英国限制广告（这家俄罗斯公司要直接用天空打广告）

声明：本文系沪江英语原创翻译

未经授权不得转载

Will there be no end to people trying to muck up the night sky? Now a Russian startup has had the colossally dense idea of sticking beaming billboards up there, to shine advertising back down to Earth.

想要破坏夜空的人是不是层出不穷？现在一家俄罗斯新创办的公司产生了一个超级愚蠢的想法，要把耀眼的广告打到夜空，然后将广告投射到地面。

Putting aside the fact that advertising is already ubiquitous, the notion of adding a significant source of light pollution to the night sky has astronomers - professional and amateur alike - fuming.

先不说广告已经遍地都是了，在夜空中增加一个重大光污染源的想法就足以让专业和业余的天文学家义愤填膺了。

The startup is called StartRocket, and it hopes to use an array of tiny cubesats to create a programmable display in the night sky.

这家名叫StartRocket的公司希望能在夜空利用一堆立方体卫星作为可编程的显示器。

Orbiting at a low-Earth altitude of 400-500 kilometres, according to the startup's website, these satellites would each bear a collapsible sail that is capable of reflecting the light of the Sun to form a single pixel.

这家公司网站表示这些卫星在近地400-500km的高度绕地球运行，每个卫星都有可折叠帆板，能反射太阳光形成一个像素点。

Because it would be dependent on the Sun, it would only be able to display at dawn and dusk.

因为还要依赖太阳，所以只能在黎明和黄昏显示。

All up, the "billboard" would have an area of 50 square kilometres (19 square miles). This Orbital Display, as it is being called, could then be programmed to display logos to people around the globe, for 6-minute intervals, around 3 or 4 times a day - theoretically, at least.

这个“广告牌”总覆盖面积将达50平方千米（19平方英里）。这个被称作轨道显示器的东西能被编程来向全地球人展示商标，理论上来说可以有6分钟的成像，至少一天显示3-4次。

"We are ruled by brands and events," project leader Vlad Sitnikov told Futurism.

项目负责人Vlad Sitnikov向Futurism（网站）透露：“我们的生活被各种品牌和事件支配着”。

"The Super Bowl, Coca Cola, Brexit, the Olympics, Mercedes, FIFA, Supreme and the Mexican wall. The economy is the blood system of society. Entertainment and advertising are at its heart.

“超级碗、可口可乐、英国脱欧、奥运会、奔驰、国际足联、Supreme和美墨边境隔离墙。经济是社会的血液系统，娱乐和广告则是社会的核心。”

"We will live in space, and humankind will start delivering its culture to space. The more professional and experienced pioneers will make it better for everyone."

“我们将来会住在太空，人类将开始向太空传递文化，更专业的经验丰富的先驱者将会为每个人创造更美好的未来。”

图片截自Startrocket官网

But, as the response indicates, "better" is a matter of opinion, mainly because of the light pollution the Orbital Display would generate.

但正如公众回应显示，人们对“更美好”有不同的理解，主要是因为这个轨道显示器会造成光污染。

"It's a threat to the ability to do astronomical research from the ground," astronomer John Barentine of the International Dark Sky Association told Astronomy.com. "Every one of those moving blips of light in the night sky is something that can interfere with our ability to collect photons from astronomical sources."

国际暗天协会的天文学家John Barentine对Astronomy.com透露：“这威胁到了从地面进行天文学研究的能力，夜空中每个移动的光点都会干扰我们从天文活动中搜集照片的能力。”

In the short term, the system would increase the number of satellites in space, which in turn increases the risk of collision.

短期内这一系统会增加太空中卫星数量，会增加撞击的风险。

But it is worth noting that, while space junk is a pretty big problem, the Orbital Display wouldn't add to it long-term. At the chosen altitude, the satellites' orbit would decay in a year or so, hopefully burning up harmlessly on reentry as they returned to Earth.

但值得注意的是虽然太空垃圾是相当大的问题，但从长远看这一轨道显示器并不会使这一问题加重。这些卫星受所选高度影响，一年左右运行会减弱，希望重返地球燃烧时不会产生有害物质。

But the light pollution issue isn't a small one. And we're not sure Sitnokov's suggestion to "do peeing or making your coffee" while the display is on is the most helpful one, given how time-sensitive astronomical observations can be.

但光污染的问题并非小事，考虑到天文观测对时间的要求很高。我们不确定Sitnokov一边看广告一边“小便或煮咖啡”的建议是否最有用。

图片截自Startrocket官网

The company isn't the only one trying to send wacky things into low-Earth orbit. Take China's weird artificial Moon to serve as a replacement for streetlights, one of the strangest energy-saving measures we think we've ever heard.

并非只有这家公司想要向低空轨道发射奇怪东西，中国想要替代路灯的怪异的人造月亮也是我们认为所听说过的最奇怪的节能举措之一了。

Or a Japanese proposal to launch satellites that will rain down artificial meteor showers, so you don't have to sit around waiting for a real one.

还有日本提议发射卫星造出人工流星雨，你就不用坐等真正的流星雨了。

Nevertheless, none have been solidified at this stage - not these other proposals, nor the Orbital Display.

不过不管是其他提议还是这个轨道显示器都还没有具体实施。

The system has yet to be tested (the startup has plans to do so as early as this year), has yet to be funded, and has yet to be approved according to local and international laws and regulations.

这一系统仍需测试（这家公司计划最早今年实行），还需要资金支持，也要得到当地和国际法律法规的批准。

The team says that they have managed to overcome the technical challenges associated with flying an array of satellites in formation, and the drag introduced by the sails; however, that remains to be seen.

这个团队说他们已经成功克服了一队卫星以编队方式运行以及帆板产生阻力的技术难题，然而一切都没有定论。

As to whether it can meet space regulations - well, those are significantly outdated, so there's a good chance that it could.

至于这是否符合太空规定，其实这些规定已经很过时了，所以想要通过规定还是很有可能的。

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the company is vastly exaggerating its technical prowess.

我们还是一起来祈祷这家公司是在吹嘘自己的实力吧。

完

参考链接：

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-russian-startup-wants-to-put-advertising-in-low-earth-orbit-ruin-the-sky-for-everybody

编辑：梅园西墙的王半仙

翻译：菲菲

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