Sphere (深海圆疑) 原版小说-第18部分

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〃Oh；　for　Christ's　sake；〃　Harry　said。　〃It　can't　have　been　made　to　travel　to　the　stars。　This　is　obviously　a　conventional　spacecraft；　although　very　large。　And　at　conventional　speeds；　＇＇82＇＇　the　nearest　star　is　two　hundred　and　fifty　years　away。〃
〃Maybe　they　had　new　technology。〃
〃Where　is　it？　There's　no　evidence　of　new　technology。〃
〃Well；　maybe　it's…〃
〃Face　the　facts；　Ted；〃　Harry　said。　〃Even　with　this　huge　size；　the　ship　is　only　provisioned　for　a　few　years：　fifteen　or　twenty　years；　at　most。　How　far　could　it　go　in　that　time？　Barely　out　of　the　solar　system；　right？〃
Ted　nodded　glumly。　〃It's　true。　It　took　the　Voyager　spacecraft　five　years　to　reach　Jupiter；　nine　years　to　reach　Uranus。　In　fifteen　years　。。。　Maybe　they　were　going　to　Pluto。〃
〃Why　would　anyone　want　to　go　to　Pluto？〃
〃We　don't　know　yet；　but…〃
The　radios　squawked。　The　voice　of　Tina　Chan　said；　〃Captain　Barnes；　surface　wants　you　for　a　secure　encrypted　munication；　sir。〃
〃Okay；〃　Barnes　said。　〃It's　time　to　go　back；　anyway。〃　They　headed　back；　through　the　vast　ship；　to　the　main　entrance。

SPACE　AND　TIME

They　were　sitting　in　the　lounge　of　DH…8；　watching　the　divers　work　on　the　grid。　Barnes　was　in　the　next　cylinder；　talking　to　the　surface。　Levy　was　cooking　lunch；　or　dinner…a　meal；　anyway。　They　were　all　getting　confused　about　what　the　Navy　people　called　〃surface　time。〃
〃Surface　time　doesn't　matter　down　here；〃　Edmunds　said；　in　her　precise　librarian's　voice。　〃Day　or　night；　it　just　doesn't　make　any　difference。　You　get　used　to　it。〃
They　nodded　vaguely。　Everyone　was　tired；　Norman　saw。　The　strain；　the　tension　of　the　exploration；　had　taken　its　toll。
＇＇83＇＇　Beth　had　already　drifted　off　to　sleep；　feet　up　on　the　coffee　table；　her　muscular　arms　folded　across　her　chest。
Outside　the　window；　three　small　submarines　had　e　down　and　were　hovering　over　the　grid。　Several　divers　were　clustered　around；　others　were　heading　back　to　the　divers'　habitat；　DH…7。
〃Looks　like　something's　up；〃　Harry　said。　〃Something　to　do　with　Barnes's　call？〃
〃Could　be。〃　Harry　was　still　preoccupied；　distracted。　〃Where's　Tina　Chan？〃
〃She　must　be　with　Barnes。　Why？〃
〃I　need　to　talk　to　her。〃
〃What　about？〃　Ted　said。
〃It's　personal；〃　Harry　said。
Ted　raised　his　eyebrows　but　said　nothing　more。　Harry　left；　going　into　D　Cyl。　Norman　and　Ted　were　alone。
〃He's　a　strange　fellow；〃　Ted　said。
〃Is　he？〃
〃You　know　he　is；　Norman。　Arrogant；　too。　Probably　because　he's　black。　pensating；　don't　you　think？〃
〃I　don't　know。〃
〃I'd　say　he　has　a　chip　on　his　shoulder；〃　Ted　said。　〃He　seems　to　resent　everything　about　this　expedition。〃　He　sighed。　〃Of　course；　mathematicians　are　all　strange。　He's　probably　got　no　sort　of　life　at　all；　I　mean　a　private　life；　women　and　so　forth。　Did　I　tell　you　I　married　again？〃
〃I　read　it　somewhere；〃　Norman　said。
〃She's　a　television　reporter；〃　Ted　said。　〃Wonderful　woman。〃　He　smiled。　〃When　we　got　married；　she　gave　me　this　Corvette。　Beautiful　'58　Corvette；　as　a　wedding　present。　You　know　that　nice　fire…engine　red　color　they　had　in　the　fifties？　That　color。〃　Ted　paced　around　the　room；　glanced　over　at　Beth。　〃I　just　think　this　is　all　unbelievably　exciting。　I　couldn't　possibly　sleep。〃
Norman　nodded。　It　was　interesting　how　different　they　all　were；　he　thought。　Ted；　eternally　optimistic；　with　the　bubbling　enthusiasm　of　a　child。　Harry；　with　the　cold；　critical　demeanor；　the　icy　mind；　the　unblinking　eye。　Beth；　not　so　intellectual　or　so　cerebral。　At　once　more　physical　and　more　＇＇84＇＇　emotional。　That　was　why；　though　they　were　all　exhausted；　only　Beth　could　sleep。
〃Say；　Norman；〃　Ted　said。　〃I　thought　you　said　this　was　going　to　be　scary。〃
〃I　thought　it　would　be；〃　Norman　said。
〃Well；〃　Ted　said。　〃Of　all　the　people　who　could　be　wrong　about　this　expedition；　I'm　glad　it　was　you。〃
〃I　am；　too。〃
〃Although　I　can't　imagine　why　you　would　select　a　man　like　Harry　Adams　for　this　team。　Not　that　he　isn't　distinguished；　but　。。。〃
Norman　didn't　want　to　talk　about　Harry。　〃Ted；　remember　back　on　the　ship；　when　you　said　space　and　time　are　aspects　of　the　same　thing？〃
〃Space…time；　yes。〃
〃I've　never　really　understood　that。〃
〃Why？　It's　quite　straightforward。〃
〃You　can　explain　it　to　me？〃
〃Sure。〃
〃In　English？〃　Norman　said。
〃You　mean；　explain　it　without　mathematics？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Well；　I'll　try。〃　Ted　frowned；　but　Norman　knew　he　was　pleased；　Ted　loved　to　lecture。　He　paused　for　a　moment；　then　said；　〃Okay。　Let's　see　where　we　need　to　begin。　You're　familiar　with　the　idea　that　gravity　is　just　geometry？〃
〃No。〃
〃Curvature　of　space　and　time？〃
〃Not　really；　no。〃
〃Uh。　Einstein's　general　relativity？〃
〃Sorry；〃　Norman　said。
〃Never　mind；〃　Ted　said。　There　was　a　bowl　of　fruit　on　the　table。　Ted　emptied　the　bowl；　setting　the　fruit　on　the　table。
〃Okay。　This　table　is　space。　Nice；　flat　space。〃
〃Okay；〃　Norman　said。
Ted　began　to　position　the　pieces　of　fruit。　〃This　orange　is　the　sun。　And　these　are　the　planets；　which　move　in　circles　around　the　sun。　So　we　have　the　solar　system　on　this　table。〃
〃Okay。〃
＇＇85＇＇　〃Fine；〃　Ted　said。　〃Now；　the　sun〃…he　pointed　to　the　orange　in　the　center　of　the　table…〃is　very　large；　so　it　has　a　lot　of　gravity。〃
〃Right。〃
Ted　gave　Norman　a　ball　bearing。　〃This　is　a　spaceship。　I　want　you　to　send　it　through　the　solar　system；　so　it　passes　very　close　to　the　sun。　Okay？〃
Norman　took　the　ball　bearing　and　rolled　it　so　it　passed　close　to　the　orange。　〃Okay。〃
〃You　notice　that　your　ball　rolled　straight　across　the　flat　table。〃
〃Right。〃
〃But　in　real　life；　what　would　happen　to　your　spacecraft　when　it　passed　near　the　sun？〃
〃It　would　get　sucked　into　the　sun。〃
〃Yes。　We　say　it　would　'fall　into'　the　sun。　The　spacecraft　would　curve　inward　from　a　straight　line　and　hit　the　sun。　But　your　spacecraft　didn't。〃
〃No。
〃So　we　know　that　the　flat　table　is　wrong；〃　Ted　said。　〃Real　space　can't　be　flat　like　the　table。〃
〃It　can't？〃
〃No；〃　Ted　said。
He　took　the　empty　bowl　and　set　the　orange　in　the　bottom。　〃Now　roll　your　ball　straight　across　past　the　sun。〃
Norman　flicked　the　ball　bearing　into　the　bowl。　The　ball　curved；　and　spiraled　down　the　inside　of　the　bowl　until　it　hit　the　orange。
〃Okay；〃　Ted　said。　〃The　spacecraft　hit　the　sun；　just　like　it　would　in　real　life。〃
〃But　if　I　gave　it　enough　speed；〃　Norman　said；　〃it'd　go　right　past　it。　It'd　roll　down　and　up　the　far　side　of　the　bowl　and　out　again。〃
〃Correct；〃　Ted　said。　〃Also　like　real　life。　If　the　spacecraft　has　enough　velocity；　it　will　escape　the　gravitational　field　of　the　sun。〃
〃Right。〃
〃So；〃　Ted　said；　〃what　we　are　showing　is　that　a　spacecraft　passing　the　sun　in　real　life　behaves　as　if　it　were　entering　a　＇＇86＇＇　curved　region　of　space　around　the　sun。　Space　around　the　sun　is　curved　like　this　bowl。〃
〃Okay　。。。〃
〃And　if　your　ball　had　the　right　speed；　it　wouldn't　escape　from　the　bowl；　but　instead　would　just　spiral　around　endlessly　inside　the　rim　of　the　bowl。　And　that's　what　the　planets　are　doing。　They　are　endlessly　spiraling　inside　the　bowl　created　by　the　sun。〃
He　put　the　orange　back　on　the　table。　〃In　reality；　you　should　imagine　the　table　is　made　out　of　rubber　and　the　planets　are　all　making　dents　in　the　rubber　as　they　sit　there。　That's　what　space　is　really　like。　Real　space　is　curved…and　the　curvature　changes　with　the　amount　of　gravity。〃
〃Yes。。。〃
〃So；〃　Ted　said；　〃space　is　curved　by　gravity。〃
〃Okay。〃
〃And　that　means　that　you　can　think　of　gravity　as　nothing　more　than　the　curvature　of　space。　The　Earth　has　gravity　because　the　Earth　curves　the　space　around　it。〃
〃Okay。〃
〃Except　it's　not　that　simple；〃　Ted　said。　
Norman　sighed。　〃I　didn't　think　it　would　be。〃
Harry　came　back　into　the　room；　looked　at　the　fruit　on　the　table；　but　said　nothing。
〃Now；〃　Ted　said；　〃when　you　roll　your　ball　bearing　across　the　bowl；　you　notice　that　it　not　only　spirals　down；　but　it　also　goes　faster；　right？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Now；　when　an　object　goes　faster；　time　on　that　object　passes　slower。　Einstein　proved　that　early　in　the　century。　What　it　means　is　that　you　can　think　of　the　curvature　of　space　as　also　representing　a　curvature　of　time。　The　deeper　the　curve　in　the　bowl；　the　slower　time　passes。〃
Harry　said；　〃Well　。。。〃
〃Layman's　terms；〃　Ted　said。　〃Give　the　guy　a　break。〃
〃Yeah；〃　Norman　said；　〃give　the　guy　a　break。〃
Ted　held　up　the　bowl。　〃Now；　if　you're　doing　all　this　mathematically；　what　you　find　is　that　the　curved　bowl　is　neither　space　nor　time；　but　the　bination　of　b