhere, you know.

而在太空中，你可以看到它無處不在，你知道的。

And hundreds of thousands of these things are available when you're in orbit.

當你在軌道上時，成千上萬的這些東西都可以使用。

Shoot this one, shoot that one, shoot the other one as often as you want.

想拍這張就拍那張，想拍另一張就拍另一張。

That same NASA cost-and-benefit report suggested that a laser system could be highly effective for dealing with large debris, too, by nudging the debris out of the way of a spacecraft's orbit when an incoming collision is detected.

美國國家航空航天局（NASA）的同一份成本效益報告指出，脈衝光系統也可以非常有效地處理大型碎片，在檢測到碰撞來襲時，將碎片推離航天器軌道。

This method would be more cost-effective than sending spacecraft to retrieve the debris and potentially safer than dragging it back into Earth's atmosphere, since especially large pieces of debris aren't guaranteed to be destroyed and could pose a threat to people on the ground.

這種方法比派遣航天器回收碎片更具成本效益，而且可能比將碎片拖回地球大氣層更安全，因為特別大的碎片並不能保證被摧毀，而且可能對地面上的人構成威脅。

Claude told me that we have the technology now to develop ground- and space-based lasers to fight space debris.

克勞德告訴我，我們現在已經擁有了開發地基和天基激光器來對付空間碎片的技術。

But there's one big thing that's standing in the way.

It's not a question of knowing what to do.

這不是一個知道該怎麼做的問題。

It's a question of people committing to it.

There are a couple commercial companies around the world working on it.

世界上有幾家商業公司正在進行這項工作。

And we may not be so far away from a future where ground- and space-based laser systems are sweeping the night sky of space debris.

在未來，地面和太空脈衝光系統將掃除夜空中的太空碎片，而這一切離我們也許並不遙遠。

There's one more problem we need to confront before we start cleaning up space, though.

不過，在開始清理空間之前，我們還需要面對一個問題。

Right now, international space law forbids anybody from touching an object in space that it didn't launch.

目前，國際太空法禁止任何人觸碰並非由其發射的太空物體。

So even if a Japanese company like X-Fusion or NASA do develop a laser broom, they couldn't use it on a dead Russian satellite, for example.

是以，即使像 X-Fusion 這樣的日本公司或美國國家航空航天局（NASA）真的開發出了脈衝光掃帚，他們也無法將其用於俄羅斯的死衛星等。

Cleaning up this mess is going to require an international effort and cooperation from commercial actors like SpaceX.

要收拾這個爛攤子，需要國際社會的努力，也需要像 SpaceX 這樣的商業機構的合作。

But removing what's up there isn't the only way to deal with the problem.

但拆除上面的東西並不是解決問題的唯一辦法。

The European Space Agency's Zero Debris Charter, announced in June 2023, emphasizes mitigation of space debris, preventing the creation of new debris going forward, by committing to things like designing satellites that re-enter Earth's atmosphere on their own after completing their missions, instead of sitting in space as trash.

歐洲航天局於2023年6月宣佈了《零碎片憲章》，該憲章強調減緩空間碎片，防止產生新的碎片，具體做法是致力於設計能在完成任務後自行返回地球大氣層的衛星，而不是像垃圾一樣留在太空中。

In the U.S., the FCC introduced a new five-year rule in September 2022 that said U.S.-based spacecraft put into low-Earth orbit must de-orbit themselves within five years of mission's end.

在美國，聯邦通信委員會於 2022 年 9 月出臺了一項新的五年規則，規定進入低地軌道的美國航天器必須在任務結束後五年內自行脫軌。

Efforts like these are just the beginning.

But a combination of remediation and mitigation efforts is projected to make serious progress in battling our space debris problem.

但是，預計補救和減緩努力相結合，將在解決空間碎片問題方面取得重大進展。

If everyone using space as a resource can change their habit of littering before it's too late.

如果每個利用空間作為資源的人都能趁早改掉亂扔垃圾的習慣。

Before you go, we have something we're excited to share with you.

在你們離開之前，我們很高興與你們分享一些東西。

It's a special video coming out in March for members of our Vox Contributions Program.

這是三月份為我們的 Vox 捐款計劃成員製作的特別視頻。

The Vox Contributions Program helps fund our journalism through direct support from viewers like you.

Vox 捐助計劃通過像您這樣的觀眾的直接支持，為我們的新聞報道提供資金。

As a thank you to our recurring contributors, our video team put together an exclusive video tutorial in which our art director, Joey, will walk you through the process of making the classic Vox document highlight animation.

為了感謝我們的長期貢獻者，我們的視頻團隊製作了一個獨家視頻教程，我們的藝術總監喬伊將帶您瞭解製作經典 Vox 文檔高亮動畫的過程。

Head over to vox.com slash give now to become a contributor, and keep an eye out for that video in the coming weeks.

現在就登錄 vox.com slash give 成為撰稿人，並在未來幾周內關注該視頻。