二 25
太空真看不到长城吗？
培英|〖悟人子弟〗 2004
以前连小学生都知道我们的长城能够在太空看到，而且很多人还认为绝无仅有！我的记忆中也曾深信不疑！但当我们的杨利伟诚恳地告诉我们“太空中没有看到长城”的时候，我们似乎又走向了另外的一个极端，很多专家都站出来解释其中的原由，并且列举的数字似乎表明如此的滑稽可笑，当我感慨当初的无知，不禁要问，“你们原来到哪去了？”
不过面对所有人都在确信太空看不到长城的时候，自己似乎觉得是否是历史的重复？发现了方舟子的论述，醍醐灌顶！
杨伟利没有从太空中见到长城，不等于太空中就见不到长城，因为太空是个很模糊的概念，包括的范围很广，长城的可见度与太空的高度、气象等因素有关。事实上，的确有宇航员（例如在太空站工作的美国华裔太空人卢杰）从太空中看到了长城。问题的关键在于，从太空看长城很不起眼，在它能被用肉眼辨认出来时，还有许多工程，包括高速公路、飞机场、大坝、桥梁等等，都可以看到。而到达一定高度后，其他工程还可辨认出来，长城却不可见了。
ps.又快3.5了，又要学雷锋了：“美国学生“学雷锋”？”
美国的中学教些什么？
教育是中国发展的最短一块木板
On this day..
- 昨日的世界 - 2023
- The Meaning of It All - 2022
- 现实上马梦想←_← - 2014
- 惟适之安 - 2008
- 开学了:( - 2007
- 你 我 他 - 2005
- 世界很大，我的世界却很小 - 2005
2月 25th, 2004 at 15:45
以下为卢杰（Lu）的谈访记录：
There is a longstanding myth that the Great Wall of China is the only manmade object visible from space. It and several variations on the theme are great fodder for water cooler arguments. In reality, many human constructs can be seen from Earth orbit.
这是一个为时甚久的传说：中国的长城是太空上唯一可见
的人造建筑。这和几个包括其他奇迹的版本一直是火热争论的
话题。而实际上，在近地轨道上很多人工建筑物都可以被看到。
Shuttle astronauts can see highways, airports, dams and even large vehicles from an Earth orbit that is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) high. Cities are clearly distinct from surrounding countryside, and that‘s true even from the higher perch of the International Space Station (news - web sites), which circles the planet at about 250 miles (400 kilometers) up.
在离地球135英里（217公里）飞船上的宇航员可以看到
高速公路，机场，水坝。甚至在更高一些的在250英里（400
公里）轨道上的国际空间站也可以清楚的把城市和乡村分开。
"You can see an awful lot from space," says astronaut Ed Lu, the science officer of Expedition Seven aboard the station. "You can see the pyramids from space, especially with a pair of binoculars. They are a little difficult to pick out with just your eyes."
“从太空上你能看到的东西多的可怕，”宇航员Ed Lu，
7次远征太空空间站的科学家如是说。“从太空中你能看到
金字塔，特别是你用望远镜的话。它们用肉眼找起来有点困
难。”
Egyptian pyramids have been photographed from space several times with standard digital cameras and high-powered lenses. The largest pyramid at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, is 745 feet (227 meters) wide and 449 feet (137 meters) tall.
埃及金字塔几次被太空上的配备高倍镜头的标准数码相机
拍摄下来。最大的金字塔在开罗郊区的Giza，有745英尺
（227米）宽，449英尺（139米）高。
"With binoculars you can see an awful lot of things," Lu wrote via e-mail in fielding a question from an Earthbound space fan. "You can see roads. You can see harbors. You can even see ships; very large tankers on the ocean we can see using the binoculars."
“用双筒望远镜你可以看到多的可怕的东西”LU写给一个
太空爱好者“问问”的EMAIL里说。“你可以看到公路。你
可以看到海港。你甚至可以看到轮船；我们可以用望远镜看到
很大的油轮在大样里行驶”
"You can see airplane contrails, and occasionally at the end of an airplane contrail, you will see a glint of sunlight off the airplane," Lu says. "And very occasionally, you do see other satellites go by. It is kind of a neat thing to see."
“你可以看到飞机尾迹，偶尔在尾迹的一端你可以看
到闪亮的飞机”LU说，“更偶然的情况下，你可以看到飞
经的其他人造卫星。那看起来是一件非常优雅的东西。”
There are of course places in space from which you can‘t notice how humans have sculpted the planet. Apollo astronauts could not make out manmade features from the Moon, for example. And from Mars, Earth would appear to the naked eye as nothing but a bright "star" in the night sky.
在太空能发现人工在地球上雕刻的痕迹有一定限度。比如，
阿波罗登月的宇航员在月球上分别不出地球上人造痕迹。在火星
上，用裸眼看地球，看不到上面的任何东西，只是夜空中一颗
明亮的星。
So what about the Great Wall of China?
那么中国的长城呢？
"You can see the Great Wall," Lu says. But it‘s less visible than a lot of other objects. And you have to know where to look.
“你可以看到长城。不过它并不比很多其他东西显眼。
而且你必须要知道到哪里去看。”
In fact stretches of the wall aren‘t even visible from China. They‘ve been buried by sand for centuries. NASA (news - web sites) has used space-based radar to map out hidden parts of the ancient structure. Lu is trying to get a picture of it, too, with a digital camera.
事实上很多长城的城墙甚至在中国也看不到了。它们
被几百年的沙尘埋住了。NASA用空间雷达发现了这些被隐
藏的远古建筑。LU正在试图用用数码相机把他们拍摄下来。
"The weather hasn‘t cooperated," he says. "There has been a lot of clouds and haze over that area since I‘ve been trying. But I hope to be successful before I come back down."
“天气不太配合”他说，“当我试图这么做时候，有很多
云和薄雾。我希望等我下次再来的时候可以成功。”
2月 29th, 2004 at 11:29
这很重要吗？要想在宇宙中看到，还不如把喜马拉雅山炸平了再挖个大坑出来，倒进颜料，我相信在火星上是能看到这颗红斑的！！！