by Ernst Stuhlinger 譯 / 辛獻(xiàn)云

神舟十號(hào)的成功發(fā)射舉世矚目，然而你可曾想過(guò)：我們?yōu)槭裁匆M(jìn)行太空探索？航天工程所耗費(fèi)的巨資花得又是否值得？如果你曾為這樣的問(wèn)題困惑，那么困惑的人并非只有你一個(gè)。1970年，贊比亞修女瑪麗·尤肯達(dá)（Sister Mary Jucunda）寫(xiě)信給時(shí)任美國(guó)航空航天局馬歇爾太空飛行中心科學(xué)副總監(jiān)的恩斯特·施圖林格博士（Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger），問(wèn)他何以提議花費(fèi)數(shù)十億美元用于太空探索，而不顧世界上還有許多兒童在忍受饑餓的事實(shí)。在下文的回信中，施圖林格用事實(shí)和道理闡述了太空探索的重要意義，展現(xiàn)了科學(xué)家的崇高理想與人文關(guān)懷。在大國(guó)不斷推動(dòng)太空探索的今天，愿我們以人類福祉為繩，不忘初衷。

May 6， 1970

Dear Sister Mary Jucunda，

Your letter was one of many which are reaching me every day， but it has touched me more deeply than all the others because it came so much from the depths of a searching mind and a compassionate heart. I will try to answer your question as best as I possibly can.

First， however， I would like to express my great admiration for you， and for all your many brave sisters， because you are dedicating your lives to the noblest cause of man： help for his fellowmen who are in need.

You asked in your letter how I could suggest the expenditures1） of billions of dollars for a voyage to Mars， at a time when many children on this Earth are starving to death. I know that you do not expect an answer such as “Oh， I did not know that there are children dying from hunger， but from now on I will desist2） from any kind of space research until mankind has solved that problem！” In fact， I have known of famined children long before I knew that a voyage to the planet Mars is technically feasible3）. However， I believe， like many of my friends， that travelling to the Moon and eventually to Mars and to other planets is a venture which we should undertake now， and I even believe that this project， in the long run， will contribute more to the solution of these grave problems we are facing here on Earth than many other potential projects of help which are debated and discussed year after year， and which are so extremely slow in yielding tangible results.

I believe that by working for the space program I can make some contribution to the relief and eventual solution of such grave problems as poverty and hunger on Earth. Basic to the hunger problem are two functions： the production of food and the distribution of food. Food production by agriculture， cattle ranching4）， ocean fishing and other large-scale operations is efficient in some parts of the world， but drastically5） deficient in many others. For example， large areas of land could be utilized far better if efficient methods of watershed control， fertilizer use， weather forecasting， fertility assessment， plantation programming， field selection， planting habits， timing of cultivation， crop survey and harvest planning were applied.

The best tool for the improvement of all these functions， undoubtedly， is the artificial Earth satellite. Circling the globe at a high altitude， it can screen wide areas of land within a short time； it can observe and measure a large variety of factors indicating the status and condition of crops， soil， droughts， rainfall， snow cover， etc.， and it can radio this information to ground stations for appropriate use. It has been estimated that even a modest system of Earth satellites equipped with Earth resources sensors， working within a program for worldwide agricultural improvements， will increase the yearly crops by an equivalent of many billions of dollars.

The distribution of the food to the needy is a completely different problem. The question is not so much one of shipping volume； it is one of international cooperation. The ruler of a small nation may feel very uneasy about the prospect of having large quantities of food shipped into his country by a large nation， simply because he fears that along with the food there may also be an import of influence and foreign power. Efficient relief from hunger， I am afraid， will not come before the boundaries between nations have become less divisive than they are today. I do not believe that space flight will accomplish this miracle over night. However， the space program is certainly among the most promising and powerful agents working in this direction.

Let me only remind you of the recent near-tragedy of Apollo 136）. When the time of the crucial reentry7） of the astronauts approached， the Soviet Union discontinued all Russian radio transmissions in the frequency bands8） used by the Apollo Project in order to avoid any possible interference， and Russian ships stationed themselves in the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans in case an emergency rescue would become necessary. Had the astronaut capsule touched down near a Russian ship， the Russians would undoubtedly have expended as much care and effort in their rescue as if Russian cosmonauts had returned from a space trip. If Russian space travelers should ever be in a similar emergency situation， Americans would do the same without any doubt.

Higher food production through survey and assessment from orbit， and better food distribution through improved international relations， are only two examples of how profoundly the space program will impact life on Earth. I would like to quote two other examples： stimulation of technological development， and generation of scientific knowledge.

The requirements for high precision and for extreme reliability which must be imposed upon the components of a moon-travelling spacecraft are entirely unprecedented in the history of engineering. The development of systems which meet these severe requirements has provided us a unique opportunity to find new material and methods， to invent better technical systems and manufacturing procedures， to lengthen the lifetimes of instruments， and even to discover new laws of nature.

All this newly acquired technical knowledge is also available for application to Earth-bound technologies. Every year， about a thousand technical innovations generated in the space program find their ways into our Earthly technology where they lead to better kitchen appliances and farm equipment， better ships and airplanes， better weather forecasting and storm warning， better communications， better medical instruments， better utensils9） and tools for everyday life. Presumably， you will ask now why we must develop first a life support system for our moon-travelling astronauts， before we can build a remote-reading sensor system for heart patients. The answer is simple： significant progress in the solutions of technical problems is frequently made not by a direct approach， but by first setting a goal of high challenge which offers a strong motivation for innovative work， which fires the imagination and spurs men to expend their best efforts， and which acts as a catalyst by including chains of other reactions. Spaceflight without any doubt is playing exactly this role.

Besides the need for new technologies， there is a continuing great need for new basic knowledge in the sciences if we wish to improve the conditions of human life on Earth. We need more knowledge in physics and chemistry， in biology and physiology， and very particularly in medicine to cope with all these problems which threaten mans life： hunger， disease， contamination of food and water， pollution of the environment.

We need more young men and women who choose science as a career and we need better support for those scientists who have the talent and the determination to engage in fruitful research work. Challenging research objectives must be available， and sufficient support for research projects must be provided. Again， the space program with its wonderful opportunities to engage in truly magnificent research studies of moons and planets， of physics and astronomy， of biology and medicine is an almost ideal catalyst which induces the reaction between the motivation for scientific work， opportunities to observe exciting phenomena of nature， and material support needed to carry out the research effort.

As a stimulant and catalyst for the development of new technologies， and for research in the basic sciences， it is unparalleled by any other activity. In this respect， we may even say that the space program is taking over a function which for three or four thousand years has been the sad prerogative10） of wars.

How much human suffering can be avoided if nations， instead of competing with their bomb-dropping fleets of airplanes and rockets， compete with their moon-travelling space ships！ This competition is full of promise for brilliant victories， but it leaves no room for the bitter fate of the vanquished， which breeds nothing but revenge and new wars.

Although our space program seems to lead us away from our Earth and out toward the moon， the sun， the planets， and the stars， I believe that none of these celestial11） objects will find as much attention and study by space scientists as our Earth. It will become a better Earth， not only because of all the new technological and scientific knowledge which we will apply to the betterment of life， but also because we are developing a far deeper appreciation of our Earth， of life， and of man.

The photograph which I enclose with this letter shows a view of our Earth as seen from Apollo 8 when it orbited the moon at Christmas， 1968. Of all the many wonderful results of the space program so far， this picture may be the most important one. It opened our eyes to the fact that our Earth is a beautiful and most precious island in an unlimited void， and that there is no other place for us to live but the thin surface layer of our planet， bordered by the bleak nothingness of space. Never before did so many people recognize how limited our Earth really is， and how perilous it would be to tamper with12） its ecological balance. Ever since this picture was first published， voices have become louder and louder warning of the grave problems that confront man in our times： pollution， hunger， poverty， urban living， food production， overpopulation. It is certainly not by accident that we begin to see the tremendous tasks waiting for us at a time when the young space age13） has provided us the first good look at our own planet.

Very fortunately though， the space age not only holds out a mirror in which we can see ourselves， it also provides us with the technologies， the challenge， the motivation， and even with the optimism to attack these tasks with confidence. What we learn in our space program， I believe， is fully supporting what Albert Schweitzer14） had in mind when he said： “I am looking at the future with concern， but with good hope.”

My very best wishes will always be with you， and with your children.

Very sincerely yours，

Ernst Stuhlinger

Associate Director for Science

1970年5月6日

親愛(ài)的瑪麗·尤肯達(dá)修女：

每天，我都會(huì)收到許多來(lái)信，您的信是其中之一。但您的來(lái)信給我的觸動(dòng)比其他所有來(lái)信都要深，因?yàn)樗鼇?lái)自一個(gè)飽含探索精神的心靈，一個(gè)充滿慈悲的胸懷。我將盡我所能回答您的問(wèn)題。

但首先，我要向您和您那些勇敢的姐妹們表達(dá)深深的敬意，因?yàn)槟銈儗吷Χ纪度氲搅巳祟愖畛绺叩氖聵I(yè)中：幫助那些需要幫助的同胞。

在來(lái)信中您問(wèn)我，在地球上還有許多孩子忍饑挨餓、瀕于死亡的情況下，我怎么能提議花費(fèi)數(shù)十億美元用于一次火星之旅。我知道，您肯定不指望我給出這樣的回答：“噢，我以前不知道還有快要餓死的孩子，但從現(xiàn)在起，我要終止任何形式的太空研究，直到人類完全解決饑餓問(wèn)題！”事實(shí)上，早在我了解火星之旅的技術(shù)可行性之前，我就已經(jīng)知道有孩子在忍饑挨餓。但是，和我許多朋友的看法一樣，我相信飛向月球乃至最終飛向火星以及其他星球的旅行是我們現(xiàn)在就應(yīng)開(kāi)始的一項(xiàng)探險(xiǎn)。我甚至相信，從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)說(shuō)，這一工程將更有助于解決目前我們?cè)诘厍蛏纤媾R的種種嚴(yán)峻問(wèn)題；而相比之下，其他可能實(shí)施的許多援助計(jì)劃雖年年被人們爭(zhēng)辯和討論，卻遲遲未能產(chǎn)生明顯的效果。

我相信，致力于太空計(jì)劃有助于緩解乃至最終解決地球上諸如貧困與饑餓這樣的嚴(yán)峻問(wèn)題。饑餓問(wèn)題的根本在于兩個(gè)方面：食物生產(chǎn)與食物分配。通過(guò)農(nóng)業(yè)、畜牧業(yè)、遠(yuǎn)洋漁業(yè)以及其他大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)方式進(jìn)行食物生產(chǎn)在世界某些地區(qū)行之有效，但在其他許多地區(qū)效率極其低下。比如，如果采用更為有效的方法進(jìn)行流域管理、肥料利用、天氣預(yù)報(bào)、產(chǎn)量評(píng)估、種植規(guī)劃、農(nóng)田優(yōu)選、種植習(xí)慣調(diào)整、耕種時(shí)間優(yōu)化、農(nóng)作物調(diào)查、收割規(guī)劃等等，那么大面積的土地將能得到更為有效的利用。

毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，改進(jìn)所有這一切的最佳工具是人造地球衛(wèi)星。人造地球衛(wèi)星在高空圍繞地球運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，能夠在短時(shí)間內(nèi)掃描大面積土地。它能夠觀察和測(cè)評(píng)各種各樣的指標(biāo)，這些指標(biāo)可以顯示作物生長(zhǎng)態(tài)勢(shì)、土壤狀況、旱情、降雨量、降雪量等等。人造衛(wèi)星能將這些信息通過(guò)無(wú)線電傳送到地面接收站，以便人們妥當(dāng)使用。據(jù)估計(jì)，即使是一個(gè)不那么復(fù)雜的地球衛(wèi)星系統(tǒng)，在配備有地球資源傳感器的情況下，在參與改進(jìn)全球農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)的項(xiàng)目時(shí)，每年也將增加價(jià)值幾十億美元的糧食產(chǎn)量。

而將食物分發(fā)給貧困者則是一個(gè)完全不同的問(wèn)題。這個(gè)問(wèn)題與運(yùn)送量關(guān)系不大，而是一個(gè)國(guó)際合作的問(wèn)題。若讓一個(gè)大國(guó)將大批食物運(yùn)送到一個(gè)小國(guó)，小國(guó)統(tǒng)治者可能會(huì)感到十分不安，原因很簡(jiǎn)單：他擔(dān)心隨著食物的輸入，大國(guó)的影響和勢(shì)力也會(huì)乘機(jī)而入。只要國(guó)與國(guó)之間的界限仍像當(dāng)今這樣涇渭分明，恐怕饑餓問(wèn)題就很難得到有效緩解。我并不認(rèn)為太空旅行在一夜之間就能實(shí)現(xiàn)這一奇跡，但太空計(jì)劃肯定是實(shí)現(xiàn)這一目標(biāo)最有希望、最為強(qiáng)大的推動(dòng)力之一。

就拿最近阿波羅13號(hào)險(xiǎn)些釀成悲劇的事故來(lái)說(shuō)吧。當(dāng)宇航員重返大氣層的關(guān)鍵時(shí)刻來(lái)臨之時(shí)，蘇聯(lián)（編注：本文寫(xiě)作時(shí)，蘇聯(lián)并未解體）停止了其與阿波羅計(jì)劃所用頻帶相同的所有無(wú)線電信號(hào)發(fā)射，以避免任何可能的干擾，而蘇聯(lián)的艦艇也被部署到太平洋和大西洋海域，以備緊急救援之需。如果當(dāng)時(shí)美國(guó)宇航員的太空艙降落到了蘇聯(lián)艦船附近，蘇聯(lián)無(wú)疑會(huì)盡心盡力地進(jìn)行搜救，就像對(duì)待從太空返回的本國(guó)宇航員一樣。如果蘇聯(lián)宇航員遭遇到類似的緊急狀況，美國(guó)毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)也會(huì)同樣施以援手。

通過(guò)衛(wèi)星監(jiān)測(cè)與評(píng)估來(lái)提高食物產(chǎn)量，以及通過(guò)改善國(guó)際關(guān)系來(lái)提高食物分配效率，這只是太空計(jì)劃將如何深刻影響人類生活的兩個(gè)例證。我還想舉出另外兩個(gè)例子：激勵(lì)技術(shù)進(jìn)步與產(chǎn)生科學(xué)知識(shí)。

登月宇宙飛船的零部件必須具備高精度和極端的可靠性，這些要求在世界工程史上絕對(duì)前所未有。為滿足這些苛刻條件而進(jìn)行的系統(tǒng)研發(fā)為我們提供了一個(gè)絕佳的機(jī)會(huì)，使我們能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)新材料、新方法，發(fā)明出更好的技術(shù)體系、更好的制造程序，延長(zhǎng)儀器的工作壽命，甚至發(fā)現(xiàn)新的自然規(guī)律。

所有這些新獲得的技術(shù)知識(shí)也可應(yīng)用于地面技術(shù)。每年，大約有一千種由太空項(xiàng)目產(chǎn)生的技術(shù)革新應(yīng)用于地面技術(shù)，由此帶來(lái)了更為精良的廚具和農(nóng)具，性能更優(yōu)的輪船和飛機(jī)，更準(zhǔn)確的天氣預(yù)報(bào)和風(fēng)暴預(yù)警，更好的通訊方式，更為有效的醫(yī)療器械，以及更好的日常用品和工具。此時(shí)您也許會(huì)問(wèn)，為什么我們不先為心臟病患者發(fā)明一種遙控傳感系統(tǒng)，而要先為登月宇航員研發(fā)生命支持系統(tǒng)呢？答案很簡(jiǎn)單：在解決技術(shù)問(wèn)題時(shí)，重大進(jìn)展往往不是直接產(chǎn)生的，而是通過(guò)先設(shè)定一個(gè)更具挑戰(zhàn)性的目標(biāo)，這樣才能為創(chuàng)新性工作提供一個(gè)強(qiáng)大的動(dòng)力，才能激發(fā)想象力，激勵(lì)人們?nèi)σ愿?，才能起到催化劑的效果，引發(fā)一系列的連鎖反應(yīng)。毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，航天事業(yè)扮演的正是這一角色。

若想提高地球上人類的生活條件，除了新技術(shù)外，我們對(duì)科學(xué)領(lǐng)域新的基礎(chǔ)知識(shí)也有一種持續(xù)的強(qiáng)烈需求。在物理、化學(xué)、生物、生理學(xué)尤其是醫(yī)學(xué)方面我們需要更多的知識(shí)，以解決威脅人類生命的所有問(wèn)題：饑餓、疾病、食物和水源污染以及環(huán)境污染。

我們需要更多的青年男女投身于科學(xué)事業(yè)，我們需要為那些有才華、有決心從事富有成效的科研工作的科學(xué)家提供更好的支持。必須要有富有挑戰(zhàn)性的研究目標(biāo)，也必須為這些研究項(xiàng)目提供充分的支持。同樣，航天工程在這方面也是一個(gè)近乎理想的催化劑，它為人們參與真正偉大的科學(xué)研究提供了絕佳的機(jī)會(huì)，包括對(duì)衛(wèi)星和行星的研究、對(duì)物理學(xué)和天文學(xué)的研究，以及對(duì)生物學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)的研究，并引發(fā)了以下三者之間的反應(yīng)：科學(xué)研究的動(dòng)力，觀察令人振奮的自然現(xiàn)象的機(jī)會(huì)，以及開(kāi)展研究工作所需要的物質(zhì)支持。

作為新技術(shù)發(fā)展以及基礎(chǔ)科學(xué)研究的推動(dòng)力和催化劑，航天工程是其他任何活動(dòng)都無(wú)可比擬的。從這方面來(lái)講，我們甚至可以說(shuō)，航天工程正在接手戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)所特有的功能——三四千年來(lái)這種功能一直是戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)“享有”的可悲特權(quán)。

倘若國(guó)與國(guó)之間不再比拼各自的轟炸機(jī)群和火箭，而是比拼各自的探月飛船，那將會(huì)避免多少戰(zhàn)亂之苦！這種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)帶來(lái)的將是各種輝煌的勝利，而失敗者也不會(huì)感到痛苦不堪，不會(huì)埋下復(fù)仇的種子或者引發(fā)新的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。

雖然航天工程似乎在引領(lǐng)我們遠(yuǎn)離地球，飛往月亮、太陽(yáng)和其他行星、恒星，但我相信，太空科學(xué)家對(duì)地球的關(guān)注和研究要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)多于對(duì)所有這些天體的關(guān)注和研究。地球?qū)⒆兊酶用篮茫@不僅僅是因?yàn)槲覀儗⒂盟行碌募夹g(shù)和科學(xué)知識(shí)來(lái)改善我們的生活，還因?yàn)槲覀儗?duì)地球、對(duì)生命、對(duì)人類的理解在不斷深化。

隨信附上一張照片，這是1968年圣誕節(jié)期間阿波羅8號(hào)在環(huán)月飛行時(shí)所拍下的地球景象。在航天工程迄今所取得的許多偉大成果中，這張照片也許是最為寶貴的一個(gè)。它讓我們看清了一個(gè)事實(shí)：在浩瀚無(wú)垠的太空中，地球是一個(gè)無(wú)比寶貴的美麗島嶼；除了地球那層薄薄的地表，我們別無(wú)棲身之所，因?yàn)槲覀冎車腔臎?、虛空的宇宙。此前從未有那么多人意識(shí)到我們的地球資源其實(shí)是多么有限，擾亂地球的生態(tài)平衡又是多么危險(xiǎn)。自從這張照片首次公開(kāi)之后，人們發(fā)出越來(lái)越響亮的聲音，對(duì)當(dāng)代人類所面臨的種種嚴(yán)峻問(wèn)題發(fā)出警告，這些問(wèn)題包括污染、饑餓、貧困、城市化生活、食品生產(chǎn)、人口過(guò)剩等。剛剛起步的太空時(shí)代使我們首次看清了自身所處的星球，與此同時(shí)我們也開(kāi)始看清擺在我們面前的艱巨任務(wù)，這絕非偶然。

不過(guò)幸運(yùn)的是，太空時(shí)代不僅僅為我們提供了一面審視自己的鏡子，同時(shí)也為我們提供了技術(shù)、目標(biāo)、動(dòng)力甚至樂(lè)觀的精神，使我們充滿信心地挑戰(zhàn)這些任務(wù)。我相信，我們從太空計(jì)劃中所學(xué)到的充分印證了德國(guó)哲學(xué)家阿爾貝特·史懷哲所說(shuō)的話：“我望著未來(lái)，憂心忡忡，但仍滿懷美好希望?！?/p>

在此謹(jǐn)向您和您的孩子們致以我最誠(chéng)摯的祝愿。

您真誠(chéng)的

恩斯特·施圖林格

科學(xué)副總監(jiān)

1. expenditure [?k?spend?t??（r）] n. 經(jīng)費(fèi)，費(fèi)用

2. desist [d??z?st] vi. 停止

3. feasible [?fi?z?b（?）l] adj. 可行的，行得通的

4. ranching [?rɑ?nt???] n. 經(jīng)營(yíng)大牧場(chǎng)或大農(nóng)場(chǎng)

5. drastically [?dr?st?kli] adv. 極端地；強(qiáng)烈地

6. Apollo 13：阿波羅13號(hào)，美國(guó)阿波羅計(jì)劃中的第三次載人登月任務(wù)，于1970年4月11日發(fā)射。發(fā)射后兩天，服務(wù)艙的氧氣罐發(fā)生爆炸，嚴(yán)重?fù)p壞了航天器，使其損失了大量的氧氣和電力。登月計(jì)劃失敗，但三位宇航員最終安全地返回了地球。

7. reentry [ri??entri] n. （航天飛機(jī)、宇宙飛船等的）重返大氣層

8. frequency band：[物]頻帶

9. utensil [ju??tens（?）l] n. 器皿，用具

10. prerogative [pr??r?ɡ?t?v] n. 特權(quán)

11. celestial [s??lesti?l] adj. 天空的，天上的

12. tamper with：（為了損害而進(jìn)行）干預(yù)，干涉

13. space age：航天時(shí)代，太空時(shí)代

14. Albert Schweitzer：阿爾貝特·史懷哲（1875～1965），德國(guó)哲學(xué)家、神學(xué)家、醫(yī)生、管風(fēng)琴演奏家、社會(huì)活動(dòng)家、人道主義者，1952年諾貝爾和平獎(jiǎng)得主