2021年经济学人 史上最孤独的人:迈克尔·柯林斯(3)

His mission first commandment was simple: Thou shalt not screw up.

他的任务的第一要务简单明了：不能搞砸。

Gemini 10 had been a practice run for Apollo, a local thing, but now the world’s eyes were on the Moon and on them.

双子星10号飞行计划是阿波罗登月计划的演练，受到的关注很少，但如今的登月计划聚焦了全世界的目光。

The commemorative stamps were already printed, the medals struck; he had sketched² the patch-image himself, an American bald eagle with olive branches in its claws.

人们早就印好纪念邮票、制作好奖章。科林斯自己绘制了徽章图像，上面画着美国国鸟白头海雕，爪子里抓着橄榄枝。

Columbia carried a plaque³ to be left on the Moon, “We came in peace for all mankind”. The weight of expectation could not have been heavier.

哥伦比亚号在月球上留了一块牌子，写着——“为全人类和平相处”——这份期望的重要性可见一斑。

Yet it came from a planet that seemed to weigh nothing at all.

然而这份期望来自一个看起来好像无足轻重的星球。

If he stretched out his arm to the window of Columbia, Earth was covered by his thumbnail.

如果科林斯将手臂伸向哥伦比亚号的窗户，就会发现地球被他的大拇指指甲盖遮住了。

It floated in a black void, blue with seas, white with clouds, a tiny gem¹ sparkling and shining.

这颗星球漂浮在黑暗的太空中，蓝色的海洋与白色的云层交织在一起，仿佛一颗耀眼的小宝石。

The word that kept surprising him was “fragile”.

脆弱如它，连科林斯自己都颇感惊讶。

He had known Earth all his life as solid, heavy, terrifyingly hard as he fell towards it once when his f-86 was on fire.

一直以来，科林斯认为地球是厚实、笨重、坚如磐石，尤其是当他驾驶着f86战斗机着火摔向地球时，这种感觉尤为强烈。

Now he wanted to take care of it. He wished its bickering⁴ politicians could see it from that distance.

现在他只想要悉心呵护这个星球。他多么希望那些争得面红耳赤的政客能从远处看看地球。

What would their arguments matter then?

只有这样才会恍然大悟那些争论毫无意义。

Ever since some gruesome dental work in childhood, he had been able to detach his mind from his body when he needed to.

儿时可怕的看牙经历让科林斯学会了在需要的时候将思想从躯体中抽离出来。

At the dentist’s, he hovered⁵ near the ceiling. As a test pilot, he found secret spaces in cumulus clouds.

在牙科诊所，他盯着天花板发呆。当试飞员时，他在积云中发现了秘密空间。

In later life, if he needed solace⁶, he would relive what he had seen from Columbia.

在日后的生活中，他会重温在哥伦比亚号中看到的场景。

That was his last space trip; being an astronaut took him away from family too much.

这是他最后一次太空旅行——借此来寻求慰藉。

He liked to recall how the Moon had looked close-to, shockingly spherical⁷, and compared it with the shining dinner-plate he saw from his paddleboat when he was out night-fishing.

身为宇航员，他长时间不着家。夜晚外出垂钓时，他最爱的事情就是在划艇上望着那轮明月，回忆当年近距离观赏这个令人震惊的球体，并将两种月亮进行对比。

He did not look often, though; been there, done that.

不过，这种行为他并不常做，也不会身陷回忆无法自拔。

It was the beauty of Earth he most remembered, and now campaigned to save.

这是他毕生难忘的地球之美，此后他为保护地球的运动而奔走。

That first. Then on to Mars.

保护好地球是首要任务，然后是登陆火星。

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 sketched   

v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

4 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

6 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

7 spherical   

adj.球形的；球面的

参考例句：

• The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。
• Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。