我愿意相信登月是假的——否则结果会更加悲观
正文翻译
题图：哈里森·施密特的阿波罗17号任务，1972年12月。
插图：斯嘉丽和查宁塔图姆在《飞月情海》中拍摄了一场假登月。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
题图：哈里森·施密特的阿波罗17号任务，1972年12月。
In September 2002, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin – the second man to walk on the Moon – was confronted in Beverly Hills by a camera crew led by Bart Sibrel. Sibrel, the creator of several documentaries alleging that the Moon landings never happened, shoved a Bible at Aldrin and demanded he swear on it that he wasn’t lying about walking on the Moon, before calling him “a coward and a liar”.
2002年9月，第二个登上月球的宇航员巴兹-奥尔德林在比佛利山庄遭遇了由巴特-西布雷尔率领的摄制组。西布雷尔是几部声称登月从未发生过的纪录片的制作人，他把一本《圣经》塞给奥尔德林，要求他对着圣经发誓自己在月球上行走的事没有撒谎，还骂他是“懦夫和骗子”。
2002年9月，第二个登上月球的宇航员巴兹-奥尔德林在比佛利山庄遭遇了由巴特-西布雷尔率领的摄制组。西布雷尔是几部声称登月从未发生过的纪录片的制作人，他把一本《圣经》塞给奥尔德林，要求他对着圣经发誓自己在月球上行走的事没有撒谎，还骂他是“懦夫和骗子”。
In response Aldrin, then 72, punched Sibrel in the face. Aldrin’s angry reaction didn’t reassure anyone, though, and just fuelled a new wave of conspiracy theories. The central claim: the Apollo landings were a gigantic scam, perpetrated on the whole world by the American government.
作为回应，时年72岁的奥尔德林一拳打在了西布雷尔的脸上。奥尔德林愤怒的反应并没有让任何人放心，反而助长了新一轮的阴谋论。其核心主张是：阿波罗登月是美国政府对全世界实施的一场巨大骗局。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
作为回应，时年72岁的奥尔德林一拳打在了西布雷尔的脸上。奥尔德林愤怒的反应并没有让任何人放心，反而助长了新一轮的阴谋论。其核心主张是：阿波罗登月是美国政府对全世界实施的一场巨大骗局。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
Humans first landed on the Moon on July 20 1969. More than half a billion people watched on television as Neil Armstrong and Aldrin took their first steps on the arid surface. They left behind an American flag, a patch honouring the fallen crew of Apollo 1, and a plaque that read: “We came in peace for all mankind.” The sixth Apollo mission to land humans on the Moon concluded three years later. The Moon has not been visited by astronauts since December 1972.
1969年7月20日，人类首次登陆月球。5亿多人通过电视观看了尼尔-阿姆斯特朗和奥尔德林在干旱的月球表面迈出的第一步。他们留下了一面美国国旗、一块阿波罗1号牺牲队员的纪念牌，以及一块写着“我们为全人类的和平而来”的牌匾。三年后，阿波罗计划的第六次登月任务结束。自1972年12月以来，宇航员再也没有访问过月球。
1969年7月20日，人类首次登陆月球。5亿多人通过电视观看了尼尔-阿姆斯特朗和奥尔德林在干旱的月球表面迈出的第一步。他们留下了一面美国国旗、一块阿波罗1号牺牲队员的纪念牌，以及一块写着“我们为全人类的和平而来”的牌匾。三年后，阿波罗计划的第六次登月任务结束。自1972年12月以来，宇航员再也没有访问过月球。
By 1976, doubts were already creeping in. That year, Bill Kaysing, a former US Navy officer who had worked for one of Nasa’s rocket manufacturers, self-published a pamphlet titled We Never Went to the Moon: America’s 30 Billion Dollar Swindle. In it, Kaysing pointed to unexplained optical anomalies – the absence of dust clouds or blast craters around the lunar module, and the lack of stars in surface photographs – to suggest that the footage was created in a studio.
到了1976年，人们已经开始怀疑。这一年，曾在美国国家航空航天局的一家火箭制造商工作过的前美国海军军官比尔-凯辛自费出版了一本名为《我们从未登上月球：美国300亿美元骗局》的小册子。在这本小册子中，凯辛指出了一些无法解释的光学异常现象--登月舱周围没有尘埃云或爆炸坑，月表照片中也没有星星--从而暗示这些镜头是在摄影棚里拍摄的。
到了1976年，人们已经开始怀疑。这一年，曾在美国国家航空航天局的一家火箭制造商工作过的前美国海军军官比尔-凯辛自费出版了一本名为《我们从未登上月球：美国300亿美元骗局》的小册子。在这本小册子中，凯辛指出了一些无法解释的光学异常现象--登月舱周围没有尘埃云或爆炸坑，月表照片中也没有星星--从而暗示这些镜头是在摄影棚里拍摄的。
Such hypotheses have proliferated into a body of literature that shades into hallucinatory weirdness: theories on the demonic nature of UFOs, astral projection, ancient aliens genetically engineering the human race, and other oddities.
这些假说已经泛滥成灾，形成了一套幻觉怪异的文学作品：关于UFO的恶魔本质、星体投射、远古外星人对人类进行基因改造以及其他怪异事物的理论。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
这些假说已经泛滥成灾，形成了一套幻觉怪异的文学作品：关于UFO的恶魔本质、星体投射、远古外星人对人类进行基因改造以及其他怪异事物的理论。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
The hoax is of such a vintage that it’s become a staple of popular culture. Already in 1971, James Bond was depicted stumbling upon a Nasa film set made to look like the lunar surface, before giving chase in a Moon buggy, in Diamonds Are Forever. In this month’s Fly Me to the Moon, Scarlett Johansson plays a marketing genius hired by Nasa to film a fake landing in case the Apollo 11 mission fails.
这些骗局年代久远，已成为大众文化的主要内容。早在1971年，詹姆斯-邦德就在《钻石恒久远》中被描绘成偶然发现了美国国家航空航天局制作的酷似月球表面的电影场景，然后乘坐月球车进行追逐。在本月的电影《飞月情海》中，斯嘉丽-约翰逊饰演一位受雇于美国国家航空航天局的营销天才，拍摄了一部假的登月影片，以防阿波罗11号任务失败。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
这些骗局年代久远，已成为大众文化的主要内容。早在1971年，詹姆斯-邦德就在《钻石恒久远》中被描绘成偶然发现了美国国家航空航天局制作的酷似月球表面的电影场景，然后乘坐月球车进行追逐。在本月的电影《飞月情海》中，斯嘉丽-约翰逊饰演一位受雇于美国国家航空航天局的营销天才，拍摄了一部假的登月影片，以防阿波罗11号任务失败。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
插图：斯嘉丽和查宁塔图姆在《飞月情海》中拍摄了一场假登月。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
With that kind of pedigree, the Moon-landing hoax can’t just be explained away as a form of modern-day “fake news” that blooms and fades on social media. Scepticism about the Apollo space programme was swirling long before the advent of the internet, beginning almost immediately after the landings themselves.
有了这样的背景，登月骗局就不能仅仅被解释为一种在社交媒体上若隐若现的现代“假新闻”。早在互联网出现之前，对阿波罗太空计划的怀疑就已经开始蔓延，几乎就在登月之后。
有了这样的背景，登月骗局就不能仅仅被解释为一种在社交媒体上若隐若现的现代“假新闻”。早在互联网出现之前，对阿波罗太空计划的怀疑就已经开始蔓延，几乎就在登月之后。
In turn, a great deal of effort has been expended over the decades trying to use evidence to dispel the conspiracy theories. But attempting to debunk them logically is to misunderstand what such claims are communicating.
反过来，几十年来，人们花费了大量精力，试图用证据来消除阴谋论。但是，试图从逻辑上推翻这些说法，就会误解这些说法所传达的信息。
反过来，几十年来，人们花费了大量精力，试图用证据来消除阴谋论。但是，试图从逻辑上推翻这些说法，就会误解这些说法所传达的信息。
Today, one in eight Americans think the Moon landings were staged – as do one in 11 Britons. Why won’t we all just accept the facts? Perhaps because most people aren’t interested in or persuaded by facts alone. We need only recall how, when Covid broke out, the educated classes demanded officials discard the existing pandemic action plan to see this extends well beyond those routinely accused of ignorance and emotional reasoning. Conspiracy theories make most sense when understood not as factual claims but as emotional stories – allegories – that exist in oblique relation to empirical reality. They convey diffuse, and sometimes prophetic, intuitions about the world.
如今，每八个美国人中就有一个认为登月是伪造的，每十一个英国人中也有一个这样认为。为什么我们不能接受事实呢？也许是因为大多数人都对事实不感兴趣，也不会仅凭事实来说服自己。我们只需回想一下，当新冠病毒爆发时，受过教育的阶层是如何要求官员放弃现有的疫情行动计划的，就会发现这远远超出了那些经常被指责为无知和情绪化推理的人的范围。阴谋论最有意义的地方在于，它不是事实主张，而是情感故事--寓言--与经验现实存在间接关系。它们传达了对世界分散的、有时是预言性的直觉。
如今，每八个美国人中就有一个认为登月是伪造的，每十一个英国人中也有一个这样认为。为什么我们不能接受事实呢？也许是因为大多数人都对事实不感兴趣，也不会仅凭事实来说服自己。我们只需回想一下，当新冠病毒爆发时，受过教育的阶层是如何要求官员放弃现有的疫情行动计划的，就会发现这远远超出了那些经常被指责为无知和情绪化推理的人的范围。阴谋论最有意义的地方在于，它不是事实主张，而是情感故事--寓言--与经验现实存在间接关系。它们传达了对世界分散的、有时是预言性的直觉。
The pandemic illustrates this again. Among the many conspiracies that circulated concerning the Covid vaccination programme, one common claim was that vaccines were really a covert programme to inject each of us with a microchip that would allow Bill Gates to track our whereabouts or even control our minds.
疫情再次说明了这一点。在有关新冠疫苗接种计划的众多阴谋论中，有一种常见的说法是，疫苗实际上是一项秘密计划，目的是给我们每个人注射一个微型芯片，让比尔-盖茨能够追踪我们的行踪，甚至控制我们的思想。
疫情再次说明了这一点。在有关新冠疫苗接种计划的众多阴谋论中，有一种常见的说法是，疫苗实际上是一项秘密计划，目的是给我们每个人注射一个微型芯片，让比尔-盖茨能够追踪我们的行踪，甚至控制我们的思想。
This is, we can safely say, not true. Conversely, though, the vaccination programme really was accompanied by the international rollout of digital “vaccine passports”, which lix vaccination status to other biomedical data, as well as official state identifiers. And while it’s no longer in active use, this architecture now enables states potentially to track individuals’ movements, and to index freedoms previously taken for granted – such as travel or access to public spaces – to co-operation with who-knows-what future mandatory medical interventions.
我们可以肯定地说，这不是真的。相反，疫苗接种计划确实伴随着数字“疫苗护照”的国际推广，该护照将疫苗接种情况与其他生物医学数据以及国家官方标识符联系在一起。虽然现在已经不再使用，但这种架构使国家有可能追踪个人的行动，并将以前理所当然的自由--如旅行或进入公共场所--与未来不知道会发生什么的强制性医疗干预合作联系起来。
我们可以肯定地说，这不是真的。相反，疫苗接种计划确实伴随着数字“疫苗护照”的国际推广，该护照将疫苗接种情况与其他生物医学数据以及国家官方标识符联系在一起。虽然现在已经不再使用，但这种架构使国家有可能追踪个人的行动，并将以前理所当然的自由--如旅行或进入公共场所--与未来不知道会发生什么的强制性医疗干预合作联系起来。
However, this probably isn’t a sinister plot, whatever the conspiracists may say. It does nevertheless prompt us to read the conspiracy differently – poetically – interpreting “Bill Gates” as personifying a fusion of tech and governance interests, and the “microchip injection” as symbolic shorthand for the discomfiting sense that unknown technologies wielded by this figurative “Bill Gates” increasingly intrude into our physical, embodied lives. It’s fancifully expressed, but is it really so far from the truth?
不过，不管阴谋论者怎么说，这可能并不是一个险恶的阴谋。不过，它确实促使我们以不同的方式--诗意地--解读这一阴谋，将“比尔-盖茨”理解为技术与管理利益的融合，将“注射芯片”理解为象征性的简写，让我们感觉到这个形象化的“比尔-盖茨”所掌握的未知技术正日益侵入我们的肉体生活。这种表达方式很奇特，但它真的与事实相去甚远吗？
不过，不管阴谋论者怎么说，这可能并不是一个险恶的阴谋。不过，它确实促使我们以不同的方式--诗意地--解读这一阴谋，将“比尔-盖茨”理解为技术与管理利益的融合，将“注射芯片”理解为象征性的简写，让我们感觉到这个形象化的“比尔-盖茨”所掌握的未知技术正日益侵入我们的肉体生活。这种表达方式很奇特，但它真的与事实相去甚远吗？
The Moon-hoax conspiracy also makes sense as allegory, when we consider what the Moon landings symbolised in mid-century American culture and international politics. The “space race” between America and Russia stood, symbolically, for the competition between capitalist West and communist East: that is, between two ways of organising a mass industrial civilisation. Which social frxwork was better at delivering rapid, ambitious advances in real-world engineering and technological progress? The race to reach the Moon served as a proxy for this competition, by virtue of the sheer immensity of the goal, as well as its technical demands. For a living human being to leave the Earth’s protective envelope for the emptiness of space and walk on the surface of a celestial body took extraordinary financial, organisational and technical resources, not to mention tremendous courage and ambition.
考虑到登月在本世纪中叶的美国文化和国际政治中的象征意义，登月骗局阴谋作为一种寓言也是合情合理的。美国和俄罗斯之间的“太空竞赛”象征着西方资本主义和东方共产主义之间的竞争：即两种组织大规模工业文明的方式之间的竞争。哪种社会框架更能在现实世界的工程和技术进步中实现快速、雄心勃勃的进步？登月竞赛是这场竞争的一个代表，因为它的目标和技术要求都非常艰巨。要让一个活生生的人离开地球的保护圈，前往虚无的太空，在天体表面行走，需要非同寻常的财政、组织和技术资源，更不用说巨大的勇气和雄心了。
考虑到登月在本世纪中叶的美国文化和国际政治中的象征意义，登月骗局阴谋作为一种寓言也是合情合理的。美国和俄罗斯之间的“太空竞赛”象征着西方资本主义和东方共产主义之间的竞争：即两种组织大规模工业文明的方式之间的竞争。哪种社会框架更能在现实世界的工程和技术进步中实现快速、雄心勃勃的进步？登月竞赛是这场竞争的一个代表，因为它的目标和技术要求都非常艰巨。要让一个活生生的人离开地球的保护圈，前往虚无的太空，在天体表面行走，需要非同寻常的财政、组织和技术资源，更不用说巨大的勇气和雄心了。
Winning the space race, then, served as proof positive that the Land of the Free was a more fertile home for this kind of ambition and innovation than any command-and-control socialist regime. Putting the first man on the Moon wasn’t just a “giant leap for mankind”, as Neil Armstrong famously said. It was also a watershed moment in the Cold War.
因此，赢得太空竞赛可以证明，自由之国比任何指挥控制型的社会主义政权更能孕育这种雄心和创新。送人类去到月球的不只是尼尔-阿姆斯特朗所说的“人类的一大步”。它也是冷战的分水岭。
因此，赢得太空竞赛可以证明，自由之国比任何指挥控制型的社会主义政权更能孕育这种雄心和创新。送人类去到月球的不只是尼尔-阿姆斯特朗所说的“人类的一大步”。它也是冷战的分水岭。
What, then, to make of the sceptics who appeared in the midst of that mid-century American triumphalism to cast aspersions on its veracity? It perhaps reflects an early intuition that America’s long, slow drift away from the material and sociocultural conditions that enabled the space race had already begun at the moment it was won.
那么，如何看待那些在20世纪中叶美国的胜利主义中出现的怀疑论者对其真实性提出质疑呢？这或许反映了一种早期的直觉，即美国在赢得太空竞赛的那一刻，就已经开始长期、缓慢地偏离促成太空竞赛的物质和社会文化条件。
那么，如何看待那些在20世纪中叶美国的胜利主义中出现的怀疑论者对其真实性提出质疑呢？这或许反映了一种早期的直觉，即美国在赢得太空竞赛的那一刻，就已经开始长期、缓慢地偏离促成太空竞赛的物质和社会文化条件。
To build the lunar landers, the Apollo programme drew on American engineering talent and heavy industry that has since been shredded by globalisation, outsourcing and changing educational priorities. By the last Apollo flight, this process was well under way: US manufacturing was already declining from its 1957 peak of more than a quarter of American GDP – and today it languishes at about 11 per cent.
为了建造月球仓，阿波罗计划利用了美国的工程人才和重工业，但这些人才和重工业后来都被全球化、外包和不断变化的教育重点所摧毁。到最后一次阿波罗飞行时，这一过程已经开始：美国制造业占美国国内生产总值的比例已从1957年高峰期的四分之一下降到今天的11%左右。
为了建造月球仓，阿波罗计划利用了美国的工程人才和重工业，但这些人才和重工业后来都被全球化、外包和不断变化的教育重点所摧毁。到最后一次阿波罗飞行时，这一过程已经开始：美国制造业占美国国内生产总值的比例已从1957年高峰期的四分之一下降到今天的11%左右。
Meanwhile, the sense of common American purpose that drove the project has also fractured. In a 2001 interview, Armstrong praised the mission’s low rate of engineering failure, which he attributed to a sense of common endeavour and striving towards excellence spread across the “hundreds of thousands” of engineers, makers and fitters involved in the mission. Among this number, he said, “every guy in the project, every guy at the bench building something, every assembler, every inspector, every guy that’s setting up the tests, cranking the torque wrench, and so on, is saying, man or woman, ‘If anything goes wrong here, it’s not going to be my fault, because my part is going to be better than I have to make it.’”
与此同时，推动这个项目的美国共同目标意识也出现了裂痕。在2001年的一次采访中，阿姆斯特朗称赞这次任务的工程失败率很低，并将其归功于参与任务的“数十万”工程师、制造者和装配者的共同努力和精益求精的精神。他说，在这些人中，“项目中的每一个人、在工作台前制造东西的每一个人、每一个装配工、每一个检查员、每一个设置测试、摇动扭矩扳手的人等等，无论男女，都在说，‘如果这里出了任何问题，都不会是我的错，因为我负责的部分只会做得比要求我制造的质量更高’”。
与此同时，推动这个项目的美国共同目标意识也出现了裂痕。在2001年的一次采访中，阿姆斯特朗称赞这次任务的工程失败率很低，并将其归功于参与任务的“数十万”工程师、制造者和装配者的共同努力和精益求精的精神。他说，在这些人中，“项目中的每一个人、在工作台前制造东西的每一个人、每一个装配工、每一个检查员、每一个设置测试、摇动扭矩扳手的人等等，无论男女，都在说，‘如果这里出了任何问题，都不会是我的错，因为我负责的部分只会做得比要求我制造的质量更高’”。
Since the Moon landings, though, the sense of civic unity that enabled this degree of co-ordinated striving towards excellence has become increasingly contested. No longer taken for granted as core American attributes, instead national pride and cultural homogeneity have come increasingly to be seen as actively inimical to American values. And this has occurred, the historian Christopher Caldwell argues in The Age of Entitlement (2020), as a consequence of the many state-mandated measures to impose equality by fiat, which have mushroomed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Though he does not endorse the segregation the act sought to dismantle, in Caldwell’s view its ratification in effect created a “rival Constitution”, which implicitly treats civic unity and patriotism not as necessary preconditions for high civilisation, but as obstacles to radical equality.
不过，自登月以来，这种协调努力、追求卓越的公民团结意识越来越受到质疑。民族自豪感和文化同质性不再被视为理所当然的美国核心特质，反而越来越多地被视为与美国价值观背道而驰。历史学家克里斯托弗-考德威尔在《权利的时代》（2020）一书中指出，之所以出现这种情况，是因为自1964年《民权法案》颁布以来，许多由国家强制推行的强制平等措施如雨后春笋般涌现。尽管他并不赞同该法案试图废除的种族隔离制度，但在考德威尔看来，该法案的批准实际上创造了一部“对立宪法”，它暗含的意思是，公民团结和爱国主义不是高度文明的必要前提，而是激进平等的障碍。
不过，自登月以来，这种协调努力、追求卓越的公民团结意识越来越受到质疑。民族自豪感和文化同质性不再被视为理所当然的美国核心特质，反而越来越多地被视为与美国价值观背道而驰。历史学家克里斯托弗-考德威尔在《权利的时代》（2020）一书中指出，之所以出现这种情况，是因为自1964年《民权法案》颁布以来，许多由国家强制推行的强制平等措施如雨后春笋般涌现。尽管他并不赞同该法案试图废除的种族隔离制度，但在考德威尔看来，该法案的批准实际上创造了一部“对立宪法”，它暗含的意思是，公民团结和爱国主义不是高度文明的必要前提，而是激进平等的障碍。
Other distractions have displaced the 20th-century drive for industrial innovation: though there are exceptions, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, there has been a notable shift away from trying to reach outer space towards a preoccupation with virtual worlds. Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley investor, argues that this has been enabled by the digital revolution, whose advances serve, in his view, as a distraction from the stagnation and decline of real-world technological progress. In his notorious formulation: “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.”
其他干扰因素取代了20世纪的工业创新动力：虽然也有例外，比如埃隆-马斯克的SpaceX公司，但人们已经从试图探索外太空转向了对虚拟世界的关注。硅谷投资人彼得-蒂尔认为，这得益于数字革命，在他看来，数字革命的进步分散了人们对现实世界技术进步停滞和衰退的注意力。用他臭名昭著的说法就是“我们想要飞行汽车，却只得到了140个字符”。
其他干扰因素取代了20世纪的工业创新动力：虽然也有例外，比如埃隆-马斯克的SpaceX公司，但人们已经从试图探索外太空转向了对虚拟世界的关注。硅谷投资人彼得-蒂尔认为，这得益于数字革命，在他看来，数字革命的进步分散了人们对现实世界技术进步停滞和衰退的注意力。用他臭名昭著的说法就是“我们想要飞行汽车，却只得到了140个字符”。
Understood against this backdrop, the eruption of scepticism about the Moon landings can be read as an early intuition that even at America’s crowning civilisational moment, the enabling conditions for that moment were already under threat. Deindustrialisation had already begun; the germinal form of “diversity, equity and inclusion” was already written into American law; the precursors of the internet were spreading.
在这一背景下，对登月的怀疑情绪的爆发可以被理解为一种早期的直觉，也就是即使是在美国最辉煌的文明时刻，这一时刻的有利条件也已经受到威胁。去工业化已经开始；“多样性、公平和包容”（DEI原则）的雏形已经写入美国法律；互联网的前身正在传播。
在这一背景下，对登月的怀疑情绪的爆发可以被理解为一种早期的直觉，也就是即使是在美国最辉煌的文明时刻，这一时刻的有利条件也已经受到威胁。去工业化已经开始；“多样性、公平和包容”（DEI原则）的雏形已经写入美国法律；互联网的前身正在传播。
Earlier this year, Bart Sibrel himself appeared on the wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast. It’s not difficult to see how modern America might struggle to believe that their forebears were capable of the kind of engineering inventiveness, courage and large-scale co-operation required to make the Apollo missions a reality.
今年早些时候，巴特-西布雷尔本人也出现在了大受欢迎的“乔-罗根体验”播客节目中。不难看出，现代美国人可能很难相信，他们的先辈能够拥有完成阿波罗任务所需的工程发明、勇气和大规模合作能力。
今年早些时候，巴特-西布雷尔本人也出现在了大受欢迎的“乔-罗根体验”播客节目中。不难看出，现代美国人可能很难相信，他们的先辈能够拥有完成阿波罗任务所需的工程发明、勇气和大规模合作能力。
At its peak, Apollo involved some 400,000 people, across thousands of institutions. Even the rockets were built across multiple locations. It was an extraordinary feat of co-ordination, achieved in an age before modern computer-design programmes or tools for instantaneous communication. By contrast, when in the 2000s California invited bids for construction of a high-speed rail line through the state, the French rail firm SNCF tendered a proposal – only to withdraw it in 2011 to work on a similar project in Morocco, whose government, the SNCF engineers declared, was less politically dysfunctional than California’s. Morocco’s high-speed railway began operating in 2018. California’s is still not completed.
在高峰时期，阿波罗计划涉及数千个机构约40万人。就连火箭也是在多个地点制造的。这是一个非凡的协调壮举，是在没有现代计算机设计程序或即时通信工具的时代实现的。与此形成鲜明对比的是，2000年代，当加利福尼亚州邀请投标建造一条穿越该州的高速铁路时，法国铁路公司SNCF提交了一份投标书，但在2011年撤回了投标，转而参与摩洛哥的一个类似项目。摩洛哥的高铁于2018年开始运营。而加州的高铁尚未完工。
在高峰时期，阿波罗计划涉及数千个机构约40万人。就连火箭也是在多个地点制造的。这是一个非凡的协调壮举，是在没有现代计算机设计程序或即时通信工具的时代实现的。与此形成鲜明对比的是，2000年代，当加利福尼亚州邀请投标建造一条穿越该州的高速铁路时，法国铁路公司SNCF提交了一份投标书，但在2011年撤回了投标，转而参与摩洛哥的一个类似项目。摩洛哥的高铁于2018年开始运营。而加州的高铁尚未完工。
It is unlikely that the America of today could muster the degree of co-ordination and industrial resources that put Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon in 1969. Were I an American raised on the conviction that progress moves only in one direction, I too might conclude that, logically, these feats could not have been achievable half a century ago.
今天的美国不太可能像1969年阿姆斯特朗和奥尔德林登上月球时那样，拥有那么丰富的协调能力和工业资源。如果我是一个美国人，从小就坚信进步只能单向发展，那么我也会得出这样的结论：从逻辑上讲，这些壮举在半个世纪前是不可能实现的。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
今天的美国不太可能像1969年阿姆斯特朗和奥尔德林登上月球时那样，拥有那么丰富的协调能力和工业资源。如果我是一个美国人，从小就坚信进步只能单向发展，那么我也会得出这样的结论：从逻辑上讲，这些壮举在半个世纪前是不可能实现的。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
The most comforting conclusion, in other words, might be that the Moon landings were a hoax. The alternative is far bleaker: that the achievements of mid-20th-century America were the achievements of a different civilisation, one now as distant and mysterious as the Moon.
换句话说，最令人欣慰的结论可能是登月是一场骗局。而另一种结论则更加黯然：20世纪中期的美国成就属于另一个文明，这个文明如今和月球一样遥远而神秘。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
换句话说，最令人欣慰的结论可能是登月是一场骗局。而另一种结论则更加黯然：20世纪中期的美国成就属于另一个文明，这个文明如今和月球一样遥远而神秘。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
评论翻译
@David Carpenter
Have you ever thought how many people would have to have been bribed, and stayed bribed, if the flights had not really been made? Eighteen astronauts, the countless launch and monitoring crew members, the people who would have had to make the false sets, the people who owned the premises where the false sets were built, the radar and communication experts around the world, the families of all these people, the list is endless. If it had been possible to fool all these people, there would have to have been an enormous group of people designing the whole fake show and doing it well enough to fool the professionals. And not one of those people came forward with proof that the landings were false and, incidentally becoming a millionaire on the spot?
你有没有想过，如果不是真的进行了登月，会有多少人需要且一直被贿赂？18名宇航员、无数的发射和监测人员、必须制作假装置的人、拥有制作假装置的场所的人、世界各地的雷达和通信专家、所有这些人的家属，这样的例子不胜枚举。如果有可能骗过所有这些人，那么就必须有一大群人设计整个虚假表演，而且要做得足以骗过专业人士。而这些人中却没有一个站出来证明登陆是假的，顺便当场成为百万富翁？
Have you ever thought how many people would have to have been bribed, and stayed bribed, if the flights had not really been made? Eighteen astronauts, the countless launch and monitoring crew members, the people who would have had to make the false sets, the people who owned the premises where the false sets were built, the radar and communication experts around the world, the families of all these people, the list is endless. If it had been possible to fool all these people, there would have to have been an enormous group of people designing the whole fake show and doing it well enough to fool the professionals. And not one of those people came forward with proof that the landings were false and, incidentally becoming a millionaire on the spot?
你有没有想过，如果不是真的进行了登月，会有多少人需要且一直被贿赂？18名宇航员、无数的发射和监测人员、必须制作假装置的人、拥有制作假装置的场所的人、世界各地的雷达和通信专家、所有这些人的家属，这样的例子不胜枚举。如果有可能骗过所有这些人，那么就必须有一大群人设计整个虚假表演，而且要做得足以骗过专业人士。而这些人中却没有一个站出来证明登陆是假的，顺便当场成为百万富翁？
@John Williams
In 1962 , seven years before the landing, Russian and America almost went to nuclear war so if anybody had a reason to expose an American fraud it would have been the Soviet unx. Never a peep out of them. Not then not now.
1962年，也就是登月的七年前，俄罗斯和美国几乎爆发核战，所以如果有人有理由揭露美国的骗局，那一定是苏联。可他们从来没说过一句话。当时没有，现在也没有。
In 1962 , seven years before the landing, Russian and America almost went to nuclear war so if anybody had a reason to expose an American fraud it would have been the Soviet unx. Never a peep out of them. Not then not now.
1962年，也就是登月的七年前，俄罗斯和美国几乎爆发核战，所以如果有人有理由揭露美国的骗局，那一定是苏联。可他们从来没说过一句话。当时没有，现在也没有。
@Lloyd Ruskin
The moon journeys proved the capabilities of rockets (which could be redeployed for inter-ballistic missiles). Conspiracy theories are like viruses, which mutate over the decades, as people fail to acknowledge the advances in science and the planning and organisation of people for advancing good technology, instead of Putin the world into conflict in a series of wars in Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Lebanon and many African countries.
登月之旅证明了火箭的能力（其可被重新部署为弹道导弹）。阴谋论就像病毒，几十年来不断变异，因为人们不承认科学的进步，不承认人们为推动优秀技术的发展而进行的规划和组织，反而把世界卷入乌克兰、叙利亚、伊朗、黎巴嫩和许多非洲国家的一系列战争冲突中。
The moon journeys proved the capabilities of rockets (which could be redeployed for inter-ballistic missiles). Conspiracy theories are like viruses, which mutate over the decades, as people fail to acknowledge the advances in science and the planning and organisation of people for advancing good technology, instead of Putin the world into conflict in a series of wars in Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Lebanon and many African countries.
登月之旅证明了火箭的能力（其可被重新部署为弹道导弹）。阴谋论就像病毒，几十年来不断变异，因为人们不承认科学的进步，不承认人们为推动优秀技术的发展而进行的规划和组织，反而把世界卷入乌克兰、叙利亚、伊朗、黎巴嫩和许多非洲国家的一系列战争冲突中。
@James Gilt
The UK is declining even faster than the USA. The UK invented commercial railways, nuclear power for civilian use and one of the first computers. Now the UK cannot build a high-speed railway line from London to Manchester.
英国的衰落速度甚至比美国更快。英国发明了商业铁路、民用核电站和最早的计算机之一。现在呢，英国却连一条从伦敦到曼彻斯特的高速铁路都无法修建。
The UK is declining even faster than the USA. The UK invented commercial railways, nuclear power for civilian use and one of the first computers. Now the UK cannot build a high-speed railway line from London to Manchester.
英国的衰落速度甚至比美国更快。英国发明了商业铁路、民用核电站和最早的计算机之一。现在呢，英国却连一条从伦敦到曼彻斯特的高速铁路都无法修建。
@Christopher Garrod
Looking back at the original Moon landing, it was such a gamble and massive risk to the lives of the Astronauts that current risk assessment protocols would not allow it. The unproven technology and minimal computer assistance meant that a lot of the risks were not even imagined at that time and it was only the fierce competition with the USSR that drove the project at all. The guts of those early astronauts was truly as remarkable as the irresponsibility of starting the countdown! They deserve to go down in history as the world's greatest explorers.
回顾最初的登月计划，这是一场豪赌，对宇航员的生命构成巨大风险，目前的风险评估协议已经不允许这样做。未经证实的技术和极少的计算机辅助意味着当时根本无法想象潜在的诸多风险，只是因为与苏联的激烈竞争才推进了这一项目。这些早期宇航员的胆量与开始倒计时的无所畏惧一样了不起！他们理应作为世界上最伟大的探险家载入史册。
Looking back at the original Moon landing, it was such a gamble and massive risk to the lives of the Astronauts that current risk assessment protocols would not allow it. The unproven technology and minimal computer assistance meant that a lot of the risks were not even imagined at that time and it was only the fierce competition with the USSR that drove the project at all. The guts of those early astronauts was truly as remarkable as the irresponsibility of starting the countdown! They deserve to go down in history as the world's greatest explorers.
回顾最初的登月计划，这是一场豪赌，对宇航员的生命构成巨大风险，目前的风险评估协议已经不允许这样做。未经证实的技术和极少的计算机辅助意味着当时根本无法想象潜在的诸多风险，只是因为与苏联的激烈竞争才推进了这一项目。这些早期宇航员的胆量与开始倒计时的无所畏惧一样了不起！他们理应作为世界上最伟大的探险家载入史册。
@Stephen Darnley
Just a technical point.
If you were planning to deceive the whole world and fake a moon landing, you would not design a vehicle that left a large part of its structure remaining on the lunar surface, and also leave a great deal of hardware like lunar rovers and other items.
And why would you do the same thing, time after time, right up to 1972.
Any devious player would make a supposed landing, leave nothing on the surface, and then call it a day.
In reality, the Apollo missions were achievements of such breathtaking magnitude that some people became incapable of understanding them.
这只是一个技术问题而已。
如果你打算欺骗全世界，伪造登月，你就不会设计一个在月球表面留下大部分结构的飞行器，也不会留下大量的硬件，比如月球车和其他物品。
你为什么要一次又一次地做同样的事情直到1972年。
任何狡猾的玩家都会进行一次所谓的着陆，在月球表面什么也不留下，然后就收工了。
实际上，阿波罗任务的成就之大令人叹为观止，以至于总有些人无法理解。
Just a technical point.
If you were planning to deceive the whole world and fake a moon landing, you would not design a vehicle that left a large part of its structure remaining on the lunar surface, and also leave a great deal of hardware like lunar rovers and other items.
And why would you do the same thing, time after time, right up to 1972.
Any devious player would make a supposed landing, leave nothing on the surface, and then call it a day.
In reality, the Apollo missions were achievements of such breathtaking magnitude that some people became incapable of understanding them.
这只是一个技术问题而已。
如果你打算欺骗全世界，伪造登月，你就不会设计一个在月球表面留下大部分结构的飞行器，也不会留下大量的硬件，比如月球车和其他物品。
你为什么要一次又一次地做同样的事情直到1972年。
任何狡猾的玩家都会进行一次所谓的着陆，在月球表面什么也不留下，然后就收工了。
实际上，阿波罗任务的成就之大令人叹为观止，以至于总有些人无法理解。
@Elvin Reece
Completely agree. An incredible feat of engineering, bravery, science, team work, commitment and problem solving.
完全同意。这是工程学、勇气、科学、团队合作、奉献精神和解决问题能力的惊人成就。
Completely agree. An incredible feat of engineering, bravery, science, team work, commitment and problem solving.
完全同意。这是工程学、勇气、科学、团队合作、奉献精神和解决问题能力的惊人成就。
@Joe The-Pom
Also. How would you accurately (to within a metre) measure the distance from the Earth to the moon, if you hadn't placed retroreflectors there to allow laser light to be detected returning, and by timing measure so accurately, if you hadn't been there, landed, placed the device, set it up, and finally tested it? Takes a moron to disbelieve the achievement of the Apollo program.
还有。如果你没有在月球上放置反向反射器来探测返回的激光，如果你没有到过那里，没有登陆过，没有放置过设备，没有安装过，也没有测试过，你怎么能准确地（精确到一米以内）测量出从地球到月球的距离呢？只有白痴才会不相信阿波罗计划的成就。
Also. How would you accurately (to within a metre) measure the distance from the Earth to the moon, if you hadn't placed retroreflectors there to allow laser light to be detected returning, and by timing measure so accurately, if you hadn't been there, landed, placed the device, set it up, and finally tested it? Takes a moron to disbelieve the achievement of the Apollo program.
还有。如果你没有在月球上放置反向反射器来探测返回的激光，如果你没有到过那里，没有登陆过，没有放置过设备，没有安装过，也没有测试过，你怎么能准确地（精确到一米以内）测量出从地球到月球的距离呢？只有白痴才会不相信阿波罗计划的成就。
@John Woods
The most compelling reason for knowing the moon landing was real? The Soviets never claimed they were not. They would have tracked the launch, followed radio signals in space, tracked the whole thing via their space agency and at the height of the Cold War would have taken great delight at publicly announcing anything that proved it was a lie. But they didn’t. Or are they in on it as well?
知道登月是真的最有说服力的理由是什么？苏联人从未声称美国作假。他们会跟踪发射，跟踪太空中的无线电信号，通过他们的航天局跟踪整个事件，在冷战高峰期，他们会非常高兴地公开宣布任何证明这是谎言的事情。但他们没有。还是说，他们也参与其中了？
The most compelling reason for knowing the moon landing was real? The Soviets never claimed they were not. They would have tracked the launch, followed radio signals in space, tracked the whole thing via their space agency and at the height of the Cold War would have taken great delight at publicly announcing anything that proved it was a lie. But they didn’t. Or are they in on it as well?
知道登月是真的最有说服力的理由是什么？苏联人从未声称美国作假。他们会跟踪发射，跟踪太空中的无线电信号，通过他们的航天局跟踪整个事件，在冷战高峰期，他们会非常高兴地公开宣布任何证明这是谎言的事情。但他们没有。还是说，他们也参与其中了？
@Not The VAT Man
A lot of commentators have missed the point of the article. Not that the DT is suggesting there’s any truth in the moon landings being faked, but that the theory of it being faked grows in tandem with the USA’s apparent decline. Although the technology today is better, the level of determination and organisation to achieve such a feat doesn’t currently exist, so much so that many current day Americans can’t believe it ever existed.
很多评论员都忽略了文章的重点。这并不是在暗示登月是虚假的，而是说登月是虚假的理论随着美国的明显衰落而发展。虽然今天的技术更先进，但实现这一壮举的决心和组织水平目前已不存在，以至于许多今天的美国人无法相信它曾经存在过。
A lot of commentators have missed the point of the article. Not that the DT is suggesting there’s any truth in the moon landings being faked, but that the theory of it being faked grows in tandem with the USA’s apparent decline. Although the technology today is better, the level of determination and organisation to achieve such a feat doesn’t currently exist, so much so that many current day Americans can’t believe it ever existed.
很多评论员都忽略了文章的重点。这并不是在暗示登月是虚假的，而是说登月是虚假的理论随着美国的明显衰落而发展。虽然今天的技术更先进，但实现这一壮举的决心和组织水平目前已不存在，以至于许多今天的美国人无法相信它曾经存在过。
@martin Ricketts
The people who believe this conspiracy theory are in same category with the flat earthers
相信这种阴谋论的人与地平论者是同一类人
The people who believe this conspiracy theory are in same category with the flat earthers
相信这种阴谋论的人与地平论者是同一类人
@Lionel Mandrake
The shared beliefs of nation states before they became watered down by “multiculturalism”. Belief in one self and one’s country have been eaten away by decades of perceived freedoms and “rights”. We live in an age where the triangle of team, self and task have become out of balance, with “self” now far too much the priority.
民族国家正在被“多元文化主义”冲淡之前的共同信仰。对自我和国家的信念已被数十年的自由和“权利”蚕食殆尽。我们生活在这样一个时代，团队、自我和任务的三角关系已经失去平衡，“自我”现在过于突出了。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
The shared beliefs of nation states before they became watered down by “multiculturalism”. Belief in one self and one’s country have been eaten away by decades of perceived freedoms and “rights”. We live in an age where the triangle of team, self and task have become out of balance, with “self” now far too much the priority.
民族国家正在被“多元文化主义”冲淡之前的共同信仰。对自我和国家的信念已被数十年的自由和“权利”蚕食殆尽。我们生活在这样一个时代，团队、自我和任务的三角关系已经失去平衡，“自我”现在过于突出了。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
@Simon davidson
This article makes a serious point.
Not only were the moon landings mankind’s crowning achievement, but technological development since that time apart from in medicine have added little to the quality of life unlike inventios such as domestic electricity, the refrigerator, the motor vehicle and powered flight did.
The ubiquitous computer, the internet, social media and smart phones have complicated our existence and made people less capable of critical thinking and sensible decision making.
You only have to look at the diminishing capability of our political leaders since the 1980s for evidence of this.
这篇文章提出了一个严肃的观点。
登月不仅是人类最伟大的成就，而且自登月以来，除了医学方面的发明外，科技的发展几乎没有提高人们的生活质量。
无处不在的电脑、互联网、社交媒体和智能手机让我们的生活变得更加复杂，也让人们的批判性思维和理智决策能力大打折扣。
只要看看自20世纪80年代以来西方政治领导人能力的下降，就能证明这一点。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
This article makes a serious point.
Not only were the moon landings mankind’s crowning achievement, but technological development since that time apart from in medicine have added little to the quality of life unlike inventios such as domestic electricity, the refrigerator, the motor vehicle and powered flight did.
The ubiquitous computer, the internet, social media and smart phones have complicated our existence and made people less capable of critical thinking and sensible decision making.
You only have to look at the diminishing capability of our political leaders since the 1980s for evidence of this.
这篇文章提出了一个严肃的观点。
登月不仅是人类最伟大的成就，而且自登月以来，除了医学方面的发明外，科技的发展几乎没有提高人们的生活质量。
无处不在的电脑、互联网、社交媒体和智能手机让我们的生活变得更加复杂，也让人们的批判性思维和理智决策能力大打折扣。
只要看看自20世纪80年代以来西方政治领导人能力的下降，就能证明这一点。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
@Lord Lucan on Shergar
The strongest proof of the moon landings lies in the complete lack of evidence produced by Russia and China to debunk the landings. It was such a smack in the face of Communism that no price would have been to high to pay to prove them as fake.
登月最有力的证据在于俄罗斯和中国完全没有提供证据来揭穿登月的谎言。这是对共产主义的当头棒喝，为了证明它们是假的，付出再大的代价也在所不惜。
The strongest proof of the moon landings lies in the complete lack of evidence produced by Russia and China to debunk the landings. It was such a smack in the face of Communism that no price would have been to high to pay to prove them as fake.
登月最有力的证据在于俄罗斯和中国完全没有提供证据来揭穿登月的谎言。这是对共产主义的当头棒喝，为了证明它们是假的，付出再大的代价也在所不惜。
@Jerry Markham
The idea that progress only goes one way is completely destroyed simply by looking at history.
We are merely seeing the decline of an empire just like the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, our own and now the US and West in general.
When I was a boy in the 60s and 70s there was still an immense sense of National Pride, personal responsibility, community spirit and of course general politeness.
In short Society.
只要回顾一下历史，那种认为进步只能单向发展的想法就会被彻底摧毁。
我们只是看到了一个帝国的衰落，就像埃及人、希腊人、罗马人、奥斯曼人、我们自己的帝国以及现在的美国和整个西方一样。
上世纪六七十年代，当我还是个孩子的时候，民族自豪感、个人责任感、社区精神，当然还有普遍的礼貌，这些在当时仍然非常强烈。
简而言之，就是社会责任感。
The idea that progress only goes one way is completely destroyed simply by looking at history.
We are merely seeing the decline of an empire just like the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, our own and now the US and West in general.
When I was a boy in the 60s and 70s there was still an immense sense of National Pride, personal responsibility, community spirit and of course general politeness.
In short Society.
只要回顾一下历史，那种认为进步只能单向发展的想法就会被彻底摧毁。
我们只是看到了一个帝国的衰落，就像埃及人、希腊人、罗马人、奥斯曼人、我们自己的帝国以及现在的美国和整个西方一样。
上世纪六七十年代，当我还是个孩子的时候，民族自豪感、个人责任感、社区精神，当然还有普遍的礼貌，这些在当时仍然非常强烈。
简而言之，就是社会责任感。
Today National Pride is all but banned, personal responsibility is laughed at by those who just take, politeness is viewed as weakness, and community spirit is blown apart due to the mishmass of cultures and religions that have been forced upon us.
Have we seen any Captains of Industry do anything for the Public Good in 100 yrs?
Don’t think we have regressed?
Just take a look at our once great Capital, now a streetcrime and knife crime hellhole!
如今，民族自豪感几乎被禁止，个人责任感被那些只知道索取的人嘲笑，礼貌被视为软弱，而社区精神则因强加给我们的各种文化和宗教而支离破碎。
百年以来，我们见过任何工业领袖为公共利益做任何事情吗？
不觉得我们退步了吗？
看看我们曾经伟大的首都就知道了，现在它已成为街头犯罪和持刀犯罪的地狱！
Have we seen any Captains of Industry do anything for the Public Good in 100 yrs?
Don’t think we have regressed?
Just take a look at our once great Capital, now a streetcrime and knife crime hellhole!
如今，民族自豪感几乎被禁止，个人责任感被那些只知道索取的人嘲笑，礼貌被视为软弱，而社区精神则因强加给我们的各种文化和宗教而支离破碎。
百年以来，我们见过任何工业领袖为公共利益做任何事情吗？
不觉得我们退步了吗？
看看我们曾经伟大的首都就知道了，现在它已成为街头犯罪和持刀犯罪的地狱！
@Nicholas mills
look at India's recent landing on the moon, fake imagery. China landed on the moon, fake imagery. Imagines from space are composite digitilised images
There was indeed a Russian craft following the Apollo mission, it also crashed on the moon.
Why did the soviets not call foul on the fake mission? It wasn't a fake mission. It was a fake mission, and the lie goes deeper than anyone can imagine.
That Russia is not really an enemy but a narrative to split the world, divide and conquer. Imaginations can run wild.
Personally, I believe the missions were real, but I'm aware of other alternative points of view.
看看印度最近的登月，视频是假的。中国的登月，视频也是假的。太空图像是数字化的合成图像。
确实有一艘俄罗斯飞船跟随阿波罗任务，它也在月球上坠毁了。
苏联为什么不对这一虚假任务喊冤？这不是假任务。这要是个假任务，那谎言的深度超乎所有人的想象。
俄罗斯并不是真正的敌人，而是一种分裂世界、分化和征服的说法。想象力可以天马行空。
就我个人而言，我相信这些任务是真的，但我也知道有其他的观点。
look at India's recent landing on the moon, fake imagery. China landed on the moon, fake imagery. Imagines from space are composite digitilised images
There was indeed a Russian craft following the Apollo mission, it also crashed on the moon.
Why did the soviets not call foul on the fake mission? It wasn't a fake mission. It was a fake mission, and the lie goes deeper than anyone can imagine.
That Russia is not really an enemy but a narrative to split the world, divide and conquer. Imaginations can run wild.
Personally, I believe the missions were real, but I'm aware of other alternative points of view.
看看印度最近的登月，视频是假的。中国的登月，视频也是假的。太空图像是数字化的合成图像。
确实有一艘俄罗斯飞船跟随阿波罗任务，它也在月球上坠毁了。
苏联为什么不对这一虚假任务喊冤？这不是假任务。这要是个假任务，那谎言的深度超乎所有人的想象。
俄罗斯并不是真正的敌人，而是一种分裂世界、分化和征服的说法。想象力可以天马行空。
就我个人而言，我相信这些任务是真的，但我也知道有其他的观点。
@Robert
In short, a few generations has focused on self instead of national pride.
简而言之，最近这几代人只注重自我，而没有民族自豪感。
In short, a few generations has focused on self instead of national pride.
简而言之，最近这几代人只注重自我，而没有民族自豪感。
@Jeff
My great granddad was a rule of thumb steam engineer immigrant from Scotland.
My dad was a design engineer in the 60s and 70s at Naval Reactors.
I've worked as an engineer for three decades on space probes and stealth fighters, shuttle upgrades, and three X planes.
I've raised three engineer sons, with one now working on lunar flight hardware at NASA JSC, one on hypersonics for the Navy, and one undergrad engineer.
We're doing our part - and American engineering is alive and well despite the best mistakes the politicians and bean counters can make (looking at you Boeing management).
Hey, kids out there; STEM is the way to go, the pay is good, and aerospace is an absolute blast; join us.
我的曾祖父是一位来自苏格兰的经验法则蒸汽工程师移民。（经验法则：只考虑重要信息，而忽略掉其他信息。否则信息成本无限高。）
我父亲在上世纪六七十年代是海军反应堆的设计工程师。
我作为工程师工作了三十年，参与了太空探测器、隐形战斗机、航天飞机升级和三架X飞机的设计。
我培养了三个工程师儿子，一个在美国国家航空航天局联合航天中心（NASA JSC）从事月球飞行硬件研究，一个在海军从事高超音速研究，还有一个在读工程师本科。
我们正在尽自己的一份力量--尽管政客和精打细算的人犯了很多错误（波音公司的管理层就是如此），但美国的工程技术依然生机勃勃。
嘿，外面的孩子们：STEM是一条出路，薪水丰厚，航空航天绝对令人兴奋；来加入我们吧。
My great granddad was a rule of thumb steam engineer immigrant from Scotland.
My dad was a design engineer in the 60s and 70s at Naval Reactors.
I've worked as an engineer for three decades on space probes and stealth fighters, shuttle upgrades, and three X planes.
I've raised three engineer sons, with one now working on lunar flight hardware at NASA JSC, one on hypersonics for the Navy, and one undergrad engineer.
We're doing our part - and American engineering is alive and well despite the best mistakes the politicians and bean counters can make (looking at you Boeing management).
Hey, kids out there; STEM is the way to go, the pay is good, and aerospace is an absolute blast; join us.
我的曾祖父是一位来自苏格兰的经验法则蒸汽工程师移民。（经验法则：只考虑重要信息，而忽略掉其他信息。否则信息成本无限高。）
我父亲在上世纪六七十年代是海军反应堆的设计工程师。
我作为工程师工作了三十年，参与了太空探测器、隐形战斗机、航天飞机升级和三架X飞机的设计。
我培养了三个工程师儿子，一个在美国国家航空航天局联合航天中心（NASA JSC）从事月球飞行硬件研究，一个在海军从事高超音速研究，还有一个在读工程师本科。
我们正在尽自己的一份力量--尽管政客和精打细算的人犯了很多错误（波音公司的管理层就是如此），但美国的工程技术依然生机勃勃。
嘿，外面的孩子们：STEM是一条出路，薪水丰厚，航空航天绝对令人兴奋；来加入我们吧。
@Cristofer
Unfortunately, we are living in a time when formal education has lost its appeal to the masses.
Everyone thinks they can get along without it.
It's not a matter of having a trade, blue or white collar, it is about what higher education does for us as human beings.
It helps us to find the answers to yet unanswered questions, formalizes our abiitites to see things through a different scope and makes us well-rounded.
Many say that school isn't for everyone, I disagree.
The Americas as a whole is missing out on making the planet a better place to live and Asia and India are making greater strides everyday.
STEM is the way to go.
不幸的是，我们生活在一个正规教育对大众失去吸引力的时代。
每个人都认为没有正规教育也能过得很好。
这不是有没有生意的问题，也不是蓝领或白领的问题，而是高等教育对我们人类的作用。
它帮助我们找到尚未解答的问题的答案，使我们有能力从不同的角度看问题，使我们成为全面发展的人。
很多人说学校并不适合所有人，但我不同意。
整个美洲正在错过让地球变得更美好的机会，而亚洲和印度每天都在取得更大的进步。
STEM才是王道。
Unfortunately, we are living in a time when formal education has lost its appeal to the masses.
Everyone thinks they can get along without it.
It's not a matter of having a trade, blue or white collar, it is about what higher education does for us as human beings.
It helps us to find the answers to yet unanswered questions, formalizes our abiitites to see things through a different scope and makes us well-rounded.
Many say that school isn't for everyone, I disagree.
The Americas as a whole is missing out on making the planet a better place to live and Asia and India are making greater strides everyday.
STEM is the way to go.
不幸的是，我们生活在一个正规教育对大众失去吸引力的时代。
每个人都认为没有正规教育也能过得很好。
这不是有没有生意的问题，也不是蓝领或白领的问题，而是高等教育对我们人类的作用。
它帮助我们找到尚未解答的问题的答案，使我们有能力从不同的角度看问题，使我们成为全面发展的人。
很多人说学校并不适合所有人，但我不同意。
整个美洲正在错过让地球变得更美好的机会，而亚洲和印度每天都在取得更大的进步。
STEM才是王道。
@faye
I will believe until I die that the moon landing happened.
People were different back then. They took their jobs, their lives and their place in society more seriously.
People today, in general, are out for themselves.
They don’t work together as well and you can’t accomplish things of that scale if you can’t work together over a long period of time.
That’s why we can’t accomplish the stuff we used to anymore and why the younger generations don’t believe we ever could.
我至死都会相信登月是真的。
那时的人们与现在不同。他们更认真地对待自己的工作、生活和社会地位。
现在的人们，一般都是为了自己。
如果不能长期合作，就无法完成如此大规模的任务。
这就是为什么我们再也无法完成过去所做的事情，也是年轻一代不相信我们能做到的原因。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
I will believe until I die that the moon landing happened.
People were different back then. They took their jobs, their lives and their place in society more seriously.
People today, in general, are out for themselves.
They don’t work together as well and you can’t accomplish things of that scale if you can’t work together over a long period of time.
That’s why we can’t accomplish the stuff we used to anymore and why the younger generations don’t believe we ever could.
我至死都会相信登月是真的。
那时的人们与现在不同。他们更认真地对待自己的工作、生活和社会地位。
现在的人们，一般都是为了自己。
如果不能长期合作，就无法完成如此大规模的任务。
这就是为什么我们再也无法完成过去所做的事情，也是年轻一代不相信我们能做到的原因。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
@Dave
Part of the reason we lost our technological edge was we lost our devil.
Our biggest reason for going to the moon was to beat the Soviets there, since before 1960 they were well ahead of us in the exploration of space, having launched the first satellite and putting the first humans into orbit.
All the technological advances to attempt Reagan's "Star Wars" program added to this competition, and that, combined with our military spending brought down the USSR.
Even Gorbachev said something like "What will you do without your devil".
But with no enemy to beat, there was no spirit to continue.
我们失去技术优势的部分原因是我们失去了天敌。
我们登月的最大原因是要在那里打败苏联，因为在1960年之前，他们在太空探索方面远远领先于我们，他们发射了第一颗人造卫星，并将第一位人类送入太空轨道。
里根的“星球大战”计划所带来的所有技术进步都加剧了这种竞争，再加上我们的军费开支，苏联被拖垮了。
甚至戈尔巴乔夫也说过类似的话：“没有你的天敌，你将怎么办”。
但是，没有敌人可以打败，也就没有了继续前进的精神。
Part of the reason we lost our technological edge was we lost our devil.
Our biggest reason for going to the moon was to beat the Soviets there, since before 1960 they were well ahead of us in the exploration of space, having launched the first satellite and putting the first humans into orbit.
All the technological advances to attempt Reagan's "Star Wars" program added to this competition, and that, combined with our military spending brought down the USSR.
Even Gorbachev said something like "What will you do without your devil".
But with no enemy to beat, there was no spirit to continue.
我们失去技术优势的部分原因是我们失去了天敌。
我们登月的最大原因是要在那里打败苏联，因为在1960年之前，他们在太空探索方面远远领先于我们，他们发射了第一颗人造卫星，并将第一位人类送入太空轨道。
里根的“星球大战”计划所带来的所有技术进步都加剧了这种竞争，再加上我们的军费开支，苏联被拖垮了。
甚至戈尔巴乔夫也说过类似的话：“没有你的天敌，你将怎么办”。
但是，没有敌人可以打败，也就没有了继续前进的精神。
Instead, every American innovation in the last 60 years has literally been given away.
We invented the computer chip, but we no longer make them.
We invented microwave ovens, but we no longer manufacture them.
We invented television and radio, but we don't manufacture either.
We haven't gone back to the moon, because there was no drive, no competition.
Now that China is poised to send people there that could change.
Even the plan to send people to Mars is met with ho hum by the public.
The first moon landing was exciting, the last one was ho hum.
We're a fickle people.
相反，在过去的60年里，美国的每一项创新都被拱手让人。
我们发明了电脑芯片，但我们不再生产电脑芯片。
我们发明了微波炉，但我们不再生产微波炉。
我们发明了电视和收音机，但我们都不再生产它们。
我们不再重返月球，因为没有动力，就没有竞争。
现在，中国准备送人去月球，这可能会让我们有所改变。
可即使是将人类送上火星的计划，公众也是嗤之以鼻。
第一次登月令人兴奋，而最后一次登月却令人沉闷。
人心似水，民动如烟。
We invented the computer chip, but we no longer make them.
We invented microwave ovens, but we no longer manufacture them.
We invented television and radio, but we don't manufacture either.
We haven't gone back to the moon, because there was no drive, no competition.
Now that China is poised to send people there that could change.
Even the plan to send people to Mars is met with ho hum by the public.
The first moon landing was exciting, the last one was ho hum.
We're a fickle people.
相反，在过去的60年里，美国的每一项创新都被拱手让人。
我们发明了电脑芯片，但我们不再生产电脑芯片。
我们发明了微波炉，但我们不再生产微波炉。
我们发明了电视和收音机，但我们都不再生产它们。
我们不再重返月球，因为没有动力，就没有竞争。
现在，中国准备送人去月球，这可能会让我们有所改变。
可即使是将人类送上火星的计划，公众也是嗤之以鼻。
第一次登月令人兴奋，而最后一次登月却令人沉闷。
人心似水，民动如烟。
@Ron H
Very well put. Hence why during the Apollo program NASA's budget was 6% of GDP versus the .2% it is now. As people's interest grew and our "enemies" were beat then we quit putting money into it.
说得好啊。就因为如此，在阿波罗计划期间，NASA的预算曾占国内生产总值的6%，而现在仅为0.2%。随着人们兴趣的增长，我们的“敌人”被打败了，我们就不再投入资金了。
Very well put. Hence why during the Apollo program NASA's budget was 6% of GDP versus the .2% it is now. As people's interest grew and our "enemies" were beat then we quit putting money into it.
说得好啊。就因为如此，在阿波罗计划期间，NASA的预算曾占国内生产总值的6%，而现在仅为0.2%。随着人们兴趣的增长，我们的“敌人”被打败了，我们就不再投入资金了。
@M.B
I don't believe that the United States or the West is "through". I do think we are in a very dangerous time, where people are too distracted to want to work together.
I do think there is a threat of the end of democratic Leadership and Supremacy. However, a good chunk of our problems are due to poor public Political choices, and big companies and media that jumped on the bandwagon of political weakness, to make a buck.
I think it could be turned around by the election of younger, less inflexible, leaders with teams to match.
This present system, where two sides block everything the other side tries , and it's all about name-calling incivility rather than function, is what will ruin us.
我不认为美国或西方已经“完蛋”。但我确实认为我们正处于一个非常危险的时期，在这个时期，人心过于分散，不愿意齐心努力。
我认为，民主领导和民主至上的时代有可能终结。然而，我们的大部分问题都是由于公众的政治选择失误，以及大公司和媒体为了赚钱而跳上了政治软弱的行列。
我认为，只要选出更年轻、不那么僵化的领导人和与之相匹配的团队，问题就会迎刃而解。
目前的体制，即双方都互相阻止对方的一切努力，只讲骂名不讲文明，不去发挥作用，这会毁了我们的。
I don't believe that the United States or the West is "through". I do think we are in a very dangerous time, where people are too distracted to want to work together.
I do think there is a threat of the end of democratic Leadership and Supremacy. However, a good chunk of our problems are due to poor public Political choices, and big companies and media that jumped on the bandwagon of political weakness, to make a buck.
I think it could be turned around by the election of younger, less inflexible, leaders with teams to match.
This present system, where two sides block everything the other side tries , and it's all about name-calling incivility rather than function, is what will ruin us.
我不认为美国或西方已经“完蛋”。但我确实认为我们正处于一个非常危险的时期，在这个时期，人心过于分散，不愿意齐心努力。
我认为，民主领导和民主至上的时代有可能终结。然而，我们的大部分问题都是由于公众的政治选择失误，以及大公司和媒体为了赚钱而跳上了政治软弱的行列。
我认为，只要选出更年轻、不那么僵化的领导人和与之相匹配的团队，问题就会迎刃而解。
目前的体制，即双方都互相阻止对方的一切努力，只讲骂名不讲文明，不去发挥作用，这会毁了我们的。
很赞 29
收藏