【英语时差8,16】Space Message 宇宙信息

 Now, it’s the question that has gripped generations. Is there anyone out there? Well, there is a plan to send a message to a planet just one trillion miles away from us. A project has been launched to collect messages from everyone. The most popular ones will be selected and beamed into space in a few months’ time. I would like to send poetry. I’d send a piece of music into space, probably one without words, a piece of classical, maybe. I would send lots of images of human beings, people, just so they can see what we look like. There’s an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe pictures of people would be a good idea. But where are the messages heading to? Here is astronomer¹ Professor Richard Nelson. We’re talking about a system of three planets around a star called Gliese 581. This is a small star about 30 percent the size of our sun, located about 20.5 light years away. This is a very interesting planetary system, discovered only last year. Probability of life out there is extremely difficult to quantify because the real unknown in all of this，is knowing what are the ingredients of life itself. Now let’s return to the subject of sending this new digital message to space. What makes it different this time? Let’s hear from the project organiser, Oli Madgett. The earth has sent a radio wave very famously back in 1974 up into space, but it’s been the preserve of scientists and the military and the government. This is the first time that we’re allowing everybody to have their say and make their mark and essentially², be in space.

1 astronomer   

n.天文学家

参考例句：

• A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
• He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。

2 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。