朝鲜导弹威胁令人们想起“星球大战”的导弹防御

North Korea Missile Threat Brings Back Talk of 'Star Wars' Defenses

Scientists and American space agency officials led efforts by the United States to develop a space-based missile defense¹ system in the 1980s.

Now, those same individuals are urging the U.S. government to re-start work on the anti-missile program. They say it could help answer nuclear threats from North Korea and other rogue² countries.

North Korea’s nuclear activities have become a security concern to the government since the North began testing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

There were false reports of a North Korean missile attack on Hawaii earlier this month. North Korea says its missiles have the ability to reach the U.S. mainland.

The U.S. Space Defense Initiative (SDI) was started over 30 years ago during the presidency³ of Ronald Reagan. SDI was called “Star Wars” by critics in the U.S. Congress and media. They questioned its high cost.

Many people also questioned its effectiveness against the Soviet⁴ Union’s large number of highly-developed nuclear weapons.

The program never got past the planning stage and was largely ended after the collapse⁵ of the Soviet Union.

“Everybody lost interest in SDI when the Soviet Union collapsed,” says Robert Scheder, who works for the RAND Corporation.

Scheder designed the first model for a space-based defense. He said that the nuclear threat from North Korea, and improvements in technology over the past 30 years, show the need for SDI.

In the 1980s, Scheder carried out experiments with a weapon system made of orbiting rockets. They had sensor⁶ technology that could stop attacking missiles immediately after launch, before they can release decoys and countermeasures.

But there were major technological⁷ problems.

The satellite interceptor systems, also known as Brilliant Pebbles⁸ or Smart Rocks, could not entirely⁹ contain a Russian attack involving thousands of nuclear missiles, Scheder said.

But he now believes they could provide fail-safe protection against the threat now posed by North Korea, which can only launch at most three or four missiles at a time. Scheder spoke¹⁰ to VOA from his home in Spain.

Thomas Roberts, a critic of space-based defense, works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He says that even a few missiles could get through the defense system.

“The enemy can first launch a decoy,” Roberts said, which would make a hole in the system that other missiles could pass through.

At least 1,600 “killer” satellites would be needed to fully¹¹ cover the Earth. The estimated $100 billion cost for placing thousands of Brilliant Pebbles in orbit would have used up all of the money the U.S. spent on defense in the 1980s.

The money could be spent just as effectively in deploying¹² more traditional interceptor missiles and launching more satellites to watch and identify incoming enemy missiles, Scheder said.

“The much smaller size of satellites...would limit the cost,” he noted¹³.

Commercially available space technology that is produced by Tesla and other businesses would also lower costs and shorten deployment¹⁴ time. That’s the belief of experts with NASA, the National Aeronautics¹⁵ and Space Administration.

A former SDI director, retired¹⁶ U.S. Air Force General James Abrahamson, has placed the cost of Brilliant Pebbles at $20 billion.

Roberts said it would cost at least $70 billion.

Government support for SDI research was stopped when Bill Clinton was U.S. president. Plans to restart it under President George W. Bush were suspended because of anti-terrorism efforts and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Growing concern with North Korea has moved the U.S. Congress to request new money for space weapons research. The House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee made the request in a recent letter to President Donald Trump¹⁷ and his administration.

President Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization¹⁸ Act last month. The act orders the Missile Defense Agency to begin research on SDI and other technologies.

Abrahamson has said that the land-based anti-ballistic missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, cannot guarantee protection against an attack.

Experiments have shown that THAAD and the Navy’s AEGIS¹⁹ system have a 50 percent chance of stopping ICBMs when they re-enter the atmosphere.

They are “weapons designed to protect points in a set piece battle scenario,” Scheder said. But effective protection for whole countries or areas under threat by countries like North Korea can only be provided by satellite-operated area defense, he added.

Critics of space-based weapons point to the possibility that a satellite could make a mistake when trying to identify a hostile launch.

Defensive²⁰ missiles could also be destroyed as they re-enter the atmosphere before hitting an enemy missile.

Scheder also says that the Smart Rock is a solid missile built to destroy a rocket without an explosion. As a result, its collateral²¹ damage would be limited.

An enemy ICBM has about 20 minutes in space when it could be hit, but “once it’s re-entered the atmosphere, land-based missiles have only seconds in which to hit it,” Scheder said.

Some weapon systems considered for SDI, like lasers, could not provide enough protection, he added.

There is also the theoretical danger that a rogue nation or group with highly developed cyber war ability could attack the system and use it against the United States or its allies.

But difficulties in overpowering a U.S. anti-missile system could persuade enemy nations that nuclear war is futile²², said Scheder.

He noted that the cost of the 1980s “Star Wars” program caused the Soviet Union to end its arms race.

I'm Susan Shand. And I'm Lucija Milonig.

Words in This Story

rogue – n. someone or something that causes trouble

stage – n. a point or period in the development of something

decoy – n. someone or something that gets people’s attention so they will ignore someone or something else

interceptor - n. something that stops an object mid-flight

pose – v. to cause; to set or put in place

fail-safe – adj. causing a piece of machinery²³ to return to a safe condition in the event of a breakdown²⁴ or problem

anti-ballistic – adj. of or relating to stopping missiles while in flight

commercial – adj. related to the buying and selling of services

collateral – adj. related but not in a direct or close way

cyber – adj. of or related to computers or computer networks

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 rogue   

n.流氓；v.游手好闲

参考例句：

• The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
• They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

7 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

8 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

15 aeronautics   

n.航空术，航空学

参考例句：

• National Aeronautics and Space undertakings have made great progress.国家的航空航天事业有了很大的发展。
• He devoted every spare moment to aeronautics.他把他所有多余的时间用在航空学上。

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

17 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

18 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

19 aegis   

n.盾；保护，庇护

参考例句：

• Medical supplies are flied in under the aegis of the red cross.在红十字会的保护下，正在空运进医药用品。
• The space programme will continue under the aegis of the armed forces.这项太空计划将以武装部队作后盾继续进行。

20 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

21 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

22 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

23 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

24 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。