涓流細(xì)語

編輯：賈朋群

“We've been working with many small-to medium-sized European companies within this new part of the space sector. Our projects aim to fly promising new technologies in space at low cost, and rapid pace, which our partner companies can then exploit commercially. We' ve set up a standardised lean project approach, by tailoring existing European Coordination for Space Standardization regulations specifically for CubeSats-the European rulebook for mission development.”

“我們一直與歐洲的小型到中型公司在這一空間新領(lǐng)域合作。我們的目標(biāo)瞄準(zhǔn)發(fā)射低成本、高速度的前途看好的空間新技術(shù)，我們的伙伴公司可以后期探索商業(yè)應(yīng)用。我們已經(jīng)建立了標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化的傾斜項(xiàng)目評估方法，通過定制已有的歐洲空間標(biāo)準(zhǔn)協(xié)調(diào)規(guī)范，得到適用于立方體衛(wèi)星的章程——?dú)W洲項(xiàng)目開發(fā)規(guī)則手冊?！?/p>

——?dú)W空局于2019年4月成立了專注于被稱為“立方體衛(wèi)星”的納米衛(wèi)星的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化工作的專門機(jī)構(gòu)。該機(jī)構(gòu)（CubeSat Systems Unit）的負(fù)責(zé)人Roger Walker的解釋表明，ESA很早就與企業(yè)界合作開展小衛(wèi)星研發(fā)，而新機(jī)構(gòu)的成立則強(qiáng)化了標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的戰(zhàn)略意義。

“This satellite mission is certainly a challenging one,but I'm very happy to say that we are now formally out of the commissioning phase, which encompasses the first four months of a mission's life in orbit when we do all the checks and tweaks.We still have some work to do to make sure Aeolus delivers on its promise as we have to improve on the way the data is processed taking into account the peculiarities of its instrument. And, we must remember that this is a completely new type of mission, so we are learning all the time. We also have field campaigns going on all over the world to help with the process of calibration and validation. This means measurements of the wind are being taken from the ground,from balloons and from aircraft to compare with measurements we are getting from space. At this stage, the results are expected to be announced in March.”

“這個(gè)衛(wèi)星項(xiàng)目當(dāng)然是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)，但是我很高興現(xiàn)在正式完成了試運(yùn)行階段，該階段是衛(wèi)星發(fā)射后的前4個(gè)月，我們完成了調(diào)試。我們還將確信風(fēng)神衛(wèi)星如我們承諾的那樣，用其儀器的獨(dú)特性改進(jìn)處理中的數(shù)據(jù)。而且，我們的外場試驗(yàn)還在全球各地進(jìn)行，幫助完成標(biāo)定和驗(yàn)證。這意味著從地面、氣球和飛機(jī)得到的風(fēng)觀測，可以與我們從太空獲得的數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行比較。在這個(gè)階段，結(jié)果可望在3月給出。”

——?dú)W空局（ESA）的風(fēng)神衛(wèi)星（Aeolus）在完成最初4個(gè)月的測試后，進(jìn)入了數(shù)據(jù)校驗(yàn)階段，該項(xiàng)目主任Anders Elfving對衛(wèi)星可以獲得世界上第一份完整的衛(wèi)星風(fēng)場觀測數(shù)據(jù)充滿信心。

“The cubesat industry is just now, I believe, starting to take off, and the data that they're providing, particularly with the GPS radio occultation data, is incredibly valued.”

“立方體衛(wèi)星業(yè)目前只是，我相信，開始起飛，其提供的數(shù)據(jù)，特別是GPS無線電掩星數(shù)據(jù)，是極具價(jià)值的?！?/p>

——在2019年2月26日舉行的美國眾議院聽證會(huì)上，NOAA執(zhí)行局長Neil Jacobs表達(dá)了對于購買商業(yè)數(shù)據(jù)的積極態(tài)度。據(jù)悉，NOAA繼2016年購買了2家公司的無線電掩星數(shù)據(jù)，但評估數(shù)據(jù)質(zhì)量沒有達(dá)到預(yù)期之后，并沒有停止購買商業(yè)衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)的步伐，于2018年第二輪又購買了3家公司的數(shù)據(jù)。購買方表示，這次購買的數(shù)據(jù)，與之前NOAA的COSMIC項(xiàng)目數(shù)據(jù)質(zhì)量同樣優(yōu)良，因此NOAA負(fù)責(zé)人，如上所說，預(yù)見到了未來商業(yè)衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)的前景，表示了今后NOAA通過政府認(rèn)購數(shù)據(jù)服務(wù)而常規(guī)化。

“In the next 10 years with so many new satellites under development, we will need to tackle the issue of extracting information from their observations and making use of it in terms of an ever-growing variety of applications and services. This is where AI is fundamental and offers a crucial opportunity not to be missed to solve these problems.”

“未來10年如此多的新衛(wèi)星在研發(fā)，我們將要解決從這些觀測中提取信息問題并應(yīng)用于空前的各種應(yīng)用和服務(wù)中。這就是AI的基礎(chǔ)性意義并帶來的不容錯(cuò)失的解決這些問題的機(jī)會(huì)?！?/p>

——地球觀測衛(wèi)星產(chǎn)生了海量數(shù)據(jù)，如何更好地解決地球科學(xué)問題的同時(shí)，讓更多領(lǐng)域受益是各國空間部門共同面臨的問題。歐空局（ESA）提出利用AI技術(shù)是解決這些問題的最后機(jī)會(huì)。海量衛(wèi)星地球觀測大數(shù)據(jù)遇見AI會(huì)發(fā)生什么，ESA地球觀測官員Pierluigi Silvestrin的上述闡述或許能讓人茅塞頓開。

“We work in partnership with the EU and Eumetsat to achieve an Earth observation system unlike anywhere else in the world. ESA delivers scientific and technological excellence through the satellite missions we develop, which are exploited by Eumetsat for weather forecasting and by Copernicus for information services on climate,the environment and public security. This together creates socioeconomic benefits through public services all over Europe. And,in turn, supports businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups with easy access to vital data for new business ventures and high-tech jobs in Europe's digital economy.”

“我們與歐盟和歐洲氣象衛(wèi)星組織合作得到的地球觀測系統(tǒng)不同于世界上的其他系統(tǒng)。ESA通過開發(fā)衛(wèi)星項(xiàng)目傳遞卓越的科學(xué)和技術(shù)，被歐洲氣象衛(wèi)星組織用于天氣預(yù)報(bào)，被哥白尼項(xiàng)目用于氣候信息服務(wù)和環(huán)境及公共安全。這些通過面向整個(gè)歐洲的公共服務(wù)創(chuàng)造了社會(huì)-經(jīng)濟(jì)價(jià)值。而且，反過來，支持了經(jīng)濟(jì)、企業(yè)，借助關(guān)鍵數(shù)據(jù)利于創(chuàng)建新企業(yè)和創(chuàng)造歐洲數(shù)字經(jīng)濟(jì)高技術(shù)崗位。”

——?dú)W空局在地球觀測方面利用其技術(shù)優(yōu)勢，增加了與歐洲氣象衛(wèi)星組織的技術(shù)合作，提出了新觀測新經(jīng)濟(jì)的理念。推出的哥白尼項(xiàng)目估計(jì)在未來20年將使得歐洲經(jīng)濟(jì)量增加920億～1910億歐元。此外，歐州每年天氣預(yù)報(bào)的社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)效益估計(jì)為150億～610億歐元，在2020—2040年，新的天氣衛(wèi)星預(yù)計(jì)讓經(jīng)濟(jì)進(jìn)一步增加160億～630億歐元。對于這些估計(jì)，信心滿滿的ESA地球觀測項(xiàng)目主任Josef Aschbacher如是說。

“Launched in late 2016, the spacecraft have provided roundthe-clock surface wind speed measurements to help improve intensity forecasting of tropical cyclones. The extended mission opens the door for many new science opportunities, in addition to continuing the primary mission objectives. We are making some engineering and operational changes to enable new types of science while maximizing science returns in this second phase.”

“2016年下半年升空，該天基系統(tǒng)提供全天候地表風(fēng)速觀測幫助改進(jìn)熱帶氣旋強(qiáng)度預(yù)報(bào)。項(xiàng)目的延長，除了繼續(xù)支持主要科學(xué)目標(biāo)之外，還為更多科學(xué)研究打開了門。我們正在進(jìn)行工程和業(yè)務(wù)上的調(diào)整，使得項(xiàng)目在接下來的第二階段科學(xué)反饋?zhàn)畲蠡！?/p>

——2016年12月15日發(fā)射的CYGNSS （the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System，氣旋全球?qū)Ш叫l(wèi)星系統(tǒng)）在完成既定的2年運(yùn)行后，經(jīng)過評估，該系統(tǒng)包含的8顆小衛(wèi)星及子系統(tǒng)狀態(tài)良好，NASA因此宣布該項(xiàng)目延長1.5年。研發(fā)該系統(tǒng)的西南研究所CYGNSS業(yè)務(wù)運(yùn)行工程師William Wells如是說。

“Right now, forecasts are generally not accounting for what happens to a raindrop after it is picked up by radar. Evaporation has a substantial impact on the amount of rainfall that actually reaches the ground. By measuring that impact, we can produce more accurate forecasts that give farmers, agriculture specialists and the public the information they need.”

“目前，預(yù)報(bào)一般不考慮雨滴被雷達(dá)捕獲后發(fā)生了什么。蒸發(fā)對實(shí)際到達(dá)地面的降水量有重要影響。通過測量這一影響，我們能夠制作更準(zhǔn)確的預(yù)報(bào)，提供給農(nóng)民、農(nóng)業(yè)專家和公眾他們所需要的信息?！?/p>

——美國密蘇里大學(xué)的學(xué)者依據(jù)雨滴的大小對蒸發(fā)和下沉速率產(chǎn)生的影響，開發(fā)了新的降水預(yù)報(bào)方法。因?yàn)橛甑卧叫≌舭l(fā)越快而在下沉中遇到的空氣阻力也較小，學(xué)者利用雙極化雷達(dá)獲得雨滴的大小，并將其融合進(jìn)預(yù)報(bào)中。研究者之一，自然資源學(xué)院大氣科學(xué)副教授Neil Fox針對這一創(chuàng)新成果進(jìn)行了如上解釋。

“In our modern, rapidly changing world, there are many things that serve to divide us. Science should not be among them.”

“在我們現(xiàn)代、快速變化的世界上，有很多服務(wù)于我們個(gè)人的東西?？茖W(xué)不應(yīng)屬于其中?！?/p>

——2019年美國科學(xué)促進(jìn)協(xié)會(huì)（AAAS）年會(huì)的主題是“科學(xué)超越邊界”，AAAS主席Margaret Hamburg女士在AAAS主辦的《科學(xué)》雜志上，以“超越邊界”為題撰寫社論，闡述了年會(huì)的主題思想，她用上面的話提示大眾，尤其是學(xué)者要尊重科學(xué)本身的屬性。

“We have maintained our commitment to continuity, today and into the future, and earned our position as the trusted source of environmental data. The U.S. no longer faces the grim prospect of satellite data gaps in the polar orbit, which looked like a real possibility in 2011 because of projected cost overruns and launch uncertainty.”

“我們恪守連續(xù)性承諾，今天和未來都是如此，從而贏得環(huán)境數(shù)據(jù)信得過來源的聲譽(yù)。美國不再面對極軌衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)糟糕的預(yù)期，這一在2011年時(shí)因?yàn)轭A(yù)計(jì)超支和發(fā)生不確定性存在，看起來存在真實(shí)的可能性。”

——美國審計(jì)總署在最新報(bào)告中，將美國天氣衛(wèi)星項(xiàng)目從高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)目錄中刪除。據(jù)悉，美國極地軌道氣象衛(wèi)星因?yàn)榇嬖谛l(wèi)星發(fā)射不利或?qū)е聰?shù)據(jù)不連續(xù)，于2013年被列入這份聯(lián)邦高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)名單，在這份報(bào)告中，GAO認(rèn)為NOAA和美國國防部（DOD）采取了措施，緩解了極地氣象衛(wèi)星數(shù)據(jù)可能存在中斷風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。兩家機(jī)構(gòu)（分別負(fù)責(zé)上午和下午極軌衛(wèi)星）在國會(huì)的支持下2017年以來取得了重要進(jìn)步，其中NOAA于2017年11月成功發(fā)射NOAA-20衛(wèi)星并業(yè)務(wù)化運(yùn)行。對于這樣的結(jié)果，NOAA衛(wèi)星信息局局長Steven Volz如是說。

“We must be ready to respond to new transportation technologies with improvements in weather research and technology.That will require additional investments to assure mobility and safety. Upgrades to infrastructure are necessary. The technology that can benefit us by making roads safer will likely require additional funding. That may be the biggest challenge to full implementation of connected and autonomous vehicles.”

“我們必須用改進(jìn)的天氣研究和技術(shù)對新交通技術(shù)做出反應(yīng)。這需要額外的投入以確保機(jī)動(dòng)性和安全性。升級基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施是必須的。讓我們受益的讓道路更安全的技術(shù)看來需要增加資助，這可能是完全實(shí)現(xiàn)相互連接和自動(dòng)的車輛面臨的最大挑戰(zhàn)?！?/p>

——2019年4月初，UCAR理事會(huì)召開以“提前預(yù)報(bào)路況”為主題的新聞發(fā)布會(huì)，會(huì)議瞄準(zhǔn)改進(jìn)道路安全和機(jī)動(dòng)性，以及為自動(dòng)駕駛技術(shù)提起做好轉(zhuǎn)變兩個(gè)目標(biāo)。會(huì)議表明，改進(jìn)路況預(yù)報(bào)對于正在出現(xiàn)的自動(dòng)駕駛車輛尤其重要，因?yàn)檫@些車輛依靠的傳感器和其他技術(shù)會(huì)受到降雪、霧和其他惡劣天氣的影響。會(huì)議專家成員就這次會(huì)議的主旨，從不同角度表達(dá)了上述看法：即目前條件無法滿足自動(dòng)駕駛需求，需要增加投入完善基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。

“Getting our data into the hands of renowned climate scientists to help measure essential climate variables furthers our mission of providing timely, global imagery and analytics to empower informed, deliberate and meaningful stewardship of our planet,”

Schingler, currently Planet's chief strategist, said in a statement.

“將我們的數(shù)據(jù)交到著名的氣候科學(xué)家的手中幫助測量核心氣候變量，能夠推進(jìn)我們的使命，即及時(shí)提供從全球圖像和分析到對我們星球管理有力的信息化、詳盡和有益信息。”

——近日，NASA與Planet公司簽訂價(jià)值670萬美元合同，購買用于氣候研究的地球圖像。據(jù)悉，Planet公司擁有大約140顆衛(wèi)星組成的星座，每日收集地球圖像。這些衛(wèi)星包括了Dove立方體衛(wèi)星和更大些的Rapid-Eye和SkySat衛(wèi)星。通過簽訂這樣的購買合同，NASA不僅可以獲取該公司最新圖像，還能訪問公司最近10年的圖像庫，這也是NASA對商業(yè)圖像產(chǎn)生興趣的一個(gè)信號。另外，公司的幾位合伙人都曾經(jīng)在NASA小衛(wèi)星項(xiàng)目中任職，這一合同也是某種意義上的“返回主場”。公司目前的首席戰(zhàn)略學(xué)家Schingler評價(jià)了NASA這一決定如何實(shí)現(xiàn)了公司的價(jià)值使命。