pale blue dot -carl sagan-第34节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


hat　float；　out　of　metals　which　sink。　。　。　how　much　more　credible　is　it　that　God；　by　some　hidden　mode　of　operation；　should　even　more　certainly　effect　that　these　earthly　masses　be　emancipated〃　from　the　chains　that　bind　them　to　Earth？　That　humans　should　one　day　discover　such　a　〃mode　of　operation〃　was　beyond　imagining。　Fifteen　hundred　years　later；　we　emancipated　ourselves。

The　achievement　elicited　an　amalgam　of　awe　and　concern。　Some　remembered　the　story　of　the　Tower　of　Babel。　Some；　orthodox　Moslems　among　them；　felt　setting　foot　on　the　Moon's　surface　to　be　impudence　and　sacrilege。　Many　greeted　it　as　a　turning　point　in　history。

The　Moon　is　no　longer　unattainable。　A　dozen　humans；　all　Americans；　have　made　those　odd　bounding　motions　they　called　〃moonwalks〃　on　the　crunchy；　cratered；　ancient　gray　lava—beginning　on　that　July　day　in　1969。　But　since　1972；　no　one　from　any　nation　has　ventured　back。　Indeed；　none　of　us　has　gone　anywhere　since　the　glory　days　of　Apollo　except　into　low　Earth　orbit—like　a　toddler　who　takes　a　few　tentative　steps　outward　and　then；　breathless；　retreats　to　the　safety　of　his　mother's　skirts。

Once　upon　a　time；　we　soared　into　the　Solar　System。　For　a　few　years。　Then　we　hurried　back。　Why？　What　happened？　What　was　Apollo　really　about？

The　scope　and　audacity　of　John　Kennedy's　May　25；　1961　message　to　a　joint　session　of　Congress　on　〃Urgent　National　Needs〃—the　speech　that　launched　the　Apollo　program—dazzled　me。　We　would　use　rockets　not　yet　designed　and　alloys　not　yet　conceived；　navigation　and　docking　schemes　not　yet　devised；　in　order　to　send　a　man　to　an　unknown　world—a　world　not　yet　explored；　not　even　in　a　preliminary　way；　not　even　by　robots—and　we　would　bring　him　safely　back；　and　we　would　do　it　before　the　decade　was　over。　This　confident　pronouncement　was　made　before　any　American　had　even　achieved　Earth　orbit。

As　a　newly　minted　Ph。D。；　I　actually　thought　all　this　had　something　centrally　to　do　with　science。　But　the　President　did　not　talk　about　discovering　the　origin　of　the　Moon；　or　even　about　bringing　samples　of　it　back　for　study。　All　he　seemed　to　be　interested　in　was　sending　someone　there　and　bringing　him　home。　It　was　a　kind　of　gesture。　Kennedy's　science　advisor；　Jerome　Wiesner；　later　told　me　he　had　made　a　deal　with　the　President：　If　Kennedy　would　not　claim　that　Apollo　was　about　science；　then　he。　Wiesner；　would　support　it。　So　if　not　science；　what？

The　Apollo　program　is　really　about　politics；　others　told　me。　This　sounded　more　promising。　Nonaligned　nations　would　be　tempted　to　drift　toward　the　Soviet　Union　if　it　was　ahead　in　space　exploration；　if　the　United　States　showed　insufficient　〃national　vigor。〃　I　didn't　follow。　Here　was　the　United　States；　ahead　of　the　Soviet　Union　in　virtually　every　area　of　technology—the　world's　economic；　military；　and；　on　occasion；　even　moral　leader—and　Indonesia　would　go　munist　because　Yuri　Gagarin　beat　John　Glenn　to　Earth　orbit？　What's　so　special　about　space　technology？　Suddenly　I　understood。

Sending　people　to　orbit　the　Earth　or　robots　to　orbit　the　Sun　requires　rockets—big；　reliable；　powerful　rockets。　Those　same　rockets　can　be　used　for　nuclear　war。　The　same　technology　that　transports　a　man　to　the　Moon　can　carry　nuclear　warheads　halfway　around　the　world。　The　same　technology　that　puts　an　astronomer　and　a　telescope　in　Earth　orbit　can　also　put　up　a　laser　〃battle　station。〃　Even　back　then；　there　was　fanciful　talk　in　military　circles；　East　and　West；　about　space　as　the　new　〃high　ground；〃　about　the　nation　that　〃controlled〃　space　〃controlling〃　the　Earth。　Of　course　strategic　rockets　were　already　being　tested　on　Earth。　But　heaving　a　ballistic　missile　with　a　dummy　warhead　into　a　target　zone　in　the　middle　of　the　Pacific　Ocean　doesn't　buy　much　glory。　Sending　people　into　space　captures　the　attention　and　Imagination　of　the　world。

You　wouldn't　spend　the　money　to　launch　astronauts　for　this　reason　alone；　but　of　all　the　ways　of　demonstrating　rocket　potency；　this　one　works　best。　It　was　a　rite　of　national　manhood；　the　shape　of　the　boosters　made　this　point　readily　understood　without　anyone　actually　having　to　explain　it。　The　munication　seemed　to　be　transmitted　from　unconscious　mind　to　unconscious　mind　without　the　higher　mental　faculties　catching　a　whiff　of　what　was　going　on。

My　colleagues　today—struggling　for　every　space　science　dollar—may　have　forgotten　how　easy　it　was　to　get　money　for　〃space〃　in　the　glory　days　of　Apollo　and　just　before。　Of　many　examples；　consider　this　exchange　before　the　Defense　Appropriations　Submittee　of　the　House　of　Representatives　in　1958；　only　a　few　months　after　Sputnik　1。　Air　Force　Assistant　Secretary　Richard　E。　Horner　is　testifying；　his　interlocutor　is　Rep。　Daniel　J。　Flood　（Democrat　of　Pennsylvania）：

　

HORNER：　＇W＇hy　is　it　desirable　from　the　military　point　of　view　to　have　a　man　on　the　moon？　Partly；　from　the　classic　point　of　view；　because　it　is　there。　Partly　because　we　might　be　afraid　that　the　U。S。S。R。　might　get　one　there　first　and　realize　advantages　which　we　had　not　anticipated　existed　there　。　。　。

FLOOD：　＇I＇f　we　gave　you　all　the　money　you　said　was　necessary；　regardless　of　how　much　it　was；　can　you　in　the　Air　Force　hit　the　moon　with　something；　anything；　before　Christmas？

HORNER：　I　feel　sure　we　can。　There　is　always　a　certain　amount　of　risk　in　this　kind　of　undertaking；　but　we　feel　that　we　can　do　that；　yes；　sir。

FLOOD：　Have　you　asked　anybody　in　the　Air　Force　or　the　Department　of　Defense　to　give　you　enough　money；

hardware；　and　people；　starting　at　midnight　tonight；　to　chip　a。　piece　out　of　that　ball　of　green　cheese　for　a　Christmas　present　to　Uncle　Sam？　Have　you　asked　for　that？

HORNER：　We　have　submitted　such　a　program　to　the　Office　of　the　Secretary　of　Defense。　It　is　currently　under　consideration。

FLOOD：　I　am　for　giving　it　to　them　as　of　this　minute；　Mr。　Chairman；　with　our　supplemental；　without　waiting　for　somebody　downtown　to　make　up　his　mind　to　ask　for　it。　If　this　man　means　what　he　says　and　if　he　knows　what　he　is　talking　about—and　I　think　he　does—then　this　mittee　should　not　wait　five　minutes　more　today。　We　should　give　him　all　the　money　and　all　the　hardware　and　all　the　people　he　wants；　regardless　of　what　anybody　else　says　or　wants；　and　tell　him　to　go　up　on　top　of　some　hill　and　do　it　without　any　question。

When　President　Kennedy　formulated　the　Apollo　program；　the　Defense　Department　had　a　slew　of　space　projects　under　development—ways　of　carrying　military　personnel　up　into　space；　means　of　conveying　them　around　the　Earth；　robot　weapons　on　orbiting　platforms　intended　to　shoot　down　satellites　and　ballistic　missiles　of　other　nations。　Apollo　supplanted　these　programs。　They　never　reached　operational　status。　A　case　can　be　made　then　that　Apollo　served　another　purpose—to　move　the　U。S。—Soviet　space　petition　from　a　military　to　a　civilian　arena。　There　are　some　who　believe　that　Kennedy　intended　Apollo　as　a　substitute　for　an　anus　race　in　space。　Maybe。

For　me；　the　most　ironic　token　of　that　moment　in　history　is　the　plaque　signed　by　President　Richard　M。　Nixon　that　Apollo　11　took　to　the　Moon。　It　reads：　〃We　came　in　peace　for　all　mankind。〃　As　the　United　States　was　dropping　7？　megatons　of　conventional　explosives　on　small　nations　in　Southeast　Asia；　we　congratulated　ourselves　on　our　humanity：　We　would　harm　no　one　on　a　lifeless　rock。　That　plaque　is　there　still；　attached　to　the　base　of　the　Apollo　11　Lunar　Module；　on　the　airless　desolation　of　the　Sea　of　Tranquility。　If　no　one　disturbs　it；　it　will　still　be　readable　a　million　years　from　now。

Six　more　missions　followed　Apollo　11；　all　but　one　of　which　successfully　landed　on　the　lunar　surface。　Apollo　17　was　the　first　to　carry　a　scientist。　As　soon　as　he　got　there；　the　program　was　canceled。　The　first　scientist　and　the　last　human　to　land　on　the　Moon　were　the　same　person。　The　program　had　already　served　its　purpose　that　July　night　in　1969。　The　half…dozen　subsequent　missions　were　just　momentum。

Apollo　was　not　mainly　about　science。　It　was　not　even　mainly　about　space。　Apollo　was　about　ideological　confrontation　and　nuclear　war—often　described　by　such　euphemisms　as　world　〃leadership〃　and　national　〃prestige。〃　Nevertheless；　good　space　science　was　done。　We　now　know　much　more　about　the　position；　age；　and　history　of　the　Moon　and　the　origin　of　the　lunar　landforms。　We　have　made　progress　in　understanding　where　the　Moon　came　from。　Some　of　us　have　used　lunar　cratering　statistics　to　better　understand　the　Earth　at　the　time　of　the　origin　of　life。　But　more　important　than　any　of　this；　Apollo　provided　an　aegis；　an　umbrella　under　which　brilliantly　engineered　robot　spacecraft　were　dispatched　throughout　the　Solar　System；　making　that　preliminary　reconnaissance　of　dozens　of　worlds。　The　offspring　of　Apollo　have　now　reached　the　planetary　frontiers。

If　not　for　Apollo—and；　therefore；　if　not　for　the　political　purpose　it　served—I　doubt　whether　the　historic　American　expeditions　of　exploration　and　discovery　throughout　the　Solar　System　would　have　occurred；　The　Mariners；　Vikings；　Pioneers；　Voyagers　；and　Galileo　are　among　the　gifts　of　Apollo。　Magellan　and　Cassini　are　more　distant　descendants。　Something　similar　is　true　for　the　pioneering　Soviet　efforts　in　Solar　System　exploration；　including　the　first　soft　landings　of　robot　spacecraft—Luna　9；　Mars　3；　Venera　8…on　other　wo